Cold agglutinin screen (arc) 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

$8.43

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.

$21.50

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.

$5.81 with MHS HSPCC vs $24.47 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 $5.81 ↓ -31%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
United Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $8.07 ↓ -4%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $9.27 ↑ +10%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $9.27 ↑ +10%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $9.27 ↑ +10%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $9.27 ↑ +10%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $9.27 ↑ +10%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $9.27 ↑ +10%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $9.27 ↑ +10%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $9.68 ↑ +15%
United Commercial|HMO $9.68 ↑ +15%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $9.68 ↑ +15%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $10.32 ↑ +22%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $10.75 ↑ +28%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $11.40 ↑ +35%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $11.40 ↑ +35%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $12.04 ↑ +43%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $13.33 ↑ +58%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $14.62 ↑ +73%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $18.28 ↑ +117%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $18.28 ↑ +117%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $20.21 ↑ +140%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $20.64 ↑ +145%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $21.07 ↑ +150%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $21.50 ↑ +155%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $21.50 ↑ +155%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $24.47 ↑ +190%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $24.47 ↑ +190%

Visitor-reported prices

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Cold agglutinin screen (arc) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $59.24 $1.61 – $20.37
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $9.21 $8.07 – $21.07
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Grass Valley $311.74 $8.07 – $68.60
Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center Tarzana $10.71 $8.07 – $17.88
California Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles $41.23 $8.07 – $67.15
St. Mary Medical Center Long Beach $30.10 $5.13 – $46.35
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Burbank $10.71 $8.07 – $39.22
Community Hospital San Bernardino San Bernardino $27.37 $4.10 – $46.35

All California hospitals for this procedure →