Aluminum - quest at St. Mary Medical Center

1050 Linden Ave, Long Beach, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1194840421

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

$5.19

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.

$12.06

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.

$3.02 with DHR vs $141.45 with Blue Shield CA — 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
DHR Medicaid|> 21 $3.02 ↓ -42%
DHR Medicaid|< 21 $3.02 ↓ -42%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $4.59 ↓ -12%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $5.91 ↑ +14%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $7.00 ↑ +35%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|BlueShield Promise $7.84 ↑ +51%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $8.45 ↑ +63%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $9.65 ↑ +86%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $10.50 ↑ +102%
Noble IPA Medicaid|> 21 $10.86 ↑ +109%
Noble IPA Medicaid|< 21 $10.86 ↑ +109%
Health Net Medicare|All Other Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $12.06 ↑ +132%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $12.06 ↑ +132%
Health Net Medicare|HMO $12.06 ↑ +132%
Cigna Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Central Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $12.06 ↑ +132%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $12.06 ↑ +132%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
United Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
United Commercial|HMO $12.06 ↑ +132%
United Commercial|Options PPO $12.06 ↑ +132%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $12.06 ↑ +132%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
HPN Medicare|Senior $12.06 ↑ +132%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $12.06 ↑ +132%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Angeles IPA Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
EasyChoice Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA < 21 $12.06 ↑ +132%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA > 21 $12.06 ↑ +132%
HCLA Medicare|Preferred IPA $12.06 ↑ +132%
Preferred IPA Medicaid|Risk $12.06 ↑ +132%
SMIPA Medicare|All Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Other Plans $12.06 ↑ +132%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $12.06 ↑ +132%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $12.06 ↑ +132%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|Trauma $15.08 ↑ +191%
LA Care Commercial|All Plans $15.08 ↑ +191%
HCLA Commercial|Preferred IPA $15.08 ↑ +191%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $18.09 ↑ +249%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $18.09 ↑ +249%
SevenCorners Medicare|All Plans $19.30 ↑ +272%
LA Care Medicaid|All Plans $49.69 ↑ +857%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $56.82 ↑ +995%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $56.82 ↑ +995%
Care 1st Medicaid|All Plans $141.45 ↑ +2625%
Blue Shield CA Medicaid|All Plans $141.45 ↑ +2625%

Visitor-reported prices

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Aluminum - quest at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $11.89 $5.10 – $32.54
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $6.12 $24.97 – $208.01
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $5.17 $6.03 – $65.64
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8.04 $6.53 – $12.06
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4.73 $3.26 – $77.17
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $4.48 $6.03 – $73.21
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $4.43 $6.03 – $73.21
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $6.12 $25.48 – $262.88

All California hospitals for this procedure →