Injection for ureter x-ray 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

$945.54

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.

$1,836.00

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.

$289.66 with Inland Empire Health Plan vs $8,557.00 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
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $289.66 ↓ -69%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $396.50 ↓ -58%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $416.38 ↓ -56%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $416.38 ↓ -56%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $456.60 ↓ -52%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $507.52 ↓ -46%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $515.45 ↓ -45%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $515.45 ↓ -45%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $547.17 ↓ -42%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $634.40 ↓ -33%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $745.42 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|HMO $785.07 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|Options PPO $793.00 ↓ -16%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $793.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $793.00 ↓ -16%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $793.00 ↓ -16%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +335%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,322.00 ↑ +463%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,322.00 ↑ +463%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,322.00 ↑ +463%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +473%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +805%

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection for ureter x-ray at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $456.75 $239.03 – $565.51
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,158.84 $196.88 – $745.78
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $671.51 $289.66 – $1,610.90
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $664.27 $289.66 – $1,791.90
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $391.17 $399.87 – $6,200.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $506.57 $175.56 – $836.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $625.44 $1,200.00 – $5,357.00
Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz $159.30 $230.10 – $356.28

All California hospitals for this procedure →