Pelvic MRI (with contrast) 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

$727.56

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.

$1,856.00

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.

$380.16 with Molina vs $2,474.00 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 →

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
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $380.16 ↓ -48%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $380.16 ↓ -48%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $380.16 ↓ -48%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $380.16 ↓ -48%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $380.16 ↓ -48%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $400.33 ↓ -45%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $400.33 ↓ -45%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $446.12 ↓ -39%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $453.33 ↓ -38%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
United Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $453.77 ↓ -38%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $467.60 ↓ -36%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $467.60 ↓ -36%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $828.27 ↑ +14%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $828.27 ↑ +14%
United Commercial|HMO $828.27 ↑ +14%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $839.50 ↑ +15%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $940.24 ↑ +29%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,040.98 ↑ +43%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,427.15 ↑ +96%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,427.15 ↑ +96%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,645.42 ↑ +126%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $1,679.00 ↑ +131%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $1,679.00 ↑ +131%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $2,111.00 ↑ +190%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,111.00 ↑ +190%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $2,422.00 ↑ +233%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $2,474.00 ↑ +240%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pelvic MRI (with contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $1,539.57 $453.77 – $2,741.70
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $2,059.28 $71.43 – $2,874.11
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,288.95 $380.16 – $4,769.66
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $7,406.59 $380.16 – $3,130.12
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,451.36 $380.16 – $3,129.60
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,435.71 $380.16 – $3,090.48
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $9,438.06 $495.35 – $3,268.83
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $4,380.39 $448.71 – $3,706.87

All California hospitals for this procedure →