Brach/thor cath addl 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

$1,216.38

Cash price

?

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.

$3,103.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$49.56 with Molina vs $5,432.00 with BCBS - Anthem — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $49.56 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $49.56 ↓ -96%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $49.56 ↓ -96%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $49.56 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $49.56 ↓ -96%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $60.96 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $60.96 ↓ -95%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $78.12 ↓ -94%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $78.12 ↓ -94%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $321.30 ↓ -74%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $654.50 ↓ -46%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $666.40 ↓ -45%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $737.80 ↓ -39%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,011.50 ↓ -17%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,011.50 ↓ -17%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,094.80 ↓ -10%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,166.20 ↓ -4%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $4,567.00 ↑ +275%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $4,906.00 ↑ +303%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,243.00 ↑ +331%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5,432.00 ↑ +347%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brach/thor cath addl at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $166.01 $60.96 – $295.62
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,304.98 $49.56 – $1,166.20
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $197.38 $49.56 – $473.48
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $204.79 $49.56 – $552.42
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $584.97 $398.74 – $6,200.00
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $568.89 $49.56 – $406.56
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $584.97 $375.68 – $4,042.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $1,344.48 $1,200.00 – $5,357.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →