Artery x-rays lungs 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

$1,953.50

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.

$8,961.00

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.

$79.63 with Hill Physicians vs $15,423.39 with Cigna — 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 $79.63 ↓ -96%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $166.04 ↓ -92%
United Medicaid|> 21 $192.98 ↓ -90%
United Medicaid|< 21 $192.98 ↓ -90%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $212.28 ↓ -89%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $252.94 ↓ -87%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $447.71 ↓ -77%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $447.71 ↓ -77%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $557.92 ↓ -71%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $557.92 ↓ -71%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $557.92 ↓ -71%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $734.27 ↓ -62%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $829.83 ↓ -58%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $3,136.35 ↑ +61%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $3,674.01 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $3,900.37 ↑ +100%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $4,136.13 ↑ +112%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $4,136.13 ↑ +112%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $4,136.13 ↑ +112%
United Medicare|All Plans $4,136.13 ↑ +112%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $4,136.13 ↑ +112%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $4,136.13 ↑ +112%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $4,136.13 ↑ +112%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $4,260.21 ↑ +118%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $4,549.74 ↑ +133%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $5,108.48 ↑ +162%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $6,204.19 ↑ +218%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $6,382.92 ↑ +227%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $6,438.74 ↑ +230%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $6,438.74 ↑ +230%
United Commercial|HMO $6,438.74 ↑ +230%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6,451.92 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $6,720.75 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $7,079.19 ↑ +262%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $7,168.80 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $7,168.80 ↑ +267%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8,961.00 ↑ +359%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $11,566.70 ↑ +492%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $15,423.39 ↑ +690%

Visitor-reported prices

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Artery x-rays lungs at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $2,580.77 $79.63 – $11,566.70
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $3,559.19 $291.97 – $13,858.31
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $7,790.03 $192.98 – $13,457.70
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $6,471.14 $192.98 – $15,820.61
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,101.19 $192.98 – $15,009.21
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $3,067.76 $192.98 – $15,009.21
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,628.76 $1,314.85 – $4,434.05
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $11,443.38 $4,061.05 – $4,434.05

All California hospitals for this procedure →