Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with and without contrast) at UnityPoint Health - Meriter Hospital

202 South Park Street, Madison, WI · UnityPoint Health · · NPI 1114920048

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 28, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$3,405.36

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.

$4,256.69

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.

$65.03 with Aspirus vs $4,043.86 with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield — 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
Aspirus Medicare Advantage $65.03 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $65.03 ↓ -98%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $65.03 ↓ -98%
Prevea 360 Medicare Advantage $65.03 ↓ -98%
IlliniCare Medicare Advantage $65.03 ↓ -98%
MeridianCare Medicare Advantage $68.28 ↓ -98%
Humana Medicare Advantage $68.28 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Commercial $167.10 ↓ -95%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $174.17 ↓ -95%
Medical Associates Health Plan HMO/POS/PPO $215.25 ↓ -94%
Aspirus PPO $979.04 ↓ -71%
Cigna Commercial $1,277.01 ↓ -63%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Priority/Pathway $1,318.00 ↓ -61%
Security Health Plan HMO/POS/SAS $1,319.57 ↓ -61%
Quartz HMO $1,328.09 ↓ -61%
Mercy Care HMO/POS $1,413.22 ↓ -59%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO/POS $1,464.00 ↓ -57%
Aspirus HMO/POS $1,532.41 ↓ -55%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $2,191.00 ↓ -36%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $2,191.00 ↓ -36%
Prevea 360 Commercial $3,618.19 ↑ +6%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Traditional $4,043.86 ↑ +19%
My Choice Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Dean Health Plan Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
GHC HMO not published by hospital —
GHC - South Central WI Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
GHC - Eau Claire Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with and without contrast) at other Wisconsin hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison Madison $3,458.95 $254.15 – $4,128.82
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.) Milwaukee $2,825.43 $115.72 – $828.27
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.) Mequon $2,825.43 $115.72 – $828.27
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Baraboo Baraboo $2,415.05 $254.15 – $5,483.62
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville Janesville $2,289.10 $263.55 – $3,935.30
SSM Health Monroe Hospital Monroe $5,194.75 $338.87 – $1,355.23
SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Ripon $1,857.35 $1,688.63 – $1,688.63
SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital - Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac $1,857.35 $258.81 – $665.99

All Wisconsin hospitals for this procedure →