Insertion of catheter vein at French Hospital
1911 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1881760452
$755.39
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.
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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.
$1,927.00
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.
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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.
$130.73 with Molina vs $5,432.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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 →
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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 ?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 | $130.73 | ↓ -83% |
| Partnership Health Plan | Medicaid|> 21 | $130.73 | ↓ -83% |
| Partnership Health Plan | Medicaid|< 21 | $130.73 | ↓ -83% |
| BCBS - Anthem | Medicaid|All Plans | $130.73 | ↓ -83% |
| Molina | Medicaid|> 21 | $130.73 | ↓ -83% |
| Health Net | Medicaid|< 21 | $160.80 | ↓ -79% |
| Health Net | Medicaid|> 21 | $160.80 | ↓ -79% |
| CenCal | Medicaid|> 21 | $206.08 | ↓ -73% |
| CenCal | Medicaid|< 21 | $206.08 | ↓ -73% |
| MHS HSPCC | Commercial|All Plans | $520.29 | ↓ -31% |
| Western Growers | Commercial|All Plans | $1,059.85 | ↑ +40% |
| Health Net | Commercial|FFS | $1,079.12 | ↑ +43% |
| Kaiser | Commercial|All Plans | $1,194.74 | ↑ +58% |
| Healthsmart | Commercial|All Plans | $1,637.95 | ↑ +117% |
| First Health | Commercial|All Plans | $1,637.95 | ↑ +117% |
| United | Commercial|Non-Options PPO | $1,772.84 | ↑ +135% |
| MultiPlan | Commercial|All Plans | $1,888.46 | ↑ +150% |
| Aetna | Commercial|Gatekeeper | $4,063.00 | ↑ +438% |
| Aetna | Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper | $4,363.00 | ↑ +478% |
| BCBS - Anthem | Commercial|MCS | $5,243.00 | ↑ +594% |
| BCBS - Anthem | Commercial|Non-MCS | $5,432.00 | ↑ +619% |
Visitor-reported prices
Comments
Insertion of catheter vein at other California hospitals
| Hospital | City | Cash price | Negotiated range |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's Camarillo Hospital | Camarillo | $753.36 | $160.80 – $1,341.60 |
| Arroyo Grande Hospital | Santa Maria | $824.76 | $130.73 – $1,888.46 |
| Bakersfield Memorial Hospital | Bakersfield | $182.77 | $130.73 – $496.65 |
| Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka | Eureka | $795.60 | $2,699.00 – $21,319.00 |
| Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo | Mission Viejo | $586.08 | $1,200.00 – $5,357.00 |
| Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta | Mt Shasta | $870.59 | $222.24 – $1,096.62 |
| Mercy Medical Center Merced | Merced | $1,216.95 | $130.73 – $2,339.37 |
| Dominican Hospital | Santa Cruz | $293.40 | $130.73 – $586.80 |