MRI, brain (no contrast)
Facility: Liberty Hospital
Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 70551
- Insurance Median: $473
- Cash Discount Price: $770
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 1.94x Medicare
Average discount available for prompt cash payment at this facility.
Median negotiated contract rate across all mapped commercial carriers.
Standard federal government reimbursement rate for this code.
Visual Cost Comparison vs. Medicare
Understanding this gauge: We use the federal Medicare rate of $243.77 as the cost baseline. Rates below the baseline represent excellent value. In-network commercial rates commonly hover around 150% - 250% of Medicare, while rates exceeding 300% are elevated. Hover over the green and blue markers to view detailed calculations.
Out-of-Pocket Cost Estimator
Estimate whether it is more economical to use your insurance or pay the upfront self-pay cash rate.
Commercial Insurance Negotiated Rates
Negotiated contract ranges established by major commercial carriers at this facility.
| Carrier / Plan Group | Contract Rate Range | vs. Medicare Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $73 - $2,206 | 30% |
| Aetna | $217 - $2,238 | 89% |
| Cigna | $217 | 89% |
| UnitedHealthcare | $217 - $359 | 89% |
| Medicare (plans) | $220 - $239 | 90% |
| Humana | $222 | 91% |
| Healthy Blue | $233 | 96% |
| Ambetter / Centene | $276 | 113% |
| Home State Health | $319 | 131% |
| Fox Everett | $1,601 - $1,673 | 657% |
| Phcs | $2,001 - $2,092 | 821% |
| Multiplan | $2,214 - $2,315 | 908% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
Liberty Hospital, located at 2525 Glenn Hendren Dr in Liberty, Missouri, is a voluntary non-profit acute care facility offering an MRI of the brain (no contrast). For this procedure, the facility's cash price is $770, while the median negotiated rate for commercial payers is $473. The Medicare amount for this service is $243.77, which serves as the benchmark for comparison. The facility's cash rate of $770 is significantly higher than the Medicare benchmark, reflecting a markup of 1.9 times the Medicare amount.
Patients should be aware that while the cash price of $770 is higher than the median negotiated rate of $473, paying out-of-pocket can sometimes be more cost-effective if your insurance plan has a high deductible or if the negotiated rate exceeds your cash price due to administrative overhead. It is important to verify your specific plan's status and ask the hospital directly about self-pay or prompt-pay discounts, which can reduce the bill by 20% to 50% when paid upfront. Since the data provided does not include specific county or state average comparisons for this service, patients are encouraged to request a full itemized bill to identify any errors or unbundled charges before finalizing payment.