Head CT scan (with and without contrast) at Sequoia Hospital

170 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1568646735

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$3,560.65

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.

$9,782.00

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.

$241.04 with BCBS - Anthem vs $8,021.24 with Multiplan — 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $241.04 ↓ -93%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $241.04 ↓ -93%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $241.04 ↓ -93%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $241.04 ↓ -93%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $241.04 ↓ -93%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $241.04 ↓ -93%
Brown Toland Medicare|All Plans $242.06 ↓ -93%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
United Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Health Net Commercial|Canopy Health $261.07 ↓ -93%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Chinese Community Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Health Plan San Mateo Medicare|All Plans $261.07 ↓ -93%
Brown Toland Commercial|All Plans $287.18 ↓ -92%
Health Plan San Mateo Medicaid|> 21 $296.47 ↓ -92%
Health Plan San Mateo Medicaid|< 21 $296.47 ↓ -92%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $296.48 ↓ -92%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $296.48 ↓ -92%
United Commercial|Options PPO $401.74 ↓ -89%
United Commercial|HMO $401.74 ↓ -89%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $401.74 ↓ -89%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $817.15 ↓ -77%
Aetna Commercial|All Plans $1,369.13 ↓ -62%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $1,442.00 ↓ -60%
Cigna Commercial|All Plans $2,429.00 ↓ -32%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $2,444.00 ↓ -31%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $4,206.26 ↑ +18%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6,651.76 ↑ +87%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $7,532.14 ↑ +112%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $8,021.24 ↑ +125%

Visitor-reported prices

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Head CT scan (with and without contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,489.60 $226.19 – $4,433.52
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $1,068.36 $35.60 – $1,843.97
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $4,015.23 $236.37 – $1,637.61
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,950.64 $226.19 – $5,098.94
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $5,531.13 $241.04 – $1,769.88
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,357.88 $226.19 – $1,768.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,613.33 $226.19 – $5,635.20
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,585.15 $226.19 – $5,564.76

All California hospitals for this procedure →