Artery x-rays spine 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

$5,890.59

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.

$15,027.00

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.

$303.17 with BCBS - Anthem vs $26,354.30 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $303.17 ↓ -95%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $303.17 ↓ -95%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $303.17 ↓ -95%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $303.17 ↓ -95%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $303.17 ↓ -95%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $303.17 ↓ -95%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $303.17 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $372.90 ↓ -94%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $372.90 ↓ -94%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $939.32 ↓ -84%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $1,836.22 ↓ -69%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $4,057.29 ↓ -31%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,215.58 ↓ -11%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5,328.03 ↓ -10%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $5,369.73 ↓ -9%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
United Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $6,868.48 ↑ +17%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $7,513.50 ↑ +28%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $8,415.12 ↑ +43%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $9,316.74 ↑ +58%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $10,733.33 ↑ +82%
United Commercial|HMO $10,733.33 ↑ +82%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $10,733.33 ↑ +82%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $12,772.95 ↑ +117%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $12,772.95 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $14,726.46 ↑ +150%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $26,354.30 ↑ +347%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $26,354.30 ↑ +347%

Visitor-reported prices

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Artery x-rays spine at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,493.98 $458.67 – $23,085.47
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $6,431.56 $303.17 – $22,418.12
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $3,613.92 $303.17 – $25,002.66
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $3,574.95 $303.17 – $25,002.66
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $1,972.74 $303.17 – $6,710.00
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $7,949.88 $1,240.14 – $7,742.78
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $3,535.68 $1,010.92 – $13,240.19
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $4,830.61 $548.18 – $6,084.82

All California hospitals for this procedure →