X-ray thoracolumbar spine including skull cervical & sacral spine 1 view 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

$229.99

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.

$1,055.00

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.

$34.21 with Hill Physicians vs $844.00 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 $34.21 ↓ -85%
United Medicaid|> 21 $34.72 ↓ -85%
United Medicaid|< 21 $34.72 ↓ -85%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $38.19 ↓ -83%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $45.58 ↓ -80%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $65.27 ↓ -72%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $72.88 ↓ -68%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $80.55 ↓ -65%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $80.55 ↓ -65%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $87.33 ↓ -62%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $87.33 ↓ -62%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $87.33 ↓ -62%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $109.11 ↓ -53%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|HMO $115.71 ↓ -50%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $115.71 ↓ -50%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $115.71 ↓ -50%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $115.71 ↓ -50%
United Medicare|All Plans $115.71 ↓ -50%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $115.71 ↓ -50%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|PPO $115.71 ↓ -50%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $119.18 ↓ -48%
BrightHealth Commercial|All Plans $127.28 ↓ -45%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $149.30 ↓ -35%
Prison Healthcare Medicaid|All Plans $173.56 ↓ -25%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $182.03 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $182.03 ↓ -21%
United Commercial|HMO $182.03 ↓ -21%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $326.83 ↑ +42%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $369.25 ↑ +61%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $395.43 ↑ +72%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $432.55 ↑ +88%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $435.81 ↑ +89%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $494.08 ↑ +115%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $716.26 ↑ +211%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $759.60 ↑ +230%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $791.25 ↑ +244%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $833.45 ↑ +262%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $844.00 ↑ +267%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $844.00 ↑ +267%

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray thoracolumbar spine including skull cervical & sacral spine 1 view at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sacramento Medical Center SACRAMENTO $257.04 $118.00 – $118.00
South Sacramento Medical Center SACRAMENTO $257.04 $118.00 – $118.00
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento $303.84 $34.21 – $875.65
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $257.04 $118.00 – $118.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $254.48 $52.53 – $453.18
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $257.04 $118.00 – $118.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $257.04 $118.00 – $118.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $257.04 $118.00 – $118.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →