External chromosome analysis 20-25 cells 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

$129.78

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.

$252.00

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.

$108.00 with Healthsmart vs $180.00 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
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $108.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $117.00 ↓ -10%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $117.00 ↓ -10%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $122.40 ↓ -6%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $124.20 ↓ -4%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $144.00 ↑ +11%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
United Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $144.61 ↑ +11%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $160.20 ↑ +23%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $165.93 ↑ +28%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $165.93 ↑ +28%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $169.20 ↑ +30%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $173.53 ↑ +34%
United Commercial|Options PPO $173.53 ↑ +34%
United Commercial|HMO $173.53 ↑ +34%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $173.53 ↑ +34%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $180.00 ↑ +39%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $180.00 ↑ +39%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $180.00 ↑ +39%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $180.00 ↑ +39%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $180.00 ↑ +39%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $180.00 ↑ +39%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $180.00 ↑ +39%

Visitor-reported prices

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External chromosome analysis 20-25 cells at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $76.65 $40.50 – $383.71
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $77.90 $75.00 – $372.62
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $116.55 $94.73 – $171.50
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $71.35 $40.50 – $438.04
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $93.50 $87.50 – $415.57
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $92.49 $87.50 – $415.57
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $143.90 $18.00 – $144.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $74.09 $36.75 – $175.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →