Brach/thor cath 2nd 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

$1,319.95

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.

$2,563.00

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.

$251.20 with Inland Empire Health Plan vs $15,399.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $251.20 ↓ -81%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $361.10 ↓ -73%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $361.10 ↓ -73%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $395.99 ↓ -70%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $553.00 ↓ -58%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $707.84 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $718.90 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $718.90 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $763.14 ↓ -42%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $855.34 ↓ -35%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $884.80 ↓ -33%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,039.64 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|HMO $1,094.94 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|Options PPO $1,106.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,106.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,106.00 ↓ -16%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,112.00 ↑ +439%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,112.00 ↑ +439%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,112.00 ↑ +439%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $7,407.00 ↑ +461%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $9,746.00 ↑ +638%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $15,399.00 ↑ +1067%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brach/thor cath 2nd at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $872.94 $308.98 – $1,554.54
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $847.44 $251.20 – $996.66
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $813.80 $251.20 – $996.66
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,073.31 $251.20 – $2,458.18
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,061.74 $251.20 – $2,864.07
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,016.43 $2,100.79 – $7,745.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $397.29 $2,699.00 – $26,648.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $3,022.03 $0.80 – $978.10

All California hospitals for this procedure →