UnitedHealthcare cervical spine MRI cost in California (2026): what UnitedHealthcare pays
UnitedHealthcare cervical spine MRI cost in California, 2026: UnitedHealthcare's California median for a cervical spine MRI at doctors' offices and imaging centers is $372. By area, its median runs from $335 (San Francisco) to $441 (Oakland). That is below the typical rate, $419, across the insurers other than Anthem. Original Medicare pays $217 to $256.
UnitedHealthcare rate by area
| Area | UnitedHealthcare median, middle half | Billing entities | Typical (excl. Anthem) | Original Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $335 $243 to $456 | 90 | $371 | $250 |
| Oakland | $441 $287 to $582 | 49 | $494 | $250 |
| San Jose | $371 $263 to $488 | 142 | $423 | $256 |
| Los Angeles | $373 $265 to $488 | 267 | $402 | $217 |
Providers within 20 miles of each downtown. Typical (excl. Anthem): the middle of the insurer medians in that area, leaving out Anthem's rate menu.
Your plan's price
UnitedHealthcare has many contracts, and your plan uses one of them. Most providers' rates fall in the middle half shown above; the rate for your plan can be higher or lower. For a plan-specific estimate, sign in to UnitedHealthcare's price transparency tool.
What you would actually pay
The negotiated rate is the total the provider is paid. Your share depends on your plan. If you have not met your deductible, you usually pay the whole negotiated rate: at a $372 rate, that is $372. Once the deductible is met, coinsurance applies: at 20% coinsurance you would pay $74 and the insurer the rest. Plans with a flat copay for this service charge the copay instead.
Going out of network is different. The provider has no agreed rate with your insurer, so they can usually bill their full listed price. Federal and California law limit that in emergencies, for out-of-network clinicians at in-network hospitals and surgery centers and, under California-regulated plans, at other in-network facilities such as imaging centers and labs. Many HMO and EPO plans pay nothing for out-of-network care.
About a cervical spine MRI
An MRI of the neck without contrast dye. It is the usual MRI for neck pain that spreads into the arm, numbness or weakness in the hands, or suspected disc problems in the neck. Billing code: CPT 72141.
What the price covers
- Rates here are for the whole service billed as one charge: the scan and the radiologist's reading.
- MRIs of the mid back (72146) and lower back (72148) are different codes.
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.