CMS Price Transparency Data

Bunion correction surgery

Facility: Astera Health

Billing Code: 28296 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$538

about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $523–$1,322

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$847

Above the fair price

about $309 over the fair price · 0.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $538 This hospital $847 Cash price $1,894 Hospital's list price $2,624

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MN hospitals

On the higher side — 7 of 8 other MN hospitals charge less.

Cheapest $470 Priciest $908

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MN hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a Bunion correction surgery is about $538 (about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Astera Health charges insurers about $847, or about $1,894 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Wadena, MN.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $538. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

3 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna CignaHumanaKaiser Permanente

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	$675 - $20,104	20%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$847 - $19,779	25%
Aetnamajor	$2,361 - $23,407	71%
HealthPartners	$383 - $18,596	11%
Medica	$383 - $204,375	11%
Sanford Health Plan	$724 - $1,726	22%
UCare	$370 - $19,334	11%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$383 - $9,701

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 1,894), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 28296.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Astera Health is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 28296.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Astera Health

Compare: Bunion correction surgery at other MN hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.