Brachy source palladium 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

$64.68

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.

$165.00

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.

$31.35 with Health Net vs $161.70 with MultiPlan — 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
Health Net Commercial|FFS $31.35 ↓ -52%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $37.95 ↓ -41%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $37.95 ↓ -41%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $44.55 ↓ -31%
United Commercial|HMO $82.50 ↑ +28%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $82.50 ↑ +28%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $85.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
United Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $88.55 ↑ +37%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $97.35 ↑ +51%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $97.67 ↑ +51%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $99.00 ↑ +53%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $99.00 ↑ +53%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $102.30 ↑ +58%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $118.80 ↑ +84%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $128.70 ↑ +99%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $140.25 ↑ +117%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $140.25 ↑ +117%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $150.15 ↑ +132%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $151.80 ↑ +135%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $155.10 ↑ +140%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $155.10 ↑ +140%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $161.70 ↑ +150%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brachy source palladium at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $273.11 $86.49 – $88.26
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $70.62 $37.95 – $161.70
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $211.42 $88.26 – $88.26
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $258.65 not published
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg $176.72 not published
Redwood Memorial Hospital Fortuna $258.65 not published
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $273.11 $86.49 – $88.26
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $192.63 not published

All California hospitals for this procedure →