Mayo lipoprotein electrophoresis 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

$7.98

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.

$20.34

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.

$5.50 with MHS HSPCC vs $34.11 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 $5.50 ↓ -31%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $9.00 ↑ +13%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $9.00 ↑ +13%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $9.77 ↑ +22%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $10.01 ↑ +25%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $10.01 ↑ +25%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $10.01 ↑ +25%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $10.01 ↑ +25%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $10.01 ↑ +25%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $10.17 ↑ +27%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
United Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $11.26 ↑ +41%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $11.40 ↑ +43%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $12.31 ↑ +54%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $12.31 ↑ +54%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $12.62 ↑ +58%
United Commercial|HMO $13.51 ↑ +69%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $13.51 ↑ +69%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $13.51 ↑ +69%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $13.84 ↑ +73%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $17.29 ↑ +117%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $17.29 ↑ +117%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $19.12 ↑ +140%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $19.53 ↑ +145%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $19.94 ↑ +150%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $20.34 ↑ +155%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $20.34 ↑ +155%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $34.11 ↑ +327%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $34.11 ↑ +327%

Visitor-reported prices

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Mayo lipoprotein electrophoresis at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $8.76 $2.25 – $16.52
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $12.57 $11.03 – $90.51
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $8.71 $9.00 – $29.02
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $7.55 $10.01 – $32.36
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $7.47 $10.01 – $32.36
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $12.57 $11.26 – $114.39
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $12.57 $11.26 – $129.72
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $11.62 $2.04 – $16.28

All California hospitals for this procedure →