Brain MRI (with contrast) at HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER

401 N LIVE OAK DR, MONCKS CORNER, SC · HCA Trident Health System · · NPI 1366496937

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$5,004.00

Cash price

?

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.

$5,004.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$333.49 with Select Health vs $4,753.80 with BCBS — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Select Health HIX $333.49 ↓ -93%
Absolute Total Care HIX $624.98 ↓ -88%
United AllPayerAppendix $828.27 ↓ -83%
BLUE CHOICE MGMCD $871.36 ↓ -83%
United MCD $871.36 ↓ -83%
Absolute Total Care MCD $900.72 ↓ -82%
SC State Employees COMM $905.29 ↓ -82%
NHC Advantage MGMCR $950.76 ↓ -81%
Pruitt Health MCR $950.76 ↓ -81%
Blue Choice Health Plan HIX $963.29 ↓ -81%
BCBS PBHIX $963.29 ↓ -81%
BCBS BlueChoice $1,770.57 ↓ -65%
BCBS PreferredBlue $1,770.57 ↓ -65%
Aetna SC NB $1,909.00 ↓ -62%
Aetna SC AFA $1,909.00 ↓ -62%
Medcost NEWULTRA $1,911.53 ↓ -62%
United OptionsPPO $2,001.60 ↓ -60%
Employers Health Network COMM $2,251.80 ↓ -55%
United GlobalBenefit $2,251.80 ↓ -55%
Aetna SC FI $2,561.00 ↓ -49%
Medcost NEWPAYER $2,692.15 ↓ -46%
Vocational Rehab MCR $2,702.16 ↓ -46%
Medcost STANDARD $2,812.25 ↓ -44%
Humana BH COMM $3,252.60 ↓ -35%
First Health PPO $3,652.92 ↓ -27%
Humana Choicecare PPO $3,753.00 ↓ -25%
Evernorth BHCOMM $4,003.20 ↓ -20%
Prime Health COMM $4,253.40 ↓ -15%
Multiplan COMM $4,253.40 ↓ -15%
NovaNet COMM $4,503.60 ↓ -10%
Aetna SC SI $4,684.00 ↓ -6%
BCBS COMM $4,753.80 ↓ -5%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brain MRI (with contrast) at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Prisma Health Greer Memorial Hospital GREER $2,826.20 $172.76 – $4,043.64
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson $5,004.00 $333.49 – $963.29

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →