Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count 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

$129.66

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.

$330.75

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.

$2.97 with MHS HSPCC vs $11.51 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
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $2.97 ↓ -98%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
United Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $3.80 ↓ -97%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $3.89 ↓ -97%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $3.89 ↓ -97%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $3.89 ↓ -97%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $3.89 ↓ -97%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $3.89 ↓ -97%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $3.89 ↓ -97%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $3.89 ↓ -97%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $4.56 ↓ -96%
United Commercial|HMO $4.56 ↓ -96%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $4.56 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $4.78 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $4.78 ↓ -96%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $5.28 ↓ -96%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $5.50 ↓ -96%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $6.16 ↓ -95%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $6.82 ↓ -95%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $7.48 ↓ -94%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $9.35 ↓ -93%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $9.35 ↓ -93%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $10.34 ↓ -92%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $10.56 ↓ -92%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $10.78 ↓ -92%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $11.00 ↓ -92%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $11.00 ↓ -92%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $11.51 ↓ -91%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $11.51 ↓ -91%

Visitor-reported prices

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Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $67.02 $3.80 – $11.86
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $32.18 $0.76 – $52.38
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $141.57 $3.80 – $10.78
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $36.63 $3.80 – $53.90
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $72.72 $3.80 – $18.40
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $71.94 $3.80 – $18.17
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $114.20 $3.80 – $124.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $79.68 $3.23 – $168.92

All California hospitals for this procedure →