Brain MRI (with contrast) 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

$3,188.75

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.

$8,595.00

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.

$379.01 with LA Care vs $6,876.00 with MultiPlan — 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 $379.01 ↓ -88%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
LA Care Medicaid|< 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $379.01 ↓ -88%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -86%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -86%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -86%
United Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -86%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -86%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -86%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -86%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $499.15 ↓ -84%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $532.51 ↓ -83%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $532.51 ↓ -83%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $828.27 ↓ -74%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -74%
United Commercial|Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -74%
United Commercial|HMO $828.27 ↓ -74%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $913.41 ↓ -71%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,016.44 ↓ -68%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $1,235.57 ↓ -61%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $1,356.00 ↓ -57%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,356.00 ↓ -57%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,518.89 ↓ -52%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,594.30 ↓ -50%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $2,969.00 ↓ -7%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $4,067.00 ↑ +28%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $4,297.50 ↑ +35%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,490.00 ↑ +72%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $5,586.75 ↑ +75%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $6,016.50 ↑ +89%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6,532.20 ↑ +105%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $6,876.00 ↑ +116%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (with contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $3,154.37 $379.01 – $6,790.05
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,534.27 $453.77 – $4,513.08
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $2,813.94 $71.43 – $4,714.20
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $4,692.51 $470.15 – $3,096.77
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,481.59 $379.01 – $8,151.64
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8,359.64 $379.01 – $3,131.10
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $3,567.20 $379.01 – $2,111.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $6,096.03 $495.35 – $3,913.55

All California hospitals for this procedure →