Brain MRI with contrast cost in California (2026): what insurers pay

MRI of the brain without and then with contrast, CPT 70553. Also called brain MRI with and without contrast, MRI brain w/wo contrast, head MRI with contrast. In-network rates by area and insurer.

Brain MRI with contrast cost in California, 2026: across four metro areas, the typical rate insurers pay for a brain MRI with contrast at doctors' offices and imaging centers ranges from $474 to $870, depending on the insurer and the area. Rates from the published files of Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna.

Typical rate at offices and imaging centers, by area and insurer

Area	Anthem Blue Cross	Blue Shield of California	Aetna	UnitedHealthcare	Cigna
San Francisco	$685	$547	$603	$560	$669
Oakland	$870	$542	$632	$741	$870
San Jose	$657	$541	$586	$609	$791
Los Angeles	$601	$474	$523	$625	$687

Medians across billing entities within 20 miles of each downtown. A dash means fewer than 10 billing entities published a rate. Open an area for ranges and Medicare's rate.

About a brain MRI with contrast

One MRI exam of the brain: images are taken without contrast, then again after contrast dye is injected through an IV. It is used to look more closely at tumors, multiple sclerosis, infections, or findings on an earlier scan. Billing code: CPT 70553.

What the price covers

Rates here are for the whole service billed as one charge: the scan and the radiologist's reading.
The contrast agent itself may be billed as a separate line item.
A brain MRI without contrast only (CPT 70551) is a different code with a lower price.

Get the price for your exact plan

An insurer has many contracts, and each plan uses one of them. The figures on this page cover all of an insurer's contracts in the area. The price for your plan depends on which one applies, and that is set by your employer or the plan name on your insurance card.

Your insurer's own cost tool gives a plan-specific estimate once you sign in:

Anthem Blue Cross: Anthem's Find Care and cost estimates
Blue Shield of California: Blue Shield's Treatment Cost Estimator
Aetna: Aetna's Find Care cost estimates
UnitedHealthcare: UnitedHealthcare's price transparency tool
Cigna: the myCigna cost estimator (sign in)

AI assistants can look it up too. Arlo's free price transparency API and the Arlo MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT take a service, a ZIP code and a plan, and return nearby in-network providers with their negotiated rates.

Where these numbers come from

Rates come from the price transparency files Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna publish. We clean the files before summarizing them and only show an insurer when enough providers report a rate. Medicare figures are from the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule. More on how these pages are built.