Biopsy of heart lining 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

$821.86

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.

$3,770.00

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.

$272.83 with United vs $24,716.00 with Blue Shield CA — 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
United Medicaid|< 21 $272.83 ↓ -67%
United Medicaid|> 21 $272.83 ↓ -67%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $444.59 ↓ -46%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $446.99 ↓ -46%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $475.79 ↓ -42%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $647.98 ↓ -21%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $760.38 ↓ -7%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $1,003.49 ↑ +22%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $1,003.49 ↑ +22%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $1,319.50 ↑ +61%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $1,466.48 ↑ +78%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $1,545.70 ↑ +88%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,714.40 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,827.50 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $2,978.30 ↑ +262%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $3,016.00 ↑ +267%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $3,016.00 ↑ +267%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $3,555.11 ↑ +333%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $3,770.00 ↑ +359%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $3,770.00 ↑ +359%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $3,770.00 ↑ +359%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $3,770.00 ↑ +359%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $3,770.00 ↑ +359%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $3,883.10 ↑ +372%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $4,136.13 ↑ +403%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $4,136.13 ↑ +403%
United Medicare|All Plans $4,136.13 ↑ +403%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $4,147.00 ↑ +405%
Health Net Commercial|EPPO $5,418.00 ↑ +559%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $6,204.19 ↑ +655%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $9,774.00 ↑ +1089%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $9,992.00 ↑ +1116%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $12,217.00 ↑ +1387%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio CalPers $13,990.00 ↑ +1602%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $14,319.00 ↑ +1642%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $17,030.00 ↑ +1972%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $17,030.00 ↑ +1972%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $17,030.00 ↑ +1972%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $17,715.00 ↑ +2055%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|HMO $20,160.00 ↑ +2353%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $21,946.00 ↑ +2570%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|CalPers $24,716.00 ↑ +2907%

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy of heart lining at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $1,085.76 $272.83 – $3,770.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,223.46 $272.83 – $5,091.10
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,973.72 $272.83 – $4,934.30
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,251.55 $272.83 – $4,846.65
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,803.69 $272.83 – $5,153.40
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $3,796.44 $2,238.00 – $11,377.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $2,006.88 $3,429.00 – $7,883.00
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $3,159.53 $272.83 – $6,073.65

All California hospitals for this procedure →