Transparent film >16<=48 in 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

$12.95

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.

$37.00

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.

$4.45 with BCBS - TX vs $37.00 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 - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $4.45 ↓ -66%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $4.50 ↓ -65%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $7.10 ↓ -45%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $9.25 ↓ -29%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $9.99 ↓ -23%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $13.00 ↑ +0%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $13.39 ↑ +3%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $15.17 ↑ +17%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $16.65 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Optum $17.39 ↑ +34%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $18.50 ↑ +43%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $20.35 ↑ +57%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $20.35 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $20.35 ↑ +57%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $22.20 ↑ +71%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $24.05 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $24.05 ↑ +86%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $24.05 ↑ +86%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $25.90 ↑ +100%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $25.90 ↑ +100%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $25.90 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $27.75 ↑ +114%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $30.57 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $31.45 ↑ +143%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $37.00 ↑ +186%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $37.00 ↑ +186%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $37.00 ↑ +186%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $37.00 ↑ +186%

Visitor-reported prices

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Transparent film >16<=48 in at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $12.95 $5.45 – $37.00
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $6.02 – $13.20
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $6.02 – $13.20
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $6.02 – $13.20
St. Joseph Health Madison Hospital Madisonville $1.93 $1.41 – $9.90
St. Luke's Health - Springwoods Village Hospital Spring $12.95 $5.45 – $37.00
St. Luke's Health - Sugar Land Hospital Sugar Land $12.95 $5.45 – $37.00
St. Joseph Health College Station Hospital College Station $1.93 $5.39 – $9.35

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →