Chest CT scan (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

$5,468.16

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.

$6,835.19

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.

$55.01 with United Healthcare vs $6,493.43 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
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $55.01 ↓ -99%
Aspirus Medicare Advantage $55.01 ↓ -99%
IlliniCare Medicare Advantage $55.01 ↓ -99%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $55.01 ↓ -99%
Prevea 360 Medicare Advantage $55.01 ↓ -99%
Humana Medicare Advantage $57.76 ↓ -99%
MeridianCare Medicare Advantage $57.76 ↓ -99%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $133.67 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Commercial $155.20 ↓ -97%
Medical Associates Health Plan HMO/POS/PPO $182.08 ↓ -97%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Priority/Pathway $657.00 ↓ -88%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO/POS $733.00 ↓ -87%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $1,098.00 ↓ -80%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $1,098.00 ↓ -80%
Aspirus PPO $1,572.09 ↓ -71%
Cigna Commercial $2,050.56 ↓ -63%
Security Health Plan HMO/POS/SAS $2,118.91 ↓ -61%
Quartz HMO $2,132.58 ↓ -61%
Mercy Care HMO/POS $2,269.28 ↓ -59%
Aspirus HMO/POS $2,460.67 ↓ -55%
Prevea 360 Commercial $5,809.91 ↑ +6%
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Traditional $6,493.43 ↑ +19%
My Choice Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
GHC - Eau Claire Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
GHC - South Central WI Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Dean Health Plan Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
GHC HMO not published by hospital —
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Chest CT scan (with and without contrast) at other Wisconsin hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison Madison $1,942.60 $127.78 – $1,669.30
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.) Milwaukee $1,259.28 $97.72 – $401.74
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus (Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc.) Mequon $1,511.56 $97.72 – $401.74
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Baraboo Baraboo $1,616.45 $127.78 – $2,217.04
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville Janesville $2,021.80 $132.50 – $1,591.04
SSM Health Monroe Hospital Monroe $2,300.65 $170.37 – $545.83
SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Ripon $1,714.35 $682.72 – $682.72
SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital - Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac $1,714.35 $130.12 – $334.84

All Wisconsin hospitals for this procedure →