Contrast x-ray of ankle at HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL

5003 CYPRESS CREEK PKWY, HOUSTON, TX · HCA Houston Healthcare · · NPI 1750819025

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

$1,224.32

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.

$1,224.32

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.

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

$73.46 with Superior Health Plan vs $1,580.86 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
Superior Health Plan STAR $73.46 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $73.46 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $73.46 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHIP $73.46 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARKids $73.46 ↓ -94%
Texas Childrens Healthplans CHIP $128.31 ↓ -90%
Texas Childrens Healthplans MEDICAID $128.31 ↓ -90%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $130.31 ↓ -89%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $130.31 ↓ -89%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $130.31 ↓ -89%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $130.31 ↓ -89%
United MGMCD $132.92 ↓ -89%
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $140.73 ↓ -89%
Molina Healthcare CHIP $141.14 ↓ -88%
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $141.14 ↓ -88%
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $141.14 ↓ -88%
Molina Healthcare STAR $141.14 ↓ -88%
Humana MCD $160.39 ↓ -87%
United OptionsPPO $205.69 ↓ -83%
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $312.20 ↓ -75%
Evry Health BroadNetwork $334.24 ↓ -73%
Cigna CSN $374.78 ↓ -69%
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $405.59 ↓ -67%
BCBS Traditional $428.51 ↓ -65%
Coventry National First Health COMM $445.65 ↓ -64%
Cigna PPO $482.14 ↓ -61%
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $489.73 ↓ -60%
Curative Administrators COMM $489.73 ↓ -60%
United GlobalAppendix $550.94 ↓ -55%
Aetna QHPExchange $637.13 ↓ -48%
BCBS MyBlueHealth $672.06 ↓ -45%
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $699.43 ↓ -43%
United SmallGroup $828.27 ↓ -32%
United AllPayerAppendix $828.27 ↓ -32%
Aetna NBHMO $846.81 ↓ -31%
Aetna NBPOS $846.81 ↓ -31%
Aetna NBPPO $846.81 ↓ -31%
BCBS BAV $851.53 ↓ -30%
Aetna COMMHMO $900.80 ↓ -26%
Aetna COMMPOS $900.80 ↓ -26%
Aetna COMMPPO $900.80 ↓ -26%
Aetna OONPPO $1,059.18 ↓ -13%
Aetna OONPOS $1,059.18 ↓ -13%
Aetna OONHMO $1,059.18 ↓ -13%
Aetna ASAPPO $1,144.67 ↓ -7%
Aetna ASAPOS $1,144.67 ↓ -7%
Aetna ASAHMO $1,144.67 ↓ -7%
BCBS HMO $1,298.29 ↑ +6%
Humana HMO $1,366.02 ↑ +12%
Humana PPO $1,366.02 ↑ +12%
BCBS EPOSOA $1,439.57 ↑ +18%
BCBS PPO $1,580.86 ↑ +29%

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast x-ray of ankle at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston $3,250.63 $130.31 – $672.06
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $410.20 $128.31 – $1,172.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $410.20 $93.76 – $1,172.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $125.74 – $672.06
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $495.58 $128.31 – $952.69
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $923.65 $190.12 – $1,385.48
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $969.83 $128.31 – $1,212.29
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $495.58 $128.31 – $952.69

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →