Warde copper 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

$35.88

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.

$91.52

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.

$1.62 with MHS HSPCC vs $37.61 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 $1.62 ↓ -95%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $2.88 ↓ -92%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $3.00 ↓ -92%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $3.36 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $3.72 ↓ -90%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $4.08 ↓ -89%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $5.10 ↓ -86%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $5.10 ↓ -86%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5.64 ↓ -84%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $5.76 ↓ -84%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $5.88 ↓ -84%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $6.00 ↓ -83%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $6.00 ↓ -83%
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $6.00 ↓ -83%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $6.00 ↓ -83%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
United Medicare|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
United Commercial|HMO $6.00 ↓ -83%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $6.00 ↓ -83%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $6.00 ↓ -83%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $6.00 ↓ -83%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $6.00 ↓ -83%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $6.00 ↓ -83%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $6.00 ↓ -83%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $7.38 ↓ -79%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $7.38 ↓ -79%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $37.61 ↑ +5%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $37.61 ↑ +5%

Visitor-reported prices

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Warde copper at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $5.06 $1.62 – $32.94
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $100.79 $2.48 – $18.20
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $41.13 $12.16 – $101.56
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $39.18 $3.00 – $31.99
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $56.61 $3.25 – $6.00
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $41.13 $12.41 – $128.35
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $41.13 $12.41 – $145.55
St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton $5.73 $0.60 – $4.80

All California hospitals for this procedure →