Inj epidural sgl lumb-sacral without img 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

$929.06

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.

$1,804.00

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.

$138.50 with California Health & Wellness vs $9,131.00 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 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $138.50 ↓ -85%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $138.50 ↓ -85%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $229.69 ↓ -75%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $229.69 ↓ -75%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $299.16 ↓ -68%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $388.00 ↓ -58%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $496.64 ↓ -47%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $504.40 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $504.40 ↓ -46%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $535.44 ↓ -42%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $620.80 ↓ -33%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $729.44 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|HMO $768.24 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Options PPO $776.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $776.00 ↓ -16%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $776.00 ↓ -16%
Allcare Commercial|All Plans $821.26 ↓ -12%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,131.20 ↑ +22%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,131.20 ↑ +22%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +343%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,322.00 ↑ +473%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,322.00 ↑ +473%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,322.00 ↑ +473%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +483%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $8,022.00 ↑ +763%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +821%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $9,131.00 ↑ +883%

Visitor-reported prices

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Inj epidural sgl lumb-sacral without img at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,725.84 $1,191.92 – $2,695.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,314.82 $138.50 – $3,010.56
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $2,609.39 $138.50 – $3,193.82
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,169.34 $138.50 – $2,923.34
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $850.71 $138.50 – $1,708.80
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $816.95 $138.50 – $1,404.62
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $3,153.84 $1,255.83 – $6,200.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $6,445.89 $1,137.58 – $8,018.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →