# Neck spinal fusion (hospital stay): what Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield pays, by state

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

- Insurer: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Billing code: 473 (Hospital stays (inpatient))
- Price shown: negotiated in-network price, hospital stay, facility fee
- Prices as of: unknown
- 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 | 1 | $9,412.21 | $10,172.76 | $10,933.31 | $11,693.85 | $12,454.40 | $16,110.44 | 0.7x Medicare |
| California | 167 | $10,653.00 | $43,583.92 | $66,348.00 | $71,479.00 | $140,166.00 | $29,579.86 | 2.2x Medicare |
| Colorado | 154 | $19,352.18 | $51,694.52 | $57,614.68 | $64,013.32 | $280,808.09 | $17,823.36 | 3.2x Medicare |
| Connecticut | 74 | $19,923.08 | $48,974.03 | $53,996.54 | $64,366.70 | $77,674.84 |  |  |
| Georgia | 106 | $2,406.80 | $11,082.47 | $42,106.12 | $60,294.20 | $89,918.23 | $21,251.42 | 2.0x Medicare |
| Illinois | 11 | $14,034.77 | $27,231.31 | $32,850.01 | $41,576.10 | $71,134.59 | $27,052.89 | 1.2x Medicare |
| Indiana | 141 | $1,500.00 | $38,454.74 | $45,393.53 | $54,018.64 | $70,844.08 | $21,309.51 | 2.1x Medicare |
| Kentucky | 141 | $13,405.17 | $28,184.80 | $33,908.21 | $38,443.15 | $63,942.52 | $17,209.00 | 2.0x Medicare |
| Maine | 68 | $40,987.79 | $54,917.45 | $56,907.82 | $72,906.27 | $72,906.27 |  |  |
| Massachusetts | 2 | $22,036.78 | $26,732.03 | $31,427.28 | $36,122.52 | $40,817.77 | $28,563.04 | 1.1x Medicare |
| Michigan | 1 | $38,316.20 | $38,316.20 | $38,316.20 | $38,316.20 | $38,316.20 | $20,235.98 | 1.9x Medicare |
| Minnesota | 5 | $26,854.30 | $26,854.30 | $40,840.50 | $40,840.50 | $40,840.50 | $21,623.42 | 1.9x Medicare |
| Missouri | 119 | $4,235.65 | $25,362.66 | $30,015.78 | $39,488.02 | $128,611.00 | $22,301.28 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Nevada | 42 | $26,715.14 | $32,903.98 | $50,349.17 | $50,349.17 | $61,237.56 | $24,634.55 | 2.0x Medicare |
| New Hampshire | 32 | $29,810.76 | $36,457.13 | $44,884.39 | $51,259.17 | $78,619.62 | $21,022.55 | 2.1x Medicare |
| New Jersey | 2 | $65,627.02 | $65,627.02 | $73,831.01 | $82,035.00 | $82,035.00 | $29,095.29 | 2.5x Medicare |
| New York | 107 | $32,151.92 | $62,978.00 | $76,122.17 | $83,958.75 | $129,037.35 | $28,833.40 | 2.6x Medicare |
| North Carolina | 1 | $21,302.78 | $21,302.78 | $21,302.78 | $21,302.78 | $21,302.78 | $21,865.80 | about what Medicare pays |
| Ohio | 198 | $7,000.00 | $33,378.67 | $44,128.93 | $48,608.72 | $70,446.15 | $23,382.73 | 1.9x Medicare |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | $11,305.66 | $11,305.66 | $25,538.43 | $25,538.43 | $25,538.43 | $25,058.77 | about what Medicare pays |
| Rhode Island | 2 | $33,873.03 | $33,873.03 | $33,873.03 | $33,873.03 | $33,873.03 |  |  |
| Tennessee | 7 | $22,037.61 | $32,612.76 | $36,880.08 | $39,458.73 | $54,182.21 | $17,290.35 | 2.1x Medicare |
| Virginia | 79 | $27,425.56 | $42,448.00 | $49,248.34 | $56,982.38 | $84,049.07 | $21,957.67 | 2.2x Medicare |
| Wisconsin | 155 | $14,647.80 | $37,509.96 | $44,019.08 | $53,813.57 | $95,130.13 |  |  |

**“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/anthem/statemap_473_US.html  
About this insurer's data, and its other procedures: [index.md](index.md)