Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, 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

$2,370.54

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.

$10,874.00

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.

$195.73 with Hill Physicians vs $8,699.20 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 $195.73 ↓ -92%
United Medicaid|< 21 $222.78 ↓ -91%
United Medicaid|> 21 $222.78 ↓ -91%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $245.06 ↓ -90%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $273.75 ↓ -88%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $418.83 ↓ -82%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $423.28 ↓ -82%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $442.55 ↓ -81%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $469.30 ↓ -80%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -80%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -80%
United Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -80%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -80%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $469.30 ↓ -80%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $483.38 ↓ -80%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $516.23 ↓ -78%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $516.85 ↓ -78%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $516.85 ↓ -78%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $703.95 ↓ -70%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $828.27 ↓ -65%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -65%
United Commercial|HMO $828.27 ↓ -65%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $957.95 ↓ -60%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,257.26 ↓ -47%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,257.26 ↓ -47%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,257.26 ↓ -47%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $3,300.00 ↑ +39%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $3,805.90 ↑ +61%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $4,125.00 ↑ +74%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $4,458.34 ↑ +88%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $5,397.00 ↑ +128%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,981.00 ↑ +152%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,195.00 ↑ +204%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $7,829.28 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $8,155.50 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $8,590.46 ↑ +262%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $8,699.20 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $8,699.20 ↑ +267%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $3,131.72 $195.73 – $9,025.42
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,402.87 $337.04 – $4,279.08
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $698.76 $71.43 – $2,510.36
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,600.10 $222.78 – $4,908.82
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8,432.90 $222.78 – $3,256.54
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,072.51 $222.78 – $2,111.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,556.19 $222.78 – $5,512.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,528.63 $222.78 – $5,443.10

All California hospitals for this procedure →