Warde vitamin c (ascorbic acid) 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

$7.74

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.

$18.00

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.

$4.50 with DHR vs $63.05 with Care 1st — 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 $4.50 ↓ -42%
DHR Medicaid|> 21 $4.50 ↓ -42%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $6.84 ↓ -12%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $8.82 ↑ +14%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
United Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Other Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
SMIPA Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
HCLA Medicare|Preferred IPA $9.89 ↑ +28%
Health Net Medicare|All Other Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
EasyChoice Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
Health Net Medicare|HMO $9.89 ↑ +28%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
Cigna Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
HPN Medicare|Senior $9.89 ↑ +28%
Central Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $9.89 ↑ +28%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $10.44 ↑ +35%
Noble IPA Medicaid|< 21 $11.35 ↑ +47%
Noble IPA Medicaid|> 21 $11.35 ↑ +47%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|BlueShield Promise $11.70 ↑ +51%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $11.87 ↑ +53%
United Commercial|HMO $11.87 ↑ +53%
United Commercial|Options PPO $11.87 ↑ +53%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $11.87 ↑ +53%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|Trauma $12.36 ↑ +60%
LA Care Commercial|All Plans $12.36 ↑ +60%
HCLA Commercial|Preferred IPA $12.36 ↑ +60%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $12.60 ↑ +63%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA < 21 $12.61 ↑ +63%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $12.61 ↑ +63%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $12.61 ↑ +63%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $12.61 ↑ +63%
Angeles IPA Medicare|All Plans $12.61 ↑ +63%
HCLA Medicaid|Preferred IPA > 21 $12.61 ↑ +63%
Preferred IPA Medicaid|Risk $12.61 ↑ +63%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $13.03 ↑ +68%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $14.40 ↑ +86%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $15.66 ↑ +102%
SevenCorners Medicare|All Plans $15.82 ↑ +104%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $16.81 ↑ +117%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $16.81 ↑ +117%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $17.65 ↑ +128%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $18.00 ↑ +133%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $18.00 ↑ +133%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $18.00 ↑ +133%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $18.00 ↑ +133%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $18.91 ↑ +144%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $18.91 ↑ +144%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $22.06 ↑ +185%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $22.06 ↑ +185%
LA Care Medicaid|All Plans $36.21 ↑ +368%
Blue Shield CA Medicaid|All Plans $63.05 ↑ +715%
Care 1st Medicaid|All Plans $63.05 ↑ +715%

Visitor-reported prices

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Warde vitamin c (ascorbic acid) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $5.63 $1.98 – $14.50
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $33.74 $9.69 – $80.62
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $7.71 $9.00 – $25.49
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $11.99 $9.75 – $17.64
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $7.06 $4.86 – $29.96
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $6.68 $9.00 – $28.43
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $6.61 $9.00 – $28.43
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $33.74 $9.89 – $101.89

All California hospitals for this procedure →