Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (with contrast) at Providence Little Co of Mary Med Center San Pedro

1300 W 7th St, San Pedro, CA · Providence · · NPI 1942247291

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 11, 2026

$2,350.95

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$6,717.00

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.

$448.71 with Aetna vs $2,296.91 with Blue Shield — 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
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $448.71 ↓ -81%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $457.68 ↓ -81%
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity City Of La Other Commercial Plan $470.10 ↓ -80%
Caremore Medicare Managed Care Plan $493.58 ↓ -79%
Blue Cross Anthem Vivity Non City Of La Other Commercial Plan $529.47 ↓ -77%
La Care Health Plan Covered Ca Exchange $583.32 ↓ -75%
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $610.96 ↓ -74%
Unitedhealthcare Select/Navigate Hmo $610.96 ↓ -74%
Aetna All Commercial Plans $747.39 ↓ -68%
Healthnet Ambetter Hmo $830.11 ↓ -65%
Healthnet Ambetter Ppo $960.24 ↓ -59%
Blue Shield Epn/Ifp Benefit Exchange $1,187.61 ↓ -49%
Blue Shield Tandem Ppo/Blue High Performance Ppo/Epo $1,285.49 ↓ -45%
Blue Shield Hmo $1,435.57 ↓ -39%
Blue Shield Ppo/Epo $1,435.57 ↓ -39%
Blue Cross All Commercial Plans $1,954.84 ↓ -17%
Blue Shield Medicare Managed Care Plan $2,296.91 ↓ -2%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (with contrast) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,693.70 $453.77 – $4,797.00
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $3,060.38 $71.43 – $5,226.36
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $6,185.79 $470.15 – $3,102.10
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $2,918.11 $380.88 – $5,519.36
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $8,313.68 $380.88 – $3,150.70
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $2,556.24 $380.88 – $2,111.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,469.01 $380.88 – $5,324.00
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,442.39 $380.88 – $5,257.45

All California hospitals for this procedure →