Pr tube thoracostomy w/connection to drainage open 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

$851.04

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.

$2,171.00

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.

$150.81 with BCBS - Anthem vs $6,120.00 with Blue Shield CA — 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $150.81 ↓ -82%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -82%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -82%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $150.81 ↓ -82%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $150.81 ↓ -82%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $165.73 ↓ -81%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $165.73 ↓ -81%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $185.50 ↓ -78%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $185.50 ↓ -78%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $484.38 ↓ -43%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $986.70 ↑ +16%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $1,004.64 ↑ +18%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,112.28 ↑ +31%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,524.90 ↑ +79%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,524.90 ↑ +79%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,650.48 ↑ +94%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,758.12 ↑ +107%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $1,794.00 ↑ +111%
United Medicare|All Plans $1,973.80 ↑ +132%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $4,152.00 ↑ +388%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $4,567.00 ↑ +437%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $4,906.00 ↑ +476%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5,243.00 ↑ +516%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5,432.00 ↑ +538%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $6,120.00 ↑ +619%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pr tube thoracostomy w/connection to drainage open at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $607.95 $185.50 – $2,776.00
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $2,519.91 $1,921.00 – $2,695.00
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,121.79 $150.81 – $2,127.58
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $305.03 $118.49 – $448.84
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $1,669.13 $150.81 – $3,599.20
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $1,651.14 $150.81 – $3,554.21
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,136.61 $2,235.08 – $6,200.00
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $5,917.02 $2,024.63 – $8,018.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →