Brain MRI (with and without contrast) 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

$2,499.56

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.

$8,679.00

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.

$241.35 with Hill Physicians vs $7,203.57 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 $241.35 ↓ -90%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $385.56 ↓ -85%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $442.55 ↓ -82%
United Medicaid|> 21 $446.18 ↓ -82%
United Medicaid|< 21 $446.18 ↓ -82%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $469.30 ↓ -81%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $469.30 ↓ -81%
United Medicare|All Plans $478.69 ↓ -81%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $483.38 ↓ -81%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $490.80 ↓ -80%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $584.79 ↓ -77%
United Commercial|Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -67%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $828.27 ↓ -67%
United Commercial|HMO $828.27 ↓ -67%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $828.27 ↓ -67%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $1,026.21 ↓ -59%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $1,026.21 ↓ -59%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,361.78 ↓ -46%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,361.78 ↓ -46%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,361.78 ↓ -46%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $1,918.59 ↓ -23%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $2,597.30 ↑ +4%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $3,037.65 ↑ +22%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $3,558.39 ↑ +42%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $4,021.00 ↑ +61%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $5,026.00 ↑ +101%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $5,397.00 ↑ +116%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|BRMS $6,509.25 ↑ +160%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $6,509.25 ↑ +160%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $6,685.00 ↑ +167%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $6,856.41 ↑ +174%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $6,943.20 ↑ +178%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $7,029.99 ↑ +181%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $7,195.00 ↑ +188%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $7,203.57 ↑ +188%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (with and without contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento $1,892.03 $241.35 – $6,943.20
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $3,699.79 $453.77 – $6,588.66
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $3,376.73 $71.43 – $5,657.04
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $4,780.23 $470.15 – $5,091.33
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,627.11 $446.18 – $8,437.80
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $9,499.16 $446.18 – $3,578.96
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $3,689.90 $446.18 – $2,111.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,668.82 $446.18 – $7,911.20

All California hospitals for this procedure →