Aetna · Louisiana · commercial in-network

Aetna negotiated rates in Louisiana

How Aetna's Louisiana rates compare with the other three national payers, across the procedures that matter most to high-revenue specialties.

Aetna in Louisiana at a glance

Across 228 procedure codes for 8 specialties
Rate index vs state market
96
4% below the Louisiana median
Rank in state
2 of 4
UHC 106 · Aetna 96 · Cigna 95 · BCBS 92
vs own national
106
Aetna's level vs its national median
Codes where highest
25%
of 228 codes
832 sampled providers521 TINs228 codesMedian 128% of Medicare · method

What the data shows

Generated from Louisiana and Aetna data only
1

Aetna ranks 2nd of 4 payers in Louisiana with a rate index of 96 (100 = the Louisiana market median), across 228 procedure codes.

2

Aetna has the highest median for only 25% of codes in Louisiana; UnitedHealthcare leads with an index of 106 in the files analyzed.

3

Aetna's Louisiana rates sit 6% above its own national level, the 15th highest of its 51 states.

4

Largest premium over the Louisiana market: CPT 72148 (Mri lumbar spine w/o dye) at 153% of market; largest discount: CPT 74174 (Cta abd&plvs w/contrast) at 66%.

How the four payers compare in Louisiana

Rate index: 100 = the state four-payer median for the same codes
PayerIndexRankLevelHighest onProviders
UnitedHealthcare1061
106
54%808
Aetna962
96
25%832
Cigna953
95
13%837
Blue Cross Blue Shield924
92
15%203

Where Aetna pays most and least against the Louisiana market

Codes with the largest gap to the state median

Highest above market

CodeAetnaMarketGapProv.
72148
Mri lumbar spine w/o dye
$550$359+53%171
73721
Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye
$550$373+48%166
73221
Mri joint upr extrem w/o dye
$550$375+47%166
77280
Ther rad simulaj field smpl
$389$269+45%97
65778
Cover eye w/membrane
$78$62+27%85
70551
Mri brain stem w/o dye
$478$386+24%90
72141
Mri neck spine w/o dye
$467$378+24%90
67036
Removal of inner eye fluid
$1,256$1,031+22%82

Furthest below market

CodeAetnaMarketGapProv.
74174
Cta abd&plvs w/contrast
$336$508-34%86
99457
Rpm tx mgmt 1st 20 min
$32$44-28%109
43239
Egd biopsy single/multiple
$283$380-26%116
74178
Ct abd&plv wo cntr flwd cntr
$320$418-24%173
64566
Neuroeltrd stim post tibial
$49$63-23%69
93297
Rem interrog dev eval icpms
$33$41-21%63
43251
Egd remove lesion snare
$314$397-21%104
99349
Home/res vst est mod mdm 40
$112$141-21%48

Where Aetna pays above and below its national level

Index vs the payer's own national median (100 = national)

Highest states

StateIndexProv.
Alaska306
211
Idaho152
491
Washington142
708
Mississippi138
608
Montana136
80

Lowest states

StateIndexProv.
Indiana80
698
South Dakota82
147
Florida82
758
Minnesota84
774
North Dakota85
211

Frequently asked questions

Does Aetna pay more or less than the other payers in Louisiana?

Aetna ranks 2nd of 4 in Louisiana with an index of 96. It is highest on 25% of codes.

Are Aetna's Louisiana rates above or below its national level?

About 6% above.

Which procedure does Aetna pay most above market in Louisiana?

CPT 72148 (Mri lumbar spine w/o dye), at 153% of the Louisiana median.

Methodology

How these numbers are calculated
  • Source: in-network negotiated-rate files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, August 2026 snapshot: UnitedHealthcare Choice plans (74 files); Aetna commercial plans (70 files); Cigna national PPO (1 files); BCBS licensees' own-network files (5,387 files). Payer comparisons describe these files, not each payer's entire book of business.
  • Sample: rates come from a random sample of up to 150 providers per state and specialty. Counts on this page are sampled providers and TINs, not totals.
  • Which providers count: only providers in a specialty relevant to the code, because a rate in a payer file attaches to a provider group and is listed under every provider in that group.
  • Filters: fee-for-service, professional billing class, no modifier, negotiated or fee-schedule dollar rates. Rates outside 1% to 1,000% of the Medicare rate are excluded.
  • Statistic: one median rate per provider, then percentiles across providers. A cell is shown only with at least 15 sampled providers and 4 TINs.
  • Medicare benchmark: CY2026 national physician fee schedule, non-QPP conversion factor, unadjusted for locality. Where the non-facility rate is more than twice the facility rate (office rates that include device or supply cost), the facility rate is used so comparisons are like for like.

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