CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Howard County Medical Center

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$306

about 0.9× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $256–$749

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$298

About the fair price

about $8 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $306 This hospital $298 Cash price $4,627 Hospital's list price $4,627

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NE hospitals

A typical price — 4 charge more and 4 charge less, among the 9 NE hospitals compared.

Cheapest $205 Priciest $522

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

⚠ 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 $306 (about 0.9× the $356 Medicare rate). Howard County Medical Center charges insurers about $298, or about $4,627 in cash — about the fair price. Located in St Paul, NE.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Humana CignaKaiser 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	$291 - $4,442	82%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$291 - $4,396	82%
Aetnamajor	$104 - $4,396	29%
Humanamajor	$247	69%
Ambetter (Centene)	$582	163%
Medica	$100 - $4,442	28%
Molina	$306 - $2,314	86%
Oscar Health	$509	143%
WellCare	$300	84%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$206 - $2,637

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

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 4,627), 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: 70553.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Howard County Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70553.
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 Howard County Medical Center

Compare: MRI, brain (with and without contrast) at other NE hospitals

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