# Neck spinal fusion (hospital stay): what Aetna pays, by state

The whole hospital stay for a cervical (neck) spinal fusion, without complications.

- Insurer: Aetna
- Billing code: 473 (Hospital stays (inpatient))
- Price shown: negotiated in-network price, hospital stay, doctor's and facility fees
- Prices as of: 2026-10-05
- All of the insurer's plans pooled; the map also shows single networks

| State | Providers | Lowest | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Highest | Medicare pays | Median vs Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 23 | $16,871.80 | $20,961.00 | $20,961.00 | $21,866.70 | $25,055.10 | $16,110.44 | 1.3x Medicare |
| Alaska | 7 | $46,140.60 | $46,140.60 | $66,403.40 | $138,397.00 | $138,397.00 | $26,381.27 | 2.5x Medicare |
| Arizona | 59 | $19,635.40 | $34,200.20 | $52,284.00 | $58,974.50 | $74,252.10 | $21,080.03 | 2.5x Medicare |
| Arkansas | 24 | $17,494.40 | $20,621.70 | $21,582.35 | $24,098.10 | $26,517.40 | $15,672.20 | 1.4x Medicare |
| California | 225 | $8,141.90 | $41,955.00 | $54,133.40 | $68,166.00 | $131,000.00 | $29,579.86 | 1.8x Medicare |
| Colorado | 131 | $23,978.40 | $31,749.10 | $38,979.00 | $60,942.50 | $88,897.50 | $17,823.36 | 2.2x Medicare |
| Connecticut | 58 | $22,702.00 | $38,269.80 | $49,079.70 | $53,533.28 | $70,307.00 |  |  |
| Delaware | 3 | $36,360.70 | $36,360.70 | $36,360.70 | $36,360.70 | $36,360.70 | $23,669.25 | 1.5x Medicare |
| District of Columbia | 8 | $48,093.60 | $48,093.60 | $59,964.45 | $61,161.90 | $61,161.90 | $29,095.79 | 2.1x Medicare |
| Florida | 207 | $15,825.00 | $31,004.50 | $41,558.30 | $65,424.40 | $89,808.10 | $20,601.01 | 2.0x Medicare |
| Georgia | 92 | $10,620.00 | $33,684.75 | $38,225.90 | $48,139.98 | $98,638.30 | $21,251.42 | 1.8x Medicare |
| Hawaii | 3 | $22,911.60 | $22,911.60 | $22,911.60 | $22,911.60 | $22,911.60 |  |  |
| Idaho | 2 | $20,404.00 | $20,943.70 | $21,483.40 | $29,899.80 | $38,316.20 | $16,551.61 | 1.3x Medicare |
| Illinois | 255 | $12,668.00 | $24,557.00 | $29,905.90 | $39,060.80 | $57,622.00 | $27,052.89 | 1.1x Medicare |
| Indiana | 103 | $17,601.80 | $38,653.10 | $49,773.20 | $50,757.05 | $71,224.90 | $21,309.51 | 2.3x Medicare |
| Iowa | 68 | $23,792.90 | $27,403.60 | $29,788.70 | $34,168.40 | $39,719.50 |  |  |
| Kansas | 53 | $9,611.40 | $19,959.45 | $26,012.10 | $30,782.40 | $37,266.40 | $15,279.48 | 1.7x Medicare |
| Kentucky | 35 | $15,607.00 | $31,439.10 | $45,164.00 | $58,708.40 | $58,708.40 | $17,209.00 | 2.6x Medicare |
| Louisiana | 95 | $11,596.20 | $15,380.20 | $21,971.70 | $27,176.60 | $40,301.00 | $15,768.10 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Maryland | 1 | $43,372.10 | $45,210.40 | $47,048.70 | $48,887.00 | $50,725.30 | $29,198.78 | 1.6x Medicare |
| Massachusetts | 47 | $16,754.60 | $32,837.90 | $40,369.30 | $42,322.40 | $63,681.30 | $28,563.04 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Michigan | 132 | $12,670.30 | $21,361.40 | $32,357.00 | $34,197.70 | $51,406.50 | $20,235.98 | 1.6x Medicare |
| Minnesota | 45 | $17,641.00 | $29,642.30 | $39,705.30 | $39,705.30 | $52,054.90 | $21,623.42 | 1.8x Medicare |
| Mississippi | 62 | $8,796.00 | $10,824.70 | $21,133.00 | $25,081.90 | $30,128.10 | $17,753.85 | 1.2x Medicare |
| Missouri | 68 | $17,494.40 | $25,387.10 | $28,504.60 | $34,351.28 | $127,936.00 | $22,301.28 | 1.3x Medicare |
| Nebraska | 40 | $26,263.50 | $28,000.13 | $39,719.50 | $40,806.28 | $58,381.20 | $16,217.27 | 2.5x Medicare |
| Nevada | 46 | $26,299.00 | $35,324.00 | $37,782.50 | $42,592.00 | $42,592.00 | $24,634.55 | 1.5x Medicare |
| New Hampshire | 2 | $33,024.40 | $33,024.40 | $33,024.40 | $33,024.40 | $33,024.40 | $21,022.55 | 1.6x Medicare |
| New Jersey | 102 | $25,296.00 | $46,326.70 | $53,029.90 | $63,053.90 | $79,632.80 | $29,095.29 | 1.8x Medicare |
| New Mexico | 18 | $12,206.50 | $17,089.10 | $37,893.10 | $43,934.00 | $56,599.10 |  |  |
| New York | 499 | $12,777.80 | $35,881.20 | $52,456.20 | $69,225.50 | $131,213.00 | $28,833.40 | 1.8x Medicare |
| North Carolina | 70 | $9,144.00 | $22,676.05 | $26,022.00 | $32,027.00 | $52,966.40 | $21,865.80 | 1.2x Medicare |
| North Dakota | 4 | $30,516.20 | $30,516.20 | $30,516.20 | $30,516.20 | $30,516.20 |  |  |
| Ohio | 226 | $15,585.00 | $33,619.10 | $38,306.40 | $47,605.30 | $59,689.80 | $23,382.73 | 1.6x Medicare |
| Oklahoma | 47 | $9,378.00 | $17,780.00 | $28,575.40 | $32,457.10 | $38,347.90 | $16,804.73 | 1.7x Medicare |
| Oregon | 39 | $22,911.60 | $32,513.20 | $65,671.00 | $67,135.80 | $135,492.00 | $20,168.00 | 3.3x Medicare |
| Pennsylvania | 381 | $15,963.70 | $35,154.70 | $40,281.40 | $50,927.75 | $73,903.00 | $25,058.77 | 1.6x Medicare |
| Rhode Island | 12 | $36,624.40 | $36,624.40 | $38,829.71 | $57,575.60 | $57,575.60 |  |  |
| South Carolina | 22 | $22,911.60 | $39,605.20 | $66,165.00 | $87,940.00 | $131,101.00 | $20,177.78 | 3.3x Medicare |
| South Dakota | 2 | $25,846.00 | $25,846.00 | $25,846.00 | $25,846.00 | $25,846.00 | $17,803.20 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Tennessee | 64 | $14,281.60 | $22,235.40 | $39,464.00 | $49,160.50 | $83,158.00 | $17,290.35 | 2.3x Medicare |
| Texas | 189 | $8,190.00 | $11,494.00 | $26,078.00 | $42,754.50 | $65,000.00 | $18,395.15 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Utah | 46 | $31,016.70 | $38,017.08 | $45,732.90 | $54,609.45 | $55,031.80 |  |  |
| Virginia | 112 | $12,092.00 | $33,389.00 | $43,372.10 | $49,060.40 | $79,081.00 | $21,957.67 | 2.0x Medicare |
| Washington | 51 | $11,909.30 | $40,867.40 | $57,384.00 | $73,600.95 | $101,253.00 | $22,918.38 | 2.5x Medicare |
| West Virginia | 2 | $22,909.20 | $22,909.20 | $22,909.20 | $22,909.20 | $22,909.20 |  |  |
| Wisconsin | 20 | $36,712.30 | $36,712.30 | $36,712.30 | $38,412.05 | $45,244.60 |  |  |

**“x Medicare”** compares each price with what original Medicare actually paid hospitals in the same state for the same kind of stay in 2024, the newest year it has published: the average per stay, the patient’s share included, at hospitals with more than ten such stays. Medicare’s payment varies by hospital (wages, teaching, low-income patients), so this is a state average, not any one hospital’s rate. Insurers write their contracts as a share of Medicare, so 1.3x means the insurer pays 30% more than Medicare would; Medicare Advantage plans generally pay close to 1.0x.

Prices are what the insurer has agreed to pay, not what you will be billed. This is a statewide summary: prices vary far more between towns and between practices than these medians suggest, and "providers" counts everyone with a contracted price, not only those who perform the procedure.

Map: https://medicalpricetransparency.netlify.app/insurers/aetna/statemap_473_US.html  
About this insurer's data, and its other procedures: [index.md](index.md)