Insert cath pleura with image 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

$1,295.17

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.

$3,304.00

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.

$116.21 with BCBS - Anthem vs $6,120.00 with Blue Shield CA — 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $116.21 ↓ -91%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $116.21 ↓ -91%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $116.21 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $116.21 ↓ -91%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $116.21 ↓ -91%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $127.70 ↓ -90%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $127.70 ↓ -90%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $142.94 ↓ -89%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $142.94 ↓ -89%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $582.12 ↓ -55%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,185.80 ↓ -8%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $1,207.36 ↓ -7%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,336.72 ↑ +3%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,832.60 ↑ +41%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,832.60 ↑ +41%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +52%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,983.52 ↑ +53%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,112.88 ↑ +63%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $4,152.00 ↑ +221%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $4,567.00 ↑ +253%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $4,906.00 ↑ +279%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,243.00 ↑ +305%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5,432.00 ↑ +319%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $6,120.00 ↑ +373%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Insert cath pleura with image at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $686.35 $142.94 – $3,134.00
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $1,432.37 $167.10 – $1,774.13
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $3,012.57 $1,921.00 – $2,695.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,537.38 $116.21 – $2,112.88
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $767.23 $116.21 – $1,973.80
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,132.64 $116.21 – $1,973.80
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,162.11 $2,235.08 – $6,200.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $5,978.73 $2,024.63 – $8,018.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →