ER Visit (level 1, minor) 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

$570.62

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.

$1,108.00

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.

$21.77 with Kaiser vs $11,953.00 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
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $21.77 ↓ -96%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -96%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $25.04 ↓ -96%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $25.04 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $47.02 ↓ -92%
Allcare Commercial|All Plans $91.48 ↓ -84%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
United Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -80%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $664.80 ↑ +17%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $664.80 ↑ +17%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $709.12 ↑ +24%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $720.20 ↑ +26%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $720.20 ↑ +26%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $731.28 ↑ +28%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $731.28 ↑ +28%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $731.28 ↑ +28%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $775.60 ↑ +36%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $786.68 ↑ +38%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $886.40 ↑ +55%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,041.52 ↑ +83%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $1,560.00 ↑ +173%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $1,706.00 ↑ +199%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $1,942.00 ↑ +240%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $2,052.00 ↑ +260%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $3,242.00 ↑ +468%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $6,204.00 ↑ +987%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $7,811.00 ↑ +1269%
United Commercial|Options PPO $8,050.00 ↑ +1311%
United Commercial|HMO $11,953.00 ↑ +1995%

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 1, minor) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $370.99 $27.95 – $694.54
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $311.68 $17.06 – $331.74
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $587.01 $113.64 – $115.95
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $350.54 $21.77 – $743.82
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $262.41 $16.04 – $60.76
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $335.56 $21.77 – $838.88
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $176.60 $21.77 – $334.56
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $174.70 $21.77 – $390.32

All California hospitals for this procedure →