# Spinal fusion, lower back (hospital stay): what UMR pays, by state

The whole hospital stay for a lower-back spinal fusion, without major complications.

- Insurer: UMR (a UnitedHealthcare company)
- Billing code: 460 (Hospital stays (inpatient))
- Price shown: negotiated in-network price, hospital stay, facility fee
- Prices as of: 2026-10-01
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 3 | $58,000.00 | $60,125.50 | $62,251.00 | $64,958.00 | $67,665.00 | $44,401.37 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Colorado | 2 | $45,760.00 | $45,760.00 | $45,760.00 | $45,760.00 | $45,760.00 | $33,087.47 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Connecticut | 1 | $46,000.00 | $46,150.00 | $46,300.00 | $46,450.00 | $46,600.00 | $41,101.78 | 1.1x Medicare |
| District of Columbia | 1 | $51,822.00 | $51,822.00 | $51,822.00 | $51,822.00 | $51,822.00 | $41,001.97 | 1.3x Medicare |
| Florida | 2 | $55,846.00 | $55,846.00 | $55,846.00 | $55,846.00 | $55,846.00 | $29,337.32 | 1.9x Medicare |
| Georgia | 1 | $67,537.00 | $67,537.00 | $67,537.00 | $67,537.00 | $67,537.00 | $33,354.09 | 2.0x Medicare |
| Illinois | 1 | $52,255.00 | $52,255.00 | $52,255.00 | $52,255.00 | $52,255.00 | $34,730.79 | 1.5x Medicare |
| Indiana | 1 | $50,820.00 | $50,820.00 | $50,820.00 | $50,820.00 | $50,820.00 | $32,158.22 | 1.6x Medicare |
| Nebraska | 1 | $59,466.00 | $59,466.00 | $59,466.00 | $59,466.00 | $59,466.00 | $27,828.63 | 2.1x Medicare |
| New York | 1 | $131,242.00 | $131,242.00 | $131,242.00 | $131,242.00 | $131,242.00 | $46,978.43 | 2.8x Medicare |
| North Carolina | 2 | $45,021.00 | $48,244.25 | $51,467.50 | $54,690.75 | $57,914.00 | $30,522.63 | 1.7x Medicare |
| Ohio | 2 | $48,000.00 | $50,935.00 | $53,870.00 | $56,805.00 | $59,740.00 | $30,574.83 | 1.8x Medicare |
| Oklahoma | 2 | $33,140.00 | $34,105.25 | $35,070.50 | $36,035.75 | $37,001.00 | $25,856.81 | 1.4x Medicare |
| South Carolina | 1 | $51,900.00 | $51,900.00 | $51,900.00 | $51,900.00 | $51,900.00 | $31,162.01 | 1.7x Medicare |
| Tennessee | 1 | $54,101.00 | $54,101.00 | $54,101.00 | $54,101.00 | $54,101.00 | $28,966.59 | 1.9x Medicare |
| Texas | 4 | $36,619.00 | $46,755.25 | $56,294.50 | $62,455.00 | $62,455.00 | $29,932.15 | 1.9x Medicare |
| Washington | 1 | $61,252.00 | $61,252.00 | $61,252.00 | $61,252.00 | $61,252.00 | $40,125.71 | 1.5x 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/umr/statemap_460_US.html  
About this insurer's data, and its other procedures: [index.md](index.md)