Macroscopic exam arthropod 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

$8.39

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.

$29.10

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.

$3.80 with United vs $29.00 with Aetna — 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 $3.80 ↓ -55%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -55%
United Medicaid|< 21 $3.80 ↓ -55%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $4.03 ↓ -52%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $4.18 ↓ -50%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
United Medicare|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $4.27 ↓ -49%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $4.27 ↓ -49%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $4.40 ↓ -48%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $5.12 ↓ -39%
United Commercial|HMO $5.12 ↓ -39%
United Commercial|Options PPO $5.12 ↓ -39%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $5.12 ↓ -39%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $7.14 ↓ -15%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $7.22 ↓ -14%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $8.74 ↑ +4%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $8.74 ↑ +4%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $9.47 ↑ +13%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $10.15 ↑ +21%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio $10.73 ↑ +28%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $11.89 ↑ +42%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $12.63 ↑ +51%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio CalPers $13.63 ↑ +62%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $14.21 ↑ +69%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|HMO $20.59 ↑ +145%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|CalPers $21.17 ↑ +152%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|BRMS $21.75 ↑ +159%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $21.75 ↑ +159%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $22.91 ↑ +173%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $23.20 ↑ +177%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $23.20 ↑ +177%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $23.49 ↑ +180%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $24.07 ↑ +187%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $24.65 ↑ +194%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $29.00 ↑ +246%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $29.00 ↑ +246%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $29.00 ↑ +246%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $29.00 ↑ +246%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $29.00 ↑ +246%

Visitor-reported prices

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Macroscopic exam arthropod at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento $6.35 $3.80 – $23.20
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $32.96 $3.41 – $75.46
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $7.12 $3.80 – $10.47
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $30.19 $3.41 – $75.46
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $59.91 $3.80 – $75.46
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge $50.78 $3.80 – $182.00
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Grass Valley $76.85 $3.80 – $28.52
California Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles $63.54 $3.42 – $103.49

All California hospitals for this procedure →