# Neck spinal fusion (hospital stay): what CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield pays, by state

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

- Insurer: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
- Billing code: 473 (Hospital stays (inpatient))
- Price shown: negotiated in-network price, hospital stay, doctor's 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 1 | $42,676.37 | $42,676.37 | $42,676.37 | $42,676.37 | $42,676.37 | $23,669.25 | 1.8x Medicare |
| District of Columbia | 16 | $29,642.22 | $47,244.04 | $53,256.96 | $53,918.55 | $83,519.31 | $29,095.79 | 1.8x Medicare |
| Maryland | 14 | $45,022.45 | $45,022.45 | $45,022.45 | $45,022.45 | $47,244.04 | $29,198.78 | 1.5x Medicare |
| Virginia | 20 | $31,038.69 | $40,560.37 | $49,380.18 | $49,380.18 | $52,995.74 | $21,957.67 | 2.2x Medicare |

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