Abdominal CT scan (with contrast) at Mercy General Hospital

4001 J St., Sacramento, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1487694857

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

$1,551.95

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.

$7,119.00

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.

$195.18 with Hill Physicians vs $5,695.20 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
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $195.18 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $220.61 ↓ -86%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $233.94 ↓ -85%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $233.94 ↓ -85%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $233.94 ↓ -85%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $233.94 ↓ -85%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $233.94 ↓ -85%
United Medicare|All Plans $233.94 ↓ -85%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $233.94 ↓ -85%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $240.96 ↓ -84%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $257.33 ↓ -83%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $275.69 ↓ -82%
United Medicaid|> 21 $299.45 ↓ -81%
United Medicaid|< 21 $299.45 ↓ -81%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $329.40 ↓ -79%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $350.91 ↓ -77%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $392.47 ↓ -75%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $401.74 ↓ -74%
United Commercial|HMO $401.74 ↓ -74%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $401.74 ↓ -74%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $690.95 ↓ -55%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $694.72 ↓ -55%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $694.72 ↓ -55%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $934.16 ↓ -40%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $934.16 ↓ -40%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $934.16 ↓ -40%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $1,287.61 ↓ -17%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $2,491.65 ↑ +61%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $2,740.00 ↑ +77%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $2,918.79 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $3,425.00 ↑ +121%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $3,925.00 ↑ +153%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $4,966.00 ↑ +220%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $5,125.68 ↑ +230%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,233.00 ↑ +237%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $5,339.25 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $5,624.01 ↑ +262%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $5,695.20 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $5,695.20 ↑ +267%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal CT scan (with contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $2,050.28 $195.18 – $5,908.77
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,354.30 $226.19 – $2,411.76
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $1,889.08 $35.60 – $3,220.40
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $5,307.57 $236.37 – $1,583.70
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,604.38 $226.19 – $4,989.18
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $6,462.87 $299.45 – $2,081.52
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,093.28 $226.19 – $1,768.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,071.30 $226.19 – $4,466.40

All California hospitals for this procedure →