Interferon beta-1b / .25 mg 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

$342.26

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.

$1,570.00

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.

$214.12 with BCBS - Anthem vs $2,248.24 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
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $214.12 ↓ -37%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $235.34 ↓ -31%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $267.65 ↓ -22%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $388.32 ↑ +13%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $413.28 ↑ +21%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $430.50 ↑ +26%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $453.46 ↑ +32%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $459.20 ↑ +34%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $459.20 ↑ +34%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $523.10 ↑ +53%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $574.00 ↑ +68%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $574.00 ↑ +68%
Health Net Commercial|EPPO $574.00 ↑ +68%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $574.00 ↑ +68%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $574.00 ↑ +68%
United Commercial|HMO $574.00 ↑ +68%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $574.00 ↑ +68%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $574.00 ↑ +68%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $574.00 ↑ +68%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $574.00 ↑ +68%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|HMO $574.00 ↑ +68%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio CalPers $574.00 ↑ +68%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|CalPers $574.00 ↑ +68%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $1,685.82 ↑ +393%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,248.24 ↑ +557%

Visitor-reported prices

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Interferon beta-1b / .25 mg at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $452.16 $235.34 – $1,685.82
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $579.51 $228.40 – $571.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $573.26 $142.75 – $571.00
Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz $1,260.00 $138.43 – $2,800.00
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge $376.93 $186.53 – $1,351.00
Community Hospital San Bernardino San Bernardino $1,208.59 $151.70 – $3,091.00
Glendale Memorial Hospital Health Center Glendale $1,179.80 $576.81 – $2,895.20
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael $430.18 $63.14 – $1,685.82

All California hospitals for this procedure →