Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with contrast) at Baylor St Luke's Medical Center

1101 Bates Avenue, Houston, TX · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1184622847

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$1,545.25

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.

$4,415.00

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.

$234.23 with Wellpoint vs $4,415.00 with MHealth Network — 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
Wellpoint Medicaid|All Other Plans $234.23 ↓ -85%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STARKIDS $237.24 ↓ -85%
Wellpoint Medicaid|CHIP $237.24 ↓ -85%
UHC Medicaid|STARKIDS $238.91 ↓ -85%
UHC Medicaid|CHIP $238.91 ↓ -85%
UNITED Medicaid|All Other Plans $241.98 ↓ -84%
BCBS Medicaid|All Plans $245.94 ↓ -84%
Renaissance Commercial|All Plans $257.55 ↓ -83%
CHC Medicaid|All Other Plans $272.83 ↓ -82%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STAR $317.90 ↓ -79%
UNITED Medicaid|STAR $325.02 ↓ -79%
KELSEY Medicare|All Plans $357.71 ↓ -77%
BCBS Medicare|All Plans $357.71 ↓ -77%
Humana Medicare|All Other Plans $357.71 ↓ -77%
Humana Medicare|TRANSPLANT $357.71 ↓ -77%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|HMO $357.71 ↓ -77%
AETNA Medicare|TRANSPLANT $357.71 ↓ -77%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|PPO $361.29 ↓ -77%
AETNA Medicare|All Other Plans $364.86 ↓ -76%
UHC-SecureHorizons Medicare|All Plans $364.86 ↓ -76%
CHC Medicaid|STAR $365.35 ↓ -76%
Amerivantage Medicare|All Plans $368.44 ↓ -76%
SELECTCARE Medicare|All Plans $375.60 ↓ -76%
DEVOTED Medicare|All Plans $382.75 ↓ -75%
SCANHealth Medicare|All Plans $382.75 ↓ -75%
KINDRED Medicare|All Plans $429.25 ↓ -72%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $458.22 ↓ -70%
KelseyCare Commercial|Exchange $482.91 ↓ -69%
TCHP Medicaid|All Other Plans $485.65 ↓ -69%
TCHP Medicaid|STARKIDS $485.65 ↓ -69%
Employer Direct Commercial|PPO $500.79 ↓ -68%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $511.68 ↓ -67%
Community Health Choice Commercial|Exchange $536.57 ↓ -65%
Superior Health Plan Commercial|All Plans $536.57 ↓ -65%
Harris Health Commercial|ERS $536.57 ↓ -65%
Community Health Choice Commercial|All Other Plans $536.57 ↓ -65%
Wellpoint Commercial|Exchange $536.57 ↓ -65%
Aetna Commercial|Exchange $550.87 ↓ -64%
Bright Health Commercial|All Plans $615.81 ↓ -60%
TCHP Medicaid|STAR $650.78 ↓ -58%
UHC Medicaid|STARPLUS $740.19 ↓ -52%
UNITED Medicaid|STARPLUS $740.19 ↓ -52%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Transplant $983.04 ↓ -36%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $1,015.00 ↓ -34%
Aetna Commercial|Transplant $1,023.00 ↓ -34%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $1,023.36 ↓ -34%
Humana Commercial|PPO $1,050.00 ↓ -32%
Humana Commercial|HMO $1,050.00 ↓ -32%
Healthsmart Commercial|AP3 $1,100.00 ↓ -29%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $1,119.00 ↓ -28%
NX Health Commercial|PPO $1,162.56 ↓ -25%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $1,192.05 ↓ -23%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,320.00 ↓ -15%
KelseyCare Commercial|All Other Plans $1,398.60 ↓ -9%
United Commercial|Exchange $1,501.00 ↓ -3%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $1,573.22 ↑ +2%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $1,597.35 ↑ +3%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $1,664.87 ↑ +8%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $1,810.15 ↑ +17%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $1,986.75 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Charter $2,021.00 ↑ +31%
United Commercial|Optum $2,075.05 ↑ +34%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $2,207.50 ↑ +43%
United Commercial|HMO $2,247.00 ↑ +45%
United Commercial|PPO $2,247.00 ↑ +45%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $2,428.25 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $2,428.25 ↑ +57%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $2,428.25 ↑ +57%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $2,649.00 ↑ +71%
Aetna Commercial|KelseyCare $2,693.15 ↑ +74%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $2,812.00 ↑ +82%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $2,869.75 ↑ +86%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $2,869.75 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,869.75 ↑ +86%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $3,090.50 ↑ +100%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $3,090.50 ↑ +100%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $3,090.50 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $3,090.50 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $3,311.25 ↑ +114%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $3,647.68 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $3,752.75 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $4,415.00 ↑ +186%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with contrast) at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $1,545.25 $234.23 – $4,415.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON $8,428.39 $234.23 – $820.98
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $237.24 – $820.98
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $229.55 – $763.70
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $1,753.94 $234.23 – $2,192.43
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $2,000.98 $411.87 – $3,001.46
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $2,264.12 $234.23 – $2,830.16
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $1,753.94 $234.23 – $2,577.00

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →