Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic 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

$1,172.16

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$4,070.00

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.

$61.96 with Hill Physicians vs $7,452.00 with Health Net — 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 $61.96 ↓ -95%
United Medicaid|> 21 $93.99 ↓ -92%
United Medicaid|< 21 $93.99 ↓ -92%
Hill Physicians Medicare|All Plans $141.56 ↓ -88%
Molina Medicaid|All Plans $153.99 ↓ -87%
Hill Physicians Medicaid|All Plans $162.98 ↓ -86%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $223.23 ↓ -81%
California Health & Wellness Medicaid|All Plans $340.77 ↓ -71%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $340.77 ↓ -71%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|All Plans $505.21 ↓ -57%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Other Plans $858.17 ↓ -27%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $910.04 ↓ -22%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $910.04 ↓ -22%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $910.04 ↓ -22%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $910.04 ↓ -22%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $910.04 ↓ -22%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $910.04 ↓ -22%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $910.04 ↓ -22%
United Medicare|All Plans $928.25 ↓ -21%
Western Health Advantage Commercial|All Plans $929.95 ↓ -21%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|Imperial $937.34 ↓ -20%
Kaiser Medicaid|All Plans $1,089.37 ↓ -7%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,992.75 ↑ +70%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $2,099.03 ↑ +79%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $2,125.60 ↑ +81%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|BRMS $2,125.60 ↑ +81%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,152.17 ↑ +84%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,205.31 ↑ +88%
United Commercial|HMO $2,630.43 ↑ +124%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $2,657.00 ↑ +127%
United Commercial|Options PPO $2,657.00 ↑ +127%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $2,657.00 ↑ +127%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Connection EPO $2,838.00 ↑ +142%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $3,547.00 ↑ +203%
Health Net Commercial|EPPO $3,882.00 ↑ +231%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $4,718.00 ↑ +303%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,532.00 ↑ +372%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,532.00 ↑ +372%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,532.00 ↑ +372%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $7,452.00 ↑ +536%

Visitor-reported prices

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Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento $887.26 $61.96 – $2,125.60
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $743.29 $115.61 – $1,617.30
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $393.59 $116.85 – $276.45
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $1,530.51 $951.25 – $2,695.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,010.08 $93.99 – $1,803.20
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,845.49 $56.92 – $215.60
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,296.74 $93.99 – $1,803.20
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $782.44 $93.99 – $1,687.20

All California hospitals for this procedure →