Contrast exam thoracic aorta 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

$2,844.62

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.

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

$7,751.00

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.

$255.55 with Care 1st vs $15,009.21 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
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $359.05 ↓ -87%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $359.05 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $464.13 ↓ -84%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $615.88 ↓ -78%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $833.09 ↓ -71%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $983.39 ↓ -65%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,057.62 ↓ -63%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $3,828.68 ↑ +35%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $3,875.50 ↑ +36%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
United Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↑ +41%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $4,399.13 ↑ +55%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $4,399.13 ↑ +55%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $4,449.84 ↑ +56%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $5,038.15 ↑ +77%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $5,115.66 ↑ +80%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $5,425.70 ↑ +91%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $5,438.93 ↑ +91%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $5,890.76 ↑ +107%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $6,008.09 ↑ +111%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $6,123.29 ↑ +115%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $6,438.74 ↑ +126%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $6,438.74 ↑ +126%
United Commercial|HMO $6,438.74 ↑ +126%
United Commercial|Options PPO $6,438.74 ↑ +126%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $15,009.21 ↑ +428%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $15,009.21 ↑ +428%

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast exam thoracic aorta at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,875.63 $255.55 – $15,009.21
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,761.50 $255.55 – $13,457.70
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4,361.00 $255.55 – $15,820.61
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,627.74 $1,989.67 – $4,434.05
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $6,941.61 $4,061.05 – $4,434.05
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $2,881.79 $255.55 – $4,902.00
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $4,627.74 $1,721.34 – $4,434.05
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $2,753.76 $1,403.19 – $7,512.94

All California hospitals for this procedure →