Strep b dna amp probe 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

$72.10

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.

Full explanation →

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

$140.00

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.

$10.15 with Blue Shield CA vs $35.00 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
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $10.15 ↓ -86%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $13.65 ↓ -81%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $21.00 ↓ -71%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $22.75 ↓ -68%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $22.75 ↓ -68%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $23.80 ↓ -67%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $24.15 ↓ -67%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $28.00 ↓ -61%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $30.52 ↓ -58%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $30.52 ↓ -58%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $31.15 ↓ -57%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $32.90 ↓ -54%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $35.00 ↓ -51%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $35.00 ↓ -51%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $35.00 ↓ -51%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $35.00 ↓ -51%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
LA Care Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
United Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
United Commercial|HMO $35.00 ↓ -51%
United Commercial|Options PPO $35.00 ↓ -51%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $35.00 ↓ -51%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $35.00 ↓ -51%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $35.00 ↓ -51%

Visitor-reported prices

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Strep b dna amp probe at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $144.67 $24.68 – $119.56
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $58.43 $30.52 – $85.98
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $132.50 $24.68 – $131.32
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $50.46 $17.50 – $100.84
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $49.92 $17.50 – $100.84
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $78.80 $4.00 – $32.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $59.69 $7.35 – $35.00
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $217.07 $30.52 – $68.60

All California hospitals for this procedure →