Neck (Cervical Spine) MRI (with and without 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

$1,834.47

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.

$8,415.00

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.

$242.10 with Hill Physicians vs $7,195.00 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
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $242.10 ↓ -87%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $389.32 ↓ -79%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $442.55 ↓ -76%
United Medicaid|> 21 $449.31 ↓ -76%
United Medicaid|< 21 $449.31 ↓ -76%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -74%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -74%
United Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -74%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -74%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $469.30 ↓ -74%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $469.30 ↓ -74%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -74%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $483.38 ↓ -74%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $494.24 ↓ -73%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $516.23 ↓ -72%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $588.89 ↓ -68%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $703.95 ↓ -62%
United Commercial|HMO $828.27 ↓ -55%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -55%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $828.27 ↓ -55%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $1,042.40 ↓ -43%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $1,042.40 ↓ -43%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,257.26 ↓ -31%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,257.26 ↓ -31%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,257.26 ↓ -31%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $1,932.04 ↑ +5%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $2,646.99 ↑ +44%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $2,945.25 ↑ +61%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $3,300.00 ↑ +80%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $3,450.15 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $4,125.00 ↑ +125%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $5,397.00 ↑ +194%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,981.00 ↑ +226%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6,058.80 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $6,311.25 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $6,647.85 ↑ +262%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $6,732.00 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $6,732.00 ↑ +267%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,195.00 ↑ +292%

Visitor-reported prices

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Neck (Cervical Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $2,423.52 $242.10 – $6,984.45
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $4,634.92 $453.77 – $8,253.96
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $2,070.36 $71.43 – $3,535.65
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $9,611.46 $470.15 – $5,089.35
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $3,712.05 $449.31 – $6,457.22
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8,387.61 $449.31 – $3,547.60
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,958.04 $449.31 – $2,111.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,674.17 $449.31 – $5,766.40

All California hospitals for this procedure →