Insert cath pleura without image 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

$3,319.18

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.

$6,445.00

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.

$105.95 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 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $105.95 ↓ -97%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $106.18 ↓ -97%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $106.18 ↓ -97%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $116.44 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $251.51 ↓ -92%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,057.00 ↓ -68%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,268.40 ↓ -62%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $1,374.10 ↓ -59%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,374.10 ↓ -59%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,458.66 ↓ -56%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,691.20 ↓ -49%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,987.16 ↓ -40%
United Commercial|HMO $2,092.86 ↓ -37%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
United Commercial|Options PPO $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $2,114.00 ↓ -36%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -27%
United Medicare|All Plans $2,410.32 ↓ -27%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +24%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +63%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,112.00 ↑ +114%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,112.00 ↑ +114%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,112.00 ↑ +114%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +158%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $11,751.00 ↑ +254%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $13,379.00 ↑ +303%

Visitor-reported prices

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Insert cath pleura without image at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,868.90 $130.32 – $4,585.00
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $2,397.51 $1,921.00 – $4,657.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $983.55 $105.95 – $2,156.00
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $872.99 $105.95 – $2,083.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,048.67 $105.95 – $1,841.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,026.58 $105.95 – $3,969.75
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,072.35 $2,724.58 – $9,858.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $5,978.73 $2,468.04 – $9,858.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →