Insertion catheter pleural indwelling tunneled with cuff 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

$5,378.66

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.

$10,444.00

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.

$687.82 with California Health & Wellness vs $16,193.00 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 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $687.82 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $689.31 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $689.31 ↓ -87%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $755.90 ↓ -86%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $1,632.74 ↓ -70%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,672.00 ↓ -69%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,140.16 ↓ -60%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $2,173.60 ↓ -60%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,173.60 ↓ -60%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $2,307.36 ↓ -57%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,675.20 ↓ -50%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $3,143.36 ↓ -42%
United Commercial|HMO $3,310.56 ↓ -38%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
United Commercial|Options PPO $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $3,344.00 ↓ -38%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↓ -23%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $4,484.02 ↓ -17%
United Medicare|All Plans $4,484.02 ↓ -17%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +1%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,112.00 ↑ +32%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,112.00 ↑ +32%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,112.00 ↑ +32%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +59%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $14,225.00 ↑ +164%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $16,193.00 ↑ +201%

Visitor-reported prices

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Insertion catheter pleural indwelling tunneled with cuff at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,490.91 $846.02 – $8,890.24
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $7,170.60 $1,921.00 – $11,185.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,930.56 $687.82 – $10,550.68
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $5,358.64 $687.82 – $3,449.60
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4,515.84 $687.82 – $10,550.68
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,596.11 $687.82 – $7,754.40
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $3,557.34 $687.82 – $7,657.47
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $7,972.83 $5,083.67 – $17,909.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →