Esophagoscopy balloon <30mm 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

$3,766.20

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.

$7,313.00

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.

$205.06 with California Health & Wellness vs $13,379.00 with Health Net — 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
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $205.06 ↓ -95%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $294.78 ↓ -92%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $294.78 ↓ -92%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $323.26 ↓ -91%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $698.24 ↓ -81%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,574.50 ↓ -58%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,015.36 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $2,046.85 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,046.85 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $2,172.81 ↓ -42%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
United Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -36%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,519.20 ↓ -33%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,960.06 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|HMO $3,117.51 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $3,149.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Options PPO $3,149.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $3,149.00 ↓ -16%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +9%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +44%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,112.00 ↑ +89%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,112.00 ↑ +89%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,112.00 ↑ +89%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +127%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $11,751.00 ↑ +212%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $13,379.00 ↑ +255%

Visitor-reported prices

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Esophagoscopy balloon <30mm at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $883.01 $252.22 – $4,032.00
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $252.42 $98.05 – $371.42
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,666.38 $205.06 – $5,749.60
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,637.63 $205.06 – $5,677.73
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $877.59 $0.80 – $2,691.45
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma not published $1,921.00 – $4,657.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria not published $205.06 – $2,410.32
French Hospital San Luis Obispo not published $205.06 – $2,410.32

All California hospitals for this procedure →