CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Howard County Medical Center

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$195

about 0.8× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $183–$437

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$180

About the fair price

about $15 under the fair price · 0.7× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $195 This hospital $180 Cash price $3,924 Hospital's list price $3,924

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 $132 Priciest $301

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, lower back (no contrast) is about $195 (about 0.8× the $244 Medicare rate). Howard County Medical Center charges insurers about $180, or about $3,924 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	$175 - $3,767	72%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$175 - $3,728	72%
Aetnamajor	$68 - $3,728	28%
Humanamajor	$149	61%
Ambetter (Centene)	$350	144%
Medica	$65 - $3,767	27%
Molina	$184 - $1,962	75%
Oscar Health	$306	126%
WellCare	$180	74%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$134 - $2,237

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 3,924), 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: 72148.

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 72148.
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, lower back (no contrast) at other NE hospitals

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