Alpha-fetoprotein tumor marker at Dominican Hospital

1555 Soquel Dr, Santa Cruz, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1427181007

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$3.60

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.

$8.00

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.

$3.68 with Blue Shield CA vs $159.74 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
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio $3.68 ↑ +2%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $3.68 ↑ +2%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $4.48 ↑ +24%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $5.20 ↑ +44%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $5.60 ↑ +56%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $6.40 ↑ +78%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $6.64 ↑ +84%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $6.80 ↑ +89%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $6.80 ↑ +89%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $8.00 ↑ +122%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
COSC Psych Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $8.00 ↑ +122%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $8.00 ↑ +122%
United Commercial|HMO $8.00 ↑ +122%
United Commercial|Options PPO $8.00 ↑ +122%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $8.00 ↑ +122%
United Medicare|All Plans $8.00 ↑ +122%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|DHMF $9.12 ↑ +153%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $9.84 ↑ +173%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $9.84 ↑ +173%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $25.04 ↑ +596%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $150.16 ↑ +4071%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $159.74 ↑ +4337%

Visitor-reported prices

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Alpha-fetoprotein tumor marker at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $21.90 $2.16 – $44.49
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $6.89 $3.28 – $140.25
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $148.92 $16.43 – $136.95
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $295.04 $4.34 – $8.00
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $43.78 $4.00 – $48.19
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $43.31 $4.00 – $48.19
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $167.79 $16.77 – $173.07
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $85.68 $16.77 – $196.27

All California hospitals for this procedure →