CMS Price Transparency Data

Ultrasound, thyroid and neck

Facility: Howard County Medical Center

Billing Code: 76536 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$94

about 0.9× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $86–$170

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$100

About the fair price

about $6 over the fair price · 0.9× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $94 This hospital $100 Cash price $714 Hospital's list price $714

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 $59 Priciest $119

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 Ultrasound, thyroid and neck is about $94 (about 0.9× the $107 Medicare rate). Howard County Medical Center charges insurers about $100, or about $714 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	$98 - $685	92%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$98 - $678	92%
Aetnamajor	$26 - $678	24%
Humanamajor	$83	78%
Ambetter (Centene)	$196	184%
Medica	$25 - $685	23%
Molina	$103 - $357	96%
Oscar Health	$171	160%
WellCare	$101	95%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$51 - $407

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 714), 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: 76536.

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 76536.
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: Ultrasound, thyroid and neck at other NE hospitals

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