Pr tube thoracostomy w/connection to drainage open 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

$2,441.10

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$4,740.00

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.

$150.81 with California Health & Wellness vs $11,054.00 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 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -94%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $151.13 ↓ -94%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $151.13 ↓ -94%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $165.73 ↓ -93%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $357.98 ↓ -85%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $523.50 ↓ -79%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $670.08 ↓ -73%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $680.55 ↓ -72%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $680.55 ↓ -72%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $722.43 ↓ -70%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $837.60 ↓ -66%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $984.18 ↓ -60%
United Commercial|HMO $1,036.53 ↓ -58%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
United Commercial|Options PPO $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $1,047.00 ↓ -57%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↓ -19%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↓ -19%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $4,116.00 ↑ +69%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,416.00 ↑ +122%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $7,112.00 ↑ +191%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $7,112.00 ↑ +191%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,112.00 ↑ +191%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,557.00 ↑ +251%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $9,710.00 ↑ +298%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $11,054.00 ↑ +353%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pr tube thoracostomy w/connection to drainage open at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $607.95 $185.50 – $2,776.00
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $2,519.91 $1,921.00 – $2,695.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,121.79 $150.81 – $2,127.58
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $305.03 $118.49 – $448.84
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $851.04 $150.81 – $1,794.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,669.13 $150.81 – $3,599.20
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,651.14 $150.81 – $3,554.21
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,136.61 $2,235.08 – $6,200.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →