Plmt nephroureteral catheter 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

$5,482.69

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.

$10,646.00

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.

$1,043.18 with Health Plan of San Joaquin 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
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $1,043.18 ↓ -81%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $1,199.66 ↓ -78%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $1,199.66 ↓ -78%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $2,253.27 ↓ -59%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↓ -25%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
United Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $4,382.26 ↓ -20%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $5,323.00 ↓ -3%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↓ -1%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6,387.60 ↑ +17%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $6,919.90 ↑ +26%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $6,919.90 ↑ +26%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,112.00 ↑ +30%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,112.00 ↑ +30%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,112.00 ↑ +30%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $7,345.74 ↑ +34%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $8,516.80 ↑ +55%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +56%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $10,007.24 ↑ +83%
United Commercial|HMO $10,539.54 ↑ +92%
United Commercial|Options PPO $10,646.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $10,646.00 ↑ +94%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $10,646.00 ↑ +94%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $11,751.00 ↑ +114%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $13,379.00 ↑ +144%

Visitor-reported prices

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Plmt nephroureteral catheter at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,127.37 $1,311.39 – $8,044.86
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,689.17 $1,043.18 – $5,621.28
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4,294.76 $1,043.18 – $5,621.28
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,425.82 $1,043.18 – $4,924.80
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $3,768.36 $1,043.18 – $8,111.72
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $3,892.32 $5,004.98 – $10,593.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $4,421.70 $4,533.71 – $10,413.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $7,838.63 $1,043.18 – $10,750.32

All California hospitals for this procedure →