X-ray thoracolumbar spine >=2 views 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

$368.88

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.

$941.00

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.

$39.29 with Molina vs $447.03 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
Molina Medicaid|< 21 $39.29 ↓ -89%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $39.29 ↓ -89%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $39.29 ↓ -89%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $39.29 ↓ -89%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $39.29 ↓ -89%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $39.29 ↓ -89%
Molina Medicaid|> 21 $39.29 ↓ -89%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $48.33 ↓ -87%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $48.33 ↓ -87%
MHS HSPCC Commercial|All Plans $63.45 ↓ -83%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $93.24 ↓ -75%
United Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -70%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $117.50 ↓ -68%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $131.60 ↓ -64%
Aetna Commercial|Gatekeeper $132.73 ↓ -64%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $145.70 ↓ -61%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $182.03 ↓ -51%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $182.03 ↓ -51%
United Commercial|HMO $182.03 ↓ -51%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $199.75 ↓ -46%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $199.75 ↓ -46%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $220.90 ↓ -40%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $225.60 ↓ -39%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $230.30 ↓ -38%
Aetna Commercial|Non-Gatekeeper $235.00 ↓ -36%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $447.03 ↑ +21%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $447.03 ↑ +21%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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X-ray thoracolumbar spine >=2 views at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SIERRA VISTA HOSPITAL, INC. San Luis Obispo $152.10 $111.73 – $2,197.00
Fresno Medical Center FRESNO $352.80 $118.00 – $118.00
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $485.75 $59.45 – $865.02
Antioch Medical Center ANTIOCH $352.80 $118.00 – $118.00
Redwood City Medical Center Redwood City $352.80 $118.00 – $118.00
Santa Clara Medical Center SANTA CLARA $352.80 $118.00 – $118.00
Baldwin Park Medical Center BALDWIN PARK $327.60 $81.00 – $81.00
Riverside Medical Center RIVERSIDE $327.60 $81.00 – $81.00

All California hospitals for this procedure →