X-ray surgical specimen 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

$383.68

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.

$1,760.00

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.

$20.77 with United vs $2,603.32 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
United Medicaid|> 21 $20.77 ↓ -95%
United Medicaid|< 21 $20.77 ↓ -95%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $22.85 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $27.22 ↓ -93%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $31.22 ↓ -92%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $37.98 ↓ -90%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $37.98 ↓ -90%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $37.98 ↓ -90%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $45.34 ↓ -88%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $48.19 ↓ -87%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $48.19 ↓ -87%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $76.02 ↓ -80%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $89.31 ↓ -77%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $172.39 ↓ -55%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $215.39 ↓ -44%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $312.25 ↓ -19%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $616.00 ↑ +61%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $679.45 ↑ +77%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $720.52 ↑ +88%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $720.52 ↑ +88%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $720.52 ↑ +88%
United Medicare|All Plans $720.52 ↑ +88%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $720.52 ↑ +88%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $720.52 ↑ +88%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $720.52 ↑ +88%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $721.60 ↑ +88%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $742.14 ↑ +93%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $792.57 ↑ +107%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $1,080.78 ↑ +182%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,086.50 ↑ +183%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,086.50 ↑ +183%
United Commercial|HMO $1,086.50 ↑ +183%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,267.20 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,320.00 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,390.40 ↑ +262%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,408.00 ↑ +267%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $1,408.00 ↑ +267%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $1,952.35 ↑ +409%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,603.32 ↑ +579%

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray surgical specimen at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sacramento Medical Center SACRAMENTO $1,383.20 $731.00 – $731.00
South Sacramento Medical Center SACRAMENTO $1,383.20 $731.00 – $731.00
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $506.88 $20.77 – $1,952.35
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $1,383.20 $731.00 – $731.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $542.69 $31.43 – $2,339.15
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $1,383.20 $731.00 – $731.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $1,383.20 $731.00 – $731.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $1,383.20 $731.00 – $731.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →