Hernia Repair (Inguinal) at MUSC Health Chester Medical Center

1 Medical Park Drive, Chester, SC · Muschealth · · NPI 1558937474

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

not published by hospital

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.

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

not published by hospital

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.

$1,416.02 with Bcbs vs $11,255.00 with Cigna — 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
Bcbs Employee $1,416.02
Bcbs State Other Commercial Plan $1,888.02
Bcbs Bluechoice Exchange $2,055.19
Bcbs Blueessentials Exchange $2,055.19
Bcbs Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,460.86
Humana Medicare Managed Care - Ppo $3,514.09
Bcbs Preferred Blue Ppo $3,527.86
Clover Health Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,530.08
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,548.88
Absolute Total Care Ambetter Exchange $3,720.42
Molina Exchange $3,806.95
Bcbs Bluechoice Hmo $3,875.35
Bcbs Lowcountry Blue Exchange $4,612.08
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $10,275.00
Aetna All Commercial Plans $10,500.00
Cigna All Commercial Plans $11,255.00

Visitor-reported prices

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Hernia Repair (Inguinal) at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St Francis Downtown Greenville $25,030.33 $3,429.47 – $3,463.77
St Francis Eastside Greenville $14,895.00 $3,429.47 – $3,463.77
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $5,643.00 $3,330.05 – $3,663.06
MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston Charleston $5,643.00 $1,143.99 – $3,663.06
MUSC Health Black River Medical Center Cades $4,081.00 $1,416.02 – $11,692.00
HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER MONCKS CORNER not published $1,660.42 – $4,425.99
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson not published $1,660.42 – $4,425.99
MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence not published $1,416.02 – $12,276.00

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →