Esophagoscopy balloon <30mm at Virginia Mason Medical Center

1100 9th Ave., Seattle, WA · Vmfh · · NPI 1801851258

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

$2,472.48

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.

$4,848.00

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.

$10.33 with aetna vs $3,579.76 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
aetna medicare advantage hmo $10.33 ↓ -100%
aetna medicare advantage ppo $12.41 ↓ -99%
aetna medicare advantage $22.97 ↓ -99%
first choice commercial $30.22 ↓ -99%
united healthcare commercial $121.18 ↓ -95%
humana medicare advantage $124.53 ↓ -95%
optum care network medicare advantage $124.53 ↓ -95%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $124.53 ↓ -95%
united healthcare medicare advantage $124.53 ↓ -95%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $124.53 ↓ -95%
signal health medicare advantage $127.06 ↓ -95%
multiplan medicare advantage $127.06 ↓ -95%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $127.06 ↓ -95%
regence medicare advantage $130.75 ↓ -95%
regence uniform medical plan $217.01 ↓ -91%
premera commercial $256.81 ↓ -90%
coventry - first health commercial $336.26 ↓ -86%
confluence health medicare advantage $362.45 ↓ -85%
cigna commercial $400.14 ↓ -84%
kaiser health plan commercial $552.50 ↓ -78%
regence commercial $2,264.24 ↓ -8%
aetna commercial $3,054.24 ↑ +24%
cigna local plus $3,579.76 ↑ +45%

Visitor-reported prices

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Esophagoscopy balloon <30mm at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle not published $2,222.08 – $7,584.54
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle not published $2,222.08 – $7,304.21
Central Medical Center Seattle not published not published
St. Michael Medical Center Silverdale $902.97 $1,288.94 – $8,208.11
St. Anne Hospital Burien $624.74 $879.75 – $1,841.34
St. Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor $622.27 $1,473.07 – $1,912.27
MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Auburn $872.40 $663.68 – $9,211.19
MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital Puyallup $872.40 $679.03 – $9,211.19

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →