Carotene at Mercy San Juan Medical Center

6501 Coyle Avenue, Carmichael, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1972541498

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

$3.67

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.

$13.38

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.

$1.48 with WCMG vs $27.21 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
WCMG Commercial|All Plans $1.48 ↓ -60%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio $4.15 ↑ +13%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $4.69 ↑ +28%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio CalPers $5.36 ↑ +46%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $5.49 ↑ +50%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $5.62 ↑ +53%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $7.23 ↑ +97%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|PPO Tandem $7.36 ↑ +101%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|HMO $7.90 ↑ +115%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $8.20 ↑ +123%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|CalPers $8.30 ↑ +126%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $8.69 ↑ +137%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|PPO $8.84 ↑ +141%
United Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +151%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +151%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +151%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +151%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +151%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +151%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $9.22 ↑ +151%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $9.22 ↑ +151%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $9.22 ↑ +151%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $9.50 ↑ +159%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $10.04 ↑ +174%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $10.04 ↑ +174%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $10.14 ↑ +176%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $10.71 ↑ +192%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $10.71 ↑ +192%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $11.06 ↑ +201%
United Commercial|Options PPO $11.06 ↑ +201%
United Commercial|HMO $11.06 ↑ +201%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $11.06 ↑ +201%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $11.11 ↑ +203%
BlueShield Medicare|Trauma $11.53 ↑ +214%
United Medicaid|> 21 $11.76 ↑ +220%
United Medicaid|< 21 $11.76 ↑ +220%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $12.94 ↑ +253%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $13.38 ↑ +265%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $13.38 ↑ +265%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $13.38 ↑ +265%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $13.38 ↑ +265%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $13.38 ↑ +265%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $13.38 ↑ +265%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $13.38 ↑ +265%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $13.38 ↑ +265%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $13.38 ↑ +265%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $13.83 ↑ +277%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $20.41 ↑ +456%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $27.21 ↑ +641%

Visitor-reported prices

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Carotene at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $10.02 $1.84 – $15.52
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $33.89 $9.04 – $75.35
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $5.73 $6.69 – $23.74
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8.92 $7.25 – $13.12
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $5.25 $3.62 – $27.91
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $4.97 $6.00 – $26.48
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $4.92 $6.00 – $26.48
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $33.89 $9.22 – $95.22

All California hospitals for this procedure →