Albumin body fluid quantitative each specimen at Mercy Medical Center Merced

333 Mercy Ave., Merced, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1518018191

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

$37.08

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.

$72.00

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.

$1.03 with Blue Shield CA vs $3.53 with United — 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 CA Commercial|Exchange $1.03 ↓ -97%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $1.38 ↓ -96%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2.12 ↓ -94%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $2.30 ↓ -94%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2.30 ↓ -94%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $2.41 ↓ -94%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $2.44 ↓ -93%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2.83 ↓ -92%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $3.15 ↓ -92%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $3.25 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $3.25 ↓ -91%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $3.32 ↓ -91%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $3.53 ↓ -90%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $3.53 ↓ -90%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $3.53 ↓ -90%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $3.53 ↓ -90%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
United Medicare|All Plans $3.53 ↓ -90%
United Commercial|HMO $3.53 ↓ -90%
United Commercial|Options PPO $3.53 ↓ -90%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $3.53 ↓ -90%

Visitor-reported prices

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Albumin body fluid quantitative each specimen at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $85.41 $1.91 – $20.65
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $7.51 $1.56 – $11.64
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $46.41 $7.62 – $42.21
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $158.36 $3.50 – $20.06
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $55.28 $4.06 – $11.76
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $145.04 $1.89 – $23.58
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $16.33 $1.77 – $22.37
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $16.15 $1.77 – $22.37

All California hospitals for this procedure →