Remove esophagus obstruction 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

$178.50

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.

$350.00

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.

$2.03 with aetna vs $315.70 with aetna — 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 ppo $2.03 ↓ -99%
first choice commercial $4.78 ↓ -97%
confluence health medicare advantage $29.06 ↓ -84%
aetna medicare advantage $31.68 ↓ -82%
united healthcare commercial $179.32 ↑ +0%
humana medicare advantage $180.12 ↑ +1%
humana choicecare medicare advantage $180.12 ↑ +1%
united healthcare medicare advantage $180.12 ↑ +1%
kaiser foundation hp medicare $180.12 ↑ +1%
optum care network medicare advantage $180.12 ↑ +1%
multiplan medicare advantage $184.42 ↑ +3%
signal health medicare advantage $184.42 ↑ +3%
premera medicare advantage hmo/ppo $184.42 ↑ +3%
regence medicare advantage $193.47 ↑ +8%
premera commercial $210.00 ↑ +18%
kaiser health plan commercial $211.05 ↑ +18%
aetna commercial $220.50 ↑ +24%
regence uniform medical plan $245.00 ↑ +37%
regence commercial $245.00 ↑ +37%
cigna commercial $258.44 ↑ +45%
cigna local plus $258.44 ↑ +45%
coventry - first health commercial $280.00 ↑ +57%
aetna medicare advantage hmo $315.70 ↑ +77%

Visitor-reported prices

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Remove esophagus obstruction at other Washington hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus Seattle $482.40 not published
Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Seattle $482.40 not published
Central Medical Center Seattle $560.00 not published
Swedish Issaquah Issaquah $482.40 $207.29 – $207.29
Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane $1,626.10 $525.61 – $525.61
Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane not published $201.99 – $201.99
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane not published $1,132.98 – $1,132.98
Providence Centralia Hospital Centralia not published $1,296.50 – $1,296.50

All Washington hospitals for this procedure →