Biopsy tongue anterior two-thirds at MUSC Health Black River Medical Center

3555 Williamsburg County Highway, Cades, SC · Muschealth · · NPI 1841914298

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$493.00

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$986.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$501.62 with Aetna vs $2,820.25 with Bcbs — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $501.62 ↑ +2%
Clover Health Medicare Managed Care Plan $511.65 ↑ +4%
Absolute Total Care Ambetter Exchange $539.24 ↑ +9%
Molina Exchange $551.78 ↑ +12%
Bcbs Lowcountry Blue Exchange $983.71 ↑ +100%
Bcbs Bluechoice/Blueoptions Exchange $1,040.54 ↑ +111%
Bcbs Blueessentials Exchange $1,040.54 ↑ +111%
Bcbs Employee $1,106.96 ↑ +125%
Bcbs State Other Commercial Plan $1,475.94 ↑ +199%
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $2,017.00 ↑ +309%
Bcbs Preferred Blue Ppo $2,567.36 ↑ +421%
Bcbs Bluechoice Hmo $2,820.25 ↑ +472%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Biopsy tongue anterior two-thirds at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $682.00 $501.62 – $551.78
MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston Charleston $682.00 $501.62 – $806.24
HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER MONCKS CORNER not published $1,019.57 – $1,436.53
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson not published $1,019.57 – $1,436.53
MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence not published $501.62 – $2,118.00
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center Camden not published $368.00 – $573.45
MUSC Health Chester Medical Center Chester not published $521.32 – $4,604.00
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster not published $524.10 – $1,544.00

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →