MRI, brain (with and without contrast)
Facility: Lifecare Medical Center
Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $165 compared to the $257 fair price benchmark.
Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.
A typical price — 5 charge more and 3 charge less, among the 9 MN hospitals compared.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MN hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
Note: The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.
A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $257 (about 0.7× the $356 Medicare rate). Lifecare Medical Center charges insurers about $165, or about $1,234 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Roseau, MN.
What each insurance company pays
Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.
2 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital
Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.
| Insurance company | Price range | vs. Medicare |
|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcaremajor | $70 - $1,047 | 20% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $103 - $2,026 | 29% |
| HealthPartners | $161 - $2,494 | 45% |
| Medica | $103 - $2,424 | 29% |
| Sanford Health Plan | $206 - $2,369 | 58% |
| UCare | $165 - $2,743 | 46% |
Self-Pay How to get the cash price
Insurance Before you use insurance
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.
Other Procedures at Lifecare Medical Center
Compare: MRI, brain (with and without contrast) at other MN hospitals
- Glacial Ridge Hospital · Glenwood $103
- Stevens Community Medical Center Inc · Morris $121
- Lakewood Health System · Staples $164
- Madison Hospital · Madison $218
- Astera Health · Wadena $245
- Gillette Childrens Specialty Hospital · Saint Paul $260
- Range Regional Health Services · Hibbing $311
- Fairview Bethesda Hospital · Saint Paul $324
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Lifecare Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $509
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $509).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($1,234) Beats Your Bill
Lifecare Medical Center's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $1,234 (vs. $165 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $257 Fair BaseRate ($356 Medicare)
Your bill ($1,403) is $1,146 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($257) and 3.9× the $356 Medicare rate.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.