Immunofixation electrophoresis serum 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

$6.45

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.

$15.00

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.

$2.09 with DHR vs $142.45 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 $2.09 ↓ -68%
DHR Medicaid|> 21 $2.09 ↓ -68%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $3.17 ↓ -51%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $4.09 ↓ -37%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4.84 ↓ -25%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|BlueShield Promise $5.43 ↓ -16%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $5.84 ↓ -9%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $6.68 ↑ +4%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $7.26 ↑ +13%
Noble IPA Medicaid|< 21 $7.51 ↑ +16%
Noble IPA Medicaid|> 21 $7.51 ↑ +16%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $8.34 ↑ +29%
Health Net Medicare|All Other Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $8.34 ↑ +29%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $8.34 ↑ +29%
Health Net Medicare|HMO $8.34 ↑ +29%
Cigna Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Central Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8.34 ↑ +29%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Other Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $8.34 ↑ +29%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $8.34 ↑ +29%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
United Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|HMO $8.34 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Options PPO $8.34 ↑ +29%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $8.34 ↑ +29%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
HPN Medicare|Senior $8.34 ↑ +29%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Angeles IPA Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
EasyChoice Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA < 21 $8.34 ↑ +29%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA > 21 $8.34 ↑ +29%
HCLA Medicare|Preferred IPA $8.34 ↑ +29%
Preferred IPA Medicaid|Risk $8.34 ↑ +29%
SMIPA Medicare|All Plans $8.34 ↑ +29%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $8.34 ↑ +29%
LA Care Commercial|All Plans $10.43 ↑ +62%
HCLA Commercial|Preferred IPA $10.43 ↑ +62%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|Trauma $10.43 ↑ +62%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $12.51 ↑ +94%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $12.51 ↑ +94%
SevenCorners Medicare|All Plans $13.35 ↑ +107%
LA Care Medicaid|All Plans $34.37 ↑ +433%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $49.82 ↑ +672%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $49.82 ↑ +672%
Care 1st Medicaid|All Plans $142.45 ↑ +2109%
Blue Shield CA Medicaid|All Plans $142.45 ↑ +2109%

Visitor-reported prices

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Immunofixation electrophoresis serum at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $15.29 $4.47 – $32.77
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $79.05 $21.89 – $182.35
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $94.16 $4.17 – $57.56
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $53.85 $2.16 – $8.34
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $86.24 $2.26 – $67.66
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $17.87 $4.25 – $64.19
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $17.68 $4.25 – $64.19
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $79.05 $22.34 – $230.44

All California hospitals for this procedure →