Plcmt sft tiss loc pq w/img ea addl lsn 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

$409.64

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.

$1,045.00

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.

$242.19 with MHS HSPCC vs $5,432.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $242.19 ↓ -41%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $430.75 ↑ +5%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $430.75 ↑ +5%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $430.75 ↑ +5%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $430.75 ↑ +5%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $430.75 ↑ +5%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $430.75 ↑ +5%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $430.75 ↑ +5%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $493.35 ↑ +20%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $502.32 ↑ +23%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $529.82 ↑ +29%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $529.82 ↑ +29%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $556.14 ↑ +36%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $762.45 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $762.45 ↑ +86%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $825.24 ↑ +101%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $879.06 ↑ +115%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $4,063.00 ↑ +892%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $4,363.00 ↑ +965%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,243.00 ↑ +1180%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5,432.00 ↑ +1226%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Plcmt sft tiss loc pq w/img ea addl lsn at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $651.31 $381.51 – $1,102.14
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $483.64 $430.75 – $1,107.40
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $626.62 $430.75 – $1,503.21
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $619.87 $430.75 – $1,672.11
St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton Stockton $472.76 $163.80 – $780.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $1,017.12 $1,200.00 – $5,357.00
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $883.23 $369.00 – $738.00
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Grass Valley $925.96 $430.75 – $1,665.02

All California hospitals for this procedure →