Surgical pathology level 6 gross & microscopic examination 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

$302.78

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.

$825.00

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.

$204.27 with Western Growers vs $1,037.95 with Blue Shield CA — 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
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $204.27 ↓ -33%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $260.59 ↓ -14%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $260.59 ↓ -14%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $265.55 ↓ -12%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $266.04 ↓ -12%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|PremerTiered $269.63 ↓ -11%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $285.98 ↓ -6%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $290.58 ↓ -4%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $310.49 ↑ +3%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $322.74 ↑ +7%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $337.72 ↑ +12%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $408.53 ↑ +35%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $408.53 ↑ +35%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
United Medicare|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
United Commercial|HMO $408.53 ↑ +35%
United Commercial|Options PPO $408.53 ↑ +35%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $408.53 ↑ +35%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $408.53 ↑ +35%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $408.53 ↑ +35%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $408.53 ↑ +35%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $408.53 ↑ +35%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Burn $449.39 ↑ +48%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $449.39 ↑ +48%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $555.61 ↑ +84%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $853.25 ↑ +182%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $853.25 ↑ +182%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,037.95 ↑ +243%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,037.95 ↑ +243%

Visitor-reported prices

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Surgical pathology level 6 gross & microscopic examination at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $306.08 $204.27 – $853.25
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $391.58 $241.38 – $1,788.00
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,276.02 $223.35 – $1,256.40
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $132.85 $155.20 – $765.05
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $606.73 $79.03 – $299.38
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $121.68 $83.81 – $899.38
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,407.60 $282.25 – $1,256.40
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $797.64 $320.08 – $1,256.40

All California hospitals for this procedure →