Venipuncture >= 3 years diagnostic/therapeutic (not to be used for routine venipuncture) 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

$1,005.28

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.

$1,952.00

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.

$12.39 with Inland Empire Health Plan vs $234.00 with United — 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
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Kern Health System Medicaid|< 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Kern Health System Medicaid|> 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|< 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|> 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|< 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|> 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
Inland Empire Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $12.39 ↓ -99%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $17.81 ↓ -98%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $17.81 ↓ -98%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $19.54 ↓ -98%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $42.21 ↓ -96%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $117.00 ↓ -88%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $140.40 ↓ -86%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $140.40 ↓ -86%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $149.76 ↓ -85%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $152.10 ↓ -85%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $152.10 ↓ -85%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $154.44 ↓ -85%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $154.44 ↓ -85%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $154.44 ↓ -85%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $166.14 ↓ -83%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $187.20 ↓ -81%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $219.96 ↓ -78%
United Commercial|HMO $231.66 ↓ -77%
United Commercial|Options PPO $234.00 ↓ -77%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $234.00 ↓ -77%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $234.00 ↓ -77%

Visitor-reported prices

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Venipuncture >= 3 years diagnostic/therapeutic (not to be used for routine venipuncture) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $151.76 not published
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $217.25 $15.24 – $386.88
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $151.76 not published
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $151.76 not published
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $151.76 not published
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $202.80 not published
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $202.80 not published
Fremont Medical Center FREMONT $151.76 not published

All California hospitals for this procedure →