CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Bellevue Hospital Center

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$575

about 1.6× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $379–$759

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$503

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $72 under the fair price · 1.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $575 This hospital $503 Cash price $445 Hospital's list price $1,773

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

Highest price of the 9 NY hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $115 Priciest $503

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

A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $575 (about 1.6× the $356 Medicare rate). Bellevue Hospital Center charges insurers about $503, or about $445 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in New York, NY.

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✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser 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	$444 - $2,114	125%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$361 - $2,114	101%
Aetnamajor	$111 - $1,131	31%
Cignamajor	$1,285	361%
Fidelis Care	$168 - $1,832	47%
MagnaCare	$1,982	556%
Oscar Health	$175 - $1,702	49%
WellCare	$126 - $480	35%
+ 15 smaller / regional plans	$93 - $2,246

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

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 445), 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 Bellevue Hospital 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 Bellevue Hospital Center

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

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