Artery x-rays chest at French Hospital

1911 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1881760452

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

$4,711.06

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.

$12,018.00

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.

$208.55 with Partnership Health Plan vs $15,820.61 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
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $208.55 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $208.55 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $208.55 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $208.55 ↓ -96%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $208.55 ↓ -96%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $210.47 ↓ -96%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $210.47 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $256.52 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $256.52 ↓ -95%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $944.74 ↓ -80%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $1,846.82 ↓ -61%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $3,237.69 ↓ -31%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $3,244.86 ↓ -31%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
United Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $3,999.21 ↓ -15%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,187.04 ↑ +10%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5,298.87 ↑ +12%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $6,009.00 ↑ +28%
United Commercial|HMO $6,438.74 ↑ +37%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $6,438.74 ↑ +37%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $6,438.74 ↑ +37%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $6,730.08 ↑ +43%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $7,451.16 ↑ +58%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $10,215.30 ↑ +117%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $10,215.30 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $11,777.64 ↑ +150%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $15,820.61 ↑ +236%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $15,820.61 ↑ +236%

Visitor-reported prices

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Artery x-rays chest at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,695.50 $315.52 – $13,858.31
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $5,143.71 $208.55 – $13,457.70
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,022.54 $208.55 – $15,009.21
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,989.95 $208.55 – $15,009.21
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,881.02 $208.55 – $6,337.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $3,535.68 $1,016.79 – $7,512.94
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $4,057.17 $208.55 – $7,405.32
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge $1,260.53 $208.55 – $9,522.92

All California hospitals for this procedure →