Assay of fluoride 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

$23.55

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.

$108.00

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.

$16.48 with Partnership Health Plan vs $108.00 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
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $16.48 ↓ -30%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $17.48 ↓ -26%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -21%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -21%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -21%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -21%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -21%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -21%
United Medicare|All Plans $18.54 ↓ -21%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $18.54 ↓ -21%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $18.54 ↓ -21%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $19.10 ↓ -19%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $20.39 ↓ -13%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $22.25 ↓ -6%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $22.25 ↓ -6%
United Commercial|HMO $22.25 ↓ -6%
United Medicaid|< 21 $23.64 ↑ +0%
United Medicaid|> 21 $23.64 ↑ +0%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $26.00 ↑ +10%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $27.81 ↑ +18%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $30.98 ↑ +32%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $37.80 ↑ +61%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $41.05 ↑ +74%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $44.28 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $47.50 ↑ +102%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio CalPers $50.76 ↑ +116%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $54.00 ↑ +129%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $54.74 ↑ +132%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $54.84 ↑ +133%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $54.84 ↑ +133%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $67.72 ↑ +188%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $67.72 ↑ +188%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $67.72 ↑ +188%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|HMO $73.44 ↑ +212%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $77.76 ↑ +230%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|CalPers $78.84 ↑ +235%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $78.84 ↑ +235%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $81.00 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $85.32 ↑ +262%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $86.40 ↑ +267%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $86.40 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $86.40 ↑ +267%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $108.00 ↑ +359%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $108.00 ↑ +359%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of fluoride at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $31.11 $16.48 – $89.64
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $46.23 $18.54 – $105.84
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $42.34 $18.54 – $105.84
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $39.70 $18.54 – $85.60
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $39.27 $18.54 – $84.53
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $61.10 $10.70 – $85.60
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $31.46 $15.76 – $87.74
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $83.25 $16.48 – $104.86

All California hospitals for this procedure →