Brain image 4+ views 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

$737.48

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.

$1,432.00

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.

$192.38 with Kaiser vs $683.93 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
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $192.38 ↓ -74%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $192.38 ↓ -74%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $221.24 ↓ -70%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $221.24 ↓ -70%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $415.54 ↓ -44%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $419.84 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $426.40 ↓ -42%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $426.40 ↓ -42%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $446.08 ↓ -40%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $452.64 ↓ -39%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $524.80 ↓ -29%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $583.84 ↓ -21%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $616.64 ↓ -16%
Allcare Commercial|All Plans $620.14 ↓ -16%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
United Commercial|HMO $656.00 ↓ -11%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
United Commercial|Options PPO $656.00 ↓ -11%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $656.00 ↓ -11%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $656.00 ↓ -11%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $656.00 ↓ -11%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $656.00 ↓ -11%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $656.00 ↓ -11%
United Medicare|All Plans $683.93 ↓ -7%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $683.93 ↓ -7%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain image 4+ views at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $3,174.83 $192.38 – $2,201.08
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $470.06 $192.38 – $2,565.73
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $464.99 $192.38 – $2,565.73
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $361.04 $144.48 – $688.00
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge $1,045.42 $192.38 – $3,747.00
California Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles $411.28 $173.14 – $1,771.23
St. Mary Medical Center Long Beach $913.32 $173.14 – $2,124.00
Community Hospital San Bernardino San Bernardino $710.06 $192.38 – $2,561.08

All California hospitals for this procedure →