Insert abdomen-venous drain 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

$5,079.96

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.

$9,864.00

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.

$677.58 with Inland Empire Health Plan vs $11,994.00 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 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $677.58 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $974.02 ↓ -81%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $974.02 ↓ -81%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $1,068.10 ↓ -79%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $2,307.10 ↓ -55%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $4,932.00 ↓ -3%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $5,769.00 ↑ +14%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $5,918.40 ↑ +17%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $6,411.60 ↑ +26%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $6,411.60 ↑ +26%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $6,806.16 ↑ +34%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,112.00 ↑ +40%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,112.00 ↑ +40%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,112.00 ↑ +40%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $7,591.00 ↑ +49%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $7,891.20 ↑ +55%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $9,272.16 ↑ +83%
United Commercial|HMO $9,765.36 ↑ +92%
United Commercial|Options PPO $9,864.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $9,864.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $9,864.00 ↑ +94%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $11,994.00 ↑ +136%

Visitor-reported prices

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Insert abdomen-venous drain at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,039.47 $677.58 – $9,249.24
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $3,699.70 $677.58 – $9,249.24
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,758.23 $677.58 – $9,015.70
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $3,717.71 $677.58 – $10,028.70
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $2,718.92 $677.58 – $7,768.32
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $24,799.68 $3,281.00 – $5,357.00
St Jude Medical Center Fullerton $34,919.04 $3,465.00 – $13,012.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Orange Orange $20,546.88 $3,845.00 – $11,456.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →