Alpha-fetoprotein tumor marker at Methodist Hospital of Sacramento

7500 Hospital Dr., Sacramento, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1467560599

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$2.31

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.

$8.00

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.

$2.80 with Western Health Advantage vs $49.52 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
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $2.80 ↑ +21%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio $2.96 ↑ +28%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $3.28 ↑ +42%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio CalPers $3.76 ↑ +63%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $3.92 ↑ +70%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|HMO $5.68 ↑ +146%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|CalPers $5.84 ↑ +153%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|BRMS $6.00 ↑ +160%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $6.00 ↑ +160%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $6.32 ↑ +174%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $6.40 ↑ +177%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $6.40 ↑ +177%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6.48 ↑ +181%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $6.64 ↑ +187%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $6.80 ↑ +194%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $7.55 ↑ +227%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $8.00 ↑ +246%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8.00 ↑ +246%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $8.00 ↑ +246%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $8.00 ↑ +246%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
United Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
United Commercial|HMO $8.00 ↑ +246%
United Commercial|Options PPO $8.00 ↑ +246%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $8.00 ↑ +246%
United Medicaid|< 21 $8.00 ↑ +246%
United Medicaid|> 21 $8.00 ↑ +246%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +246%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $8.24 ↑ +257%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $37.14 ↑ +1508%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $49.52 ↑ +2044%

Visitor-reported prices

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Alpha-fetoprotein tumor marker at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $21.90 $2.16 – $44.49
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $6.89 $3.28 – $140.25
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $148.92 $16.43 – $136.95
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $295.04 $4.34 – $8.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $43.78 $4.00 – $48.19
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $43.31 $4.00 – $48.19
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $167.79 $16.77 – $173.07
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $85.68 $16.77 – $196.27

All California hospitals for this procedure →