Change of windpipe airway 31502 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

$698.86

Cash price

?

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.

$1,357.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$59.57 with Kaiser vs $14,950.00 with United — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $59.57 ↓ -91%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $59.57 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $68.51 ↓ -90%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $68.51 ↓ -90%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $128.67 ↓ -82%
Allcare Commercial|All Plans $267.56 ↓ -62%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
United Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $295.06 ↓ -58%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $745.00 ↑ +7%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $814.20 ↑ +17%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $882.05 ↑ +26%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $882.05 ↑ +26%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $936.33 ↑ +34%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $1,048.00 ↑ +50%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,085.60 ↑ +55%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,275.58 ↑ +83%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,357.00 ↑ +94%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +489%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,322.00 ↑ +662%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,322.00 ↑ +662%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,322.00 ↑ +662%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +675%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $6,629.00 ↑ +849%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $7,546.00 ↑ +980%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +1124%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $9,362.00 ↑ +1240%
United Commercial|Options PPO $9,722.00 ↑ +1291%
United Commercial|HMO $14,950.00 ↑ +2039%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Change of windpipe airway 31502 at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $201.92 $90.12 – $521.66
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $471.24 $319.18 – $1,687.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $323.14 $59.57 – $739.90
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $245.40 $59.57 – $1,149.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $520.15 $59.57 – $1,233.76
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $514.54 $59.57 – $12,607.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,080.18 $336.29 – $6,200.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $676.77 $304.63 – $8,018.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →