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

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

- Insurer: Centene (Ambetter, Health Net, Fidelis, QualChoice)
- Billing code: 473 (Hospital stays (inpatient))
- Price shown: negotiated in-network price, hospital stay, facility fee
- Prices as of: 2026-08-31
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 21 | $16,717.10 | $26,853.06 | $26,853.06 | $26,853.06 | $26,853.06 | $15,672.20 | 1.7x Medicare |
| California | 3 | $20,640.38 | $25,099.53 | $29,558.68 | $37,941.65 | $46,324.62 | $29,579.86 | about what Medicare pays |
| Georgia | 2 | $22,019.30 | $27,215.95 | $32,412.60 | $37,609.24 | $42,805.89 | $21,251.42 | 1.5x Medicare |
| Mississippi | 1 | $22,826.19 | $22,826.19 | $22,826.19 | $22,826.19 | $22,826.19 | $17,753.85 | 1.3x Medicare |
| North Carolina | 4 | $21,561.56 | $25,459.71 | $30,125.66 | $34,439.51 | $37,281.33 | $21,865.80 | 1.4x Medicare |
| Texas | 2 | $33,562.98 | $35,427.07 | $37,291.16 | $39,155.25 | $41,019.34 | $18,395.15 | 2.0x 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/centene/statemap_473_US.html  
About this insurer's data, and its other procedures: [index.md](index.md)