Assay of fluoride at Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield

2215 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1104981661

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

$39.70

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.

$107.00

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.

$18.54 with United vs $107.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
United Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -53%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -53%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -53%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -53%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -53%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -53%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -53%
United Commercial|Options PPO $22.25 ↓ -44%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $22.25 ↓ -44%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $22.25 ↓ -44%
United Commercial|HMO $22.25 ↓ -44%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $23.15 ↓ -42%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $23.15 ↓ -42%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $23.64 ↓ -40%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $41.53 ↑ +5%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $53.27 ↑ +34%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $53.27 ↑ +34%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $53.50 ↑ +35%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $56.97 ↑ +44%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $67.41 ↑ +70%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $68.48 ↑ +72%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $69.55 ↑ +75%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $74.90 ↑ +89%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $77.07 ↑ +94%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $81.32 ↑ +105%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $85.60 ↑ +116%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $85.60 ↑ +116%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $92.02 ↑ +132%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $99.43 ↑ +150%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $104.37 ↑ +163%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $107.00 ↑ +170%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of fluoride at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $39.27 $18.54 – $84.53
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $46.23 $18.54 – $105.84
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $42.34 $18.54 – $105.84
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $61.10 $10.70 – $85.60
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $31.46 $15.76 – $87.74
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $83.25 $16.48 – $104.86
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $55.11 $18.54 – $100.58
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Grass Valley $58.86 $18.54 – $105.84

All California hospitals for this procedure →