Surgical pathology level 5 gross & microscopic examination 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

$129.36

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.

$330.00

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.

$59.05 with MHS HSPCC vs $631.01 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 $59.05 ↓ -54%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $109.34 ↓ -15%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $122.47 ↓ -5%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $125.71 ↓ -3%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $125.71 ↓ -3%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $125.71 ↓ -3%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $125.71 ↓ -3%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $125.71 ↓ -3%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $125.71 ↓ -3%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $125.71 ↓ -3%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $135.59 ↑ +5%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $154.62 ↑ +20%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $154.62 ↑ +20%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $185.88 ↑ +44%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $185.88 ↑ +44%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $205.56 ↑ +59%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $209.94 ↑ +62%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $214.31 ↑ +66%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
United Commercial|HMO $218.68 ↑ +69%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $218.68 ↑ +69%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $218.68 ↑ +69%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $218.68 ↑ +69%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $218.68 ↑ +69%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $331.11 ↑ +156%
United Medicare|All Plans $457.06 ↑ +253%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $631.01 ↑ +388%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $631.01 ↑ +388%

Visitor-reported prices

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Surgical pathology level 5 gross & microscopic examination at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $222.51 $137.16 – $813.52
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $653.82 $163.66 – $566.82
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $141.24 $109.34 – $536.77
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $291.05 $56.81 – $215.18
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $191.44 $123.13 – $598.65
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $189.38 $123.13 – $598.65
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $613.53 $206.83 – $566.82
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $409.53 $234.54 – $566.82

All California hospitals for this procedure →