Biopsy skin incisional single lesion 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

$107.04

Cash price

?

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.

$491.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$56.70 with Hill Physicians vs $6,582.00 with BCBS - Anthem — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $56.70 ↓ -47%
United Medicaid|< 21 $108.71 ↑ +2%
United Medicaid|> 21 $108.71 ↑ +2%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $119.58 ↑ +12%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $171.85 ↑ +61%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $172.46 ↑ +61%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $201.31 ↑ +88%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $252.21 ↑ +136%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $252.21 ↑ +136%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $255.47 ↑ +139%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $258.19 ↑ +141%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $353.52 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $368.25 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $387.89 ↑ +262%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $392.80 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $392.80 ↑ +267%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $463.02 ↑ +333%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $491.00 ↑ +359%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $491.00 ↑ +359%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $491.00 ↑ +359%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $491.00 ↑ +359%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $491.00 ↑ +359%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $491.00 ↑ +359%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $505.73 ↑ +372%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $540.10 ↑ +405%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $804.40 ↑ +651%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $804.40 ↑ +651%
United Medicare|All Plans $804.40 ↑ +651%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $1,206.60 ↑ +1027%
Health Net Commercial|EPPO $2,811.00 ↑ +2526%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $3,631.00 ↑ +3292%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $4,539.00 ↑ +4140%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,002.00 ↑ +4573%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,002.00 ↑ +4573%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,002.00 ↑ +4573%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $5,183.00 ↑ +4742%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $6,582.00 ↑ +6049%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Biopsy skin incisional single lesion at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $141.41 $56.70 – $491.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $552.37 $164.46 – $1,458.18
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,176.57 $995.98 – $2,695.00
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $114.56 $42.17 – $159.74
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $148.40 $108.71 – $400.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $153.41 $108.71 – $400.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,308.15 $1,049.38 – $7,483.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $1,315.80 $950.57 – $8,018.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →