Carotene at SAN JOAQUIN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

3001 Sillect Avenue Bakersfield CA 93308|3001 Sillect Avenue, Bakersfield, CA · Adventisthealth · · NPI 1538157508

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 29, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$1.23

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.

$8.20

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.

$2.72 with BLUE SHIELD EPN vs $105.54 with BLUE CROSS MCS — 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
BLUE SHIELD EPN BLUE SHIELD EPN $2.72 ↑ +121%
BC MEDI-CAL BC MEDI-CAL $2.82 ↑ +129%
BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO BLUE SHIELD EPO/PPO $3.03 ↑ +146%
BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS - ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE SHIELD HMO/POS - ALL OTHER PLANS $3.03 ↑ +146%
UHC JLL CSP UHC JLL CSP $3.39 ↑ +176%
UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER - ALL OTHER PLANS $3.56 ↑ +189%
UHC HMO UHC HMO $3.56 ↑ +189%
WESTERN GROWERS/PINNACLE- ALL PLANS WESTERN GROWERS/PINNACLE- ALL PLANS $4.04 ↑ +228%
KERN LEGACY HP EPO - ALL OTHER PLANS KERN LEGACY HP EPO - ALL OTHER PLANS $4.10 ↑ +233%
COUNTY OF KERN - ALL PLANS COUNTY OF KERN - ALL PLANS $4.10 ↑ +233%
GEM CARE- ALL PLANS GEM CARE- ALL PLANS $4.10 ↑ +233%
KERN LEGACY SHARE SELECT KERN LEGACY SHARE SELECT $4.10 ↑ +233%
FIRST HEALTH/COVENTRY IP/OP ONLY- ALL PLANS FIRST HEALTH/COVENTRY IP/OP ONLY- ALL PLANS $4.92 ↑ +300%
PHCS IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS PHCS IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS $5.33 ↑ +333%
INTERPLAN IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS INTERPLAN IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS $5.74 ↑ +367%
HERITAGE/HPN COMM HERITAGE/HPN COMM $6.11 ↑ +397%
HEALTHNET HMO/POS/PPO/EPO - ALL OTHER PLANS HEALTHNET HMO/POS/PPO/EPO - ALL OTHER PLANS $6.11 ↑ +397%
THREE RIVERS PROVIDER NETWORK IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS THREE RIVERS PROVIDER NETWORK IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS $6.56 ↑ +433%
AFFILIATED HEALTH FUNDS IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS AFFILIATED HEALTH FUNDS IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS $6.56 ↑ +433%
INTEGRATED HEALTH PLAN IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS INTEGRATED HEALTH PLAN IP/OP ONLY-ALL PLANS $6.56 ↑ +433%
BEECH STREET IP/OP ONLY- ALL PLANS BEECH STREET IP/OP ONLY- ALL PLANS $6.97 ↑ +467%
GALAXY HEALTH NETWORK IP/OP ONLY- ALL PLANS GALAXY HEALTH NETWORK IP/OP ONLY- ALL PLANS $7.38 ↑ +500%
KERN HEALTH SYSTEMS MCAL KERN HEALTH SYSTEMS MCAL $8.20 ↑ +567%
HEALTHNET MCAL HEALTHNET MCAL $8.20 ↑ +567%
KAISER MCAL IP/OP ONLY KAISER MCAL IP/OP ONLY $8.20 ↑ +567%
MEDI-CAL MEDI-CAL $8.20 ↑ +567%
BLUE SHIELD MCR ADV BLUE SHIELD MCR ADV $9.22 ↑ +650%
HERITAGE/HPN MCR ADV HERITAGE/HPN MCR ADV $9.22 ↑ +650%
UHC MCR ADV UHC MCR ADV $9.22 ↑ +650%
HEALTHNET MCR ADV HEALTHNET MCR ADV $9.22 ↑ +650%
UNIVERSAL HEALTH PLAN MCARE-ALL OTHER PLANS UNIVERSAL HEALTH PLAN MCARE-ALL OTHER PLANS $9.22 ↑ +650%
FHCN PACE MCR ADV - ALL PLANS FHCN PACE MCR ADV - ALL PLANS $9.22 ↑ +650%
KAISER MCR ADV IP/OP ONLY KAISER MCR ADV IP/OP ONLY $9.22 ↑ +650%
AMRCN INDIAN HLTH PROJ MCR ADV - ALL PLANS AMRCN INDIAN HLTH PROJ MCR ADV - ALL PLANS $11.06 ↑ +799%
NETWORK PROVDRS LLC MCARE-ALL PLANS NETWORK PROVDRS LLC MCARE-ALL PLANS $11.99 ↑ +875%
OSCAR - ALL PLANS OSCAR - ALL PLANS $14.75 ↑ +1099%
KAISER COMM HMO IP/OP ONLY-ALL OTHER PLANS KAISER COMM HMO IP/OP ONLY-ALL OTHER PLANS $15.86 ↑ +1189%
EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN - ALL PLANS $16.60 ↑ +1250%
CENTIVO - ALL PLANS CENTIVO - ALL PLANS $20.75 ↑ +1587%
CIGNA- ALL OTHER PLANS CIGNA- ALL OTHER PLANS $33.82 ↑ +2650%
CIGNA HMO/OPEN ACCESS CIGNA HMO/OPEN ACCESS $33.82 ↑ +2650%
AETNA- ALL PLANS AETNA- ALL PLANS $55.92 ↑ +4446%
BLUE CROSS EXCHANGE BLUE CROSS EXCHANGE $79.15 ↑ +6335%
BLUE CROSS NON-MCS - ALL OTHER PLANS BLUE CROSS NON-MCS - ALL OTHER PLANS $87.95 ↑ +7050%
BLUE CROSS MCS BLUE CROSS MCS $105.54 ↑ +8480%

Visitor-reported prices

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Carotene at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $4.97 $6.00 – $26.48
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $4.92 $6.00 – $26.48
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $24.64 $8.00 – $8.00
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $24.64 $8.00 – $8.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $24.64 $8.00 – $8.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $24.64 $8.00 – $8.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $74.88 $7.00 – $7.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $74.88 $7.00 – $7.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →