Contrast x-ray of brain 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

$1,362.69

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.

$3,673.00

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.

$127.68 with LA Care vs $3,751.09 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 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Care 1st Medicaid|> 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
LA Care Medicaid|> 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Care 1st Medicaid|< 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $127.68 ↓ -91%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $179.39 ↓ -87%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $179.39 ↓ -87%
Health Net Medicaid|GemCare $307.71 ↓ -77%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $366.30 ↓ -73%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $384.49 ↓ -72%
Health Net Medicaid|Non-GemCare $416.24 ↓ -69%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $435.16 ↓ -68%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $596.39 ↓ -56%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $805.01 ↓ -41%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -26%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -26%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -26%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -26%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -26%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -26%
HPN Medicare|All Plans $1,003.85 ↓ -26%
HPN Commercial|All Plans $1,104.23 ↓ -19%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,609.16 ↑ +18%
United Commercial|Options PPO $1,609.16 ↑ +18%
United Commercial|HMO $1,609.16 ↑ +18%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,609.16 ↑ +18%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,836.50 ↑ +35%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $2,248.62 ↑ +65%
CHN Sun View Commercial|All Plans $2,387.45 ↑ +75%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,571.10 ↑ +89%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,791.48 ↑ +105%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,938.40 ↑ +116%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $3,751.09 ↑ +175%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $3,751.09 ↑ +175%

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast x-ray of brain at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,348.00 $117.49 – $3,751.09
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,464.54 $127.68 – $639.94
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,409.44 $127.68 – $1,036.00
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $772.50 $102.36 – $756.80
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge $538.75 $118.38 – $2,379.96
St Jude Medical Center Fullerton $1,833.60 $481.18 – $1,865.27
Providence St Joseph Hospital Orange Orange $956.16 $470.88 – $1,865.27
Providence Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica $773.50 $222.16 – $3,834.71

All California hospitals for this procedure →