Chest X-ray (single view) 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

$621.61

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.

$1,207.00

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.

$17.65 with Kaiser vs $266.41 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
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $17.65 ↓ -97%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $17.65 ↓ -97%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $38.12 ↓ -94%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $42.86 ↓ -93%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $42.86 ↓ -93%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $62.17 ↓ -90%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $62.17 ↓ -90%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $62.17 ↓ -90%
Allcare Commercial|All Plans $104.86 ↓ -83%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
United Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -82%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $128.13 ↓ -79%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $168.58 ↓ -73%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $180.48 ↓ -71%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $182.03 ↓ -71%
United Commercial|Options PPO $182.03 ↓ -71%
United Commercial|HMO $182.03 ↓ -71%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $182.03 ↓ -71%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $183.30 ↓ -71%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $183.30 ↓ -71%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $194.58 ↓ -69%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $225.60 ↓ -64%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $265.08 ↓ -57%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $266.41 ↓ -57%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chest X-ray (single view) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $229.08 $26.70 – $407.94
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $286.08 $17.61 – $443.29
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $963.39 $57.78 – $127.70
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $374.93 $17.65 – $694.82
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $341.00 $17.65 – $125.44
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $130.54 $17.65 – $447.03
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $245.98 $17.65 – $530.40
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $243.33 $17.65 – $523.77

All California hospitals for this procedure →