Blue Cross Blue Shield negotiated rates in Minnesota
How Blue Cross Blue Shield's Minnesota rates compare with the other three national payers, across the procedures that matter most to high-revenue specialties.
Blue Cross Blue Shield in Minnesota at a glance
What the data shows
Blue Cross Blue Shield ranks 2nd of 4 payers in Minnesota with a rate index of 133 (100 = the Minnesota market median), across 228 procedure codes.
Blue Cross Blue Shield has the highest median for only 36% of codes in Minnesota; UnitedHealthcare leads with an index of 141 in the files analyzed.
Blue Cross Blue Shield's Minnesota rates sit 71% above its own national level, the 3rd highest of its 51 states.
Largest premium over the Minnesota market: CPT 93298 (Rem interrog dev eval scrms) at 340% of market; largest discount: CPT 51798 (Us urine capacity measure) at 82%.
In Minnesota, BCBS rates come from 39 licensee file sets; the largest is BCBS MN (540 sampled providers).
How the four payers compare in Minnesota
| Payer | Index | Rank | Level | Highest on | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare | 141 | 1 | 64% | 618 | |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | 133 | 2 | 36% | 671 | |
| Cigna | 102 | 3 | 1% | 169 | |
| Aetna | 55 | 4 | 0% | 774 |
Where Blue Cross Blue Shield pays most and least against the Minnesota market
Highest above market
| Code | BCBS | Market | Gap | Prov. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93298 Rem interrog dev eval scrms | $281 | $83 | +240% | 84 |
| 88305 Tissue exam by pathologist | $186 | $72 | +159% | 153 |
| 88312 Special stains group 1 | $290 | $114 | +156% | 153 |
| 76872 Us transrectal | $491 | $200 | +145% | 86 |
| 88342 Imhchem/imcytchm 1st antb | $255 | $107 | +138% | 73 |
| 77280 Ther rad simulaj field smpl | $709 | $340 | +109% | 73 |
| 93297 Rem interrog dev eval icpms | $168 | $82 | +106% | 84 |
| 99212 Office o/p est sf 10 min | $127 | $62 | +103% | 659 |
Furthest below market
| Code | BCBS | Market | Gap | Prov. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51798 Us urine capacity measure | $25 | $31 | -18% | 35 |
| 72141 Mri neck spine w/o dye | $334 | $334 | -0% | 110 |
| 43255 Egd control bleeding any | $605 | $605 | +0% | 79 |
| 93971 Extremity study | $171 | $169 | +1% | 111 |
| 74183 Mri abd w/o cntr flwd cntr | $578 | $568 | +2% | 110 |
| 70553 Mri brain stem w/o & w/dye | $555 | $544 | +2% | 110 |
| 71250 Ct thorax dx c- | $236 | $230 | +2% | 110 |
| 72197 Mri pelvis w/o & w/dye | $581 | $567 | +2% | 110 |
Where Blue Cross Blue Shield pays above and below its national level
Highest states
| State | Index | Prov. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 243 | 290 | |
| Wisconsin | 192 | 733 | |
| Minnesota | 171 | 671 | |
| North Dakota | 148 | 329 | |
| Wyoming | 145 | 256 |
Lowest states
| State | Index | Prov. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 63 | 758 | |
| Arizona | 66 | 479 | |
| Texas | 69 | 1,003 | |
| District of Columbia | 69 | 484 | |
| New Mexico | 74 | 562 |
Blue Cross Blue Shield licensees in Minnesota
| Licensee file set | Sampled providers |
|---|---|
| BCBS MN | 540 |
| Healthy Alliance Life Insurance Company | 158 |
| Community Insurance Company | 100 |
| HealthKeepers, Inc. | 46 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota | 43 |
| Anthem (Elevance) | 35 |
| Excellus BCBS | 35 |
| Wellmark | 31 |
| BCBS TX | 31 |
| BCBS IL | 31 |
| Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company | 28 |
| BS CA | 28 |
| Matthew Thornton Health Plan, Inc. | 26 |
| Horizon Healthcare of New Jersey | 25 |
| BCBS NJ (Horizon) | 25 |
| Capital BlueCross | 21 |
| Capital BC | 21 |
| BCBS MI | 20 |
| BCBS TN | 19 |
| Regence | 18 |
| BCBS MT | 16 |
| BCBS VT | 15 |
| Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation | 14 |
| Carefirst BCBS | 13 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts HMO Blue, Inc. | 13 |
| BCBS NC | 13 |
| BCBS MA | 9 |
| BCBS NM | 6 |
| Premera | 4 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming | 4 |
| BCBS AL | 3 |
| BCBS Kansas City | 3 |
| BCBS MS | 3 |
| BCBS KS | 2 |
| BCBS AZ | 2 |
| HMO Missouri, Inc. | 1 |
| BCBS HI | 1 |
| HMO Colorado, Inc. | 1 |
| BCBS OK | 1 |
Frequently asked questions
Does Blue Cross Blue Shield pay more or less than the other payers in Minnesota?
Blue Cross Blue Shield ranks 2nd of 4 in Minnesota with an index of 133. It is highest on 36% of codes.
Are Blue Cross Blue Shield's Minnesota rates above or below its national level?
About 71% above.
Which procedure does Blue Cross Blue Shield pay most above market in Minnesota?
CPT 93298 (Rem interrog dev eval scrms), at 340% of the Minnesota median.
Methodology
- 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.
Is your Blue Cross Blue Shield contract at market in Minnesota?
Compare your negotiated rates for these codes with Minnesota medians for each payer.