Chg radiologic exam esophagus double contrast at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital

420 34th St., Bakersfield, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1467538520

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$181.30

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$494.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$99.36 with LA Care vs $936.54 with Cigna — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $99.36 ↓ -45%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $131.16 ↓ -28%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $139.60 ↓ -23%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $139.60 ↓ -23%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
United Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↑ +25%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $239.46 ↑ +32%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $247.00 ↑ +36%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $248.81 ↑ +37%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $248.81 ↑ +37%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $300.58 ↑ +66%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $307.62 ↑ +70%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $321.10 ↑ +77%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $323.26 ↑ +78%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $323.91 ↑ +79%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $326.04 ↑ +80%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $345.80 ↑ +91%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $360.62 ↑ +99%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $375.44 ↑ +107%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $390.26 ↑ +115%
United Commercial|Options PPO $401.74 ↑ +122%
United Commercial|HMO $401.74 ↑ +122%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $401.74 ↑ +122%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $401.74 ↑ +122%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $419.90 ↑ +132%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $494.00 ↑ +172%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $936.54 ↑ +417%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $936.54 ↑ +417%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chg radiologic exam esophagus double contrast at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $183.28 $99.36 – $936.54
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $230.39 $142.02 – $864.73
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $334.05 $236.37 – $439.22
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $243.11 $99.36 – $839.73
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $202.67 $99.36 – $987.17
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,076.10 $249.04 – $575.62
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $1,105.68 $225.59 – $629.44
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg $747.15 $235.54 – $251.09

All California hospitals for this procedure →