ER Visit (level 5, high severity) 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

$4,498.20

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.

$9,996.00

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.

$155.03 with Central California Alliance for Health vs $17,101.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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
Central California Alliance for Health Medicaid|All Plans $155.03 ↓ -97%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $155.03 ↓ -97%
COSC Psych Medicaid|All Plans $155.03 ↓ -97%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $234.55 ↓ -95%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $234.55 ↓ -95%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $842.31 ↓ -81%
United Medicare|All Plans $842.31 ↓ -81%
Health Net Medicare|All Plans $842.31 ↓ -81%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $842.31 ↓ -81%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|DHMF $960.23 ↓ -79%
Sutter Health Commercial|All Plans $2,636.43 ↓ -41%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $4,298.28 ↓ -4%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $4,298.28 ↓ -4%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|ACO Trio $5,897.64 ↑ +31%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus $5,997.60 ↑ +33%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $5,997.60 ↑ +33%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $6,097.56 ↑ +36%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $6,397.44 ↑ +42%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $6,797.28 ↑ +51%
United Commercial|HMO $7,166.00 ↑ +59%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|All Other Plans $7,197.12 ↑ +60%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $7,996.80 ↑ +78%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $8,496.60 ↑ +89%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $8,496.60 ↑ +89%
Health Net Commercial|Community Care $11,460.00 ↑ +155%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|All Other Plans $12,241.00 ↑ +172%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $12,322.00 ↑ +174%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $13,953.00 ↑ +210%
Health Net Commercial|Blue Gold $14,116.00 ↑ +214%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $14,818.00 ↑ +229%
United Commercial|Options PPO $14,940.00 ↑ +232%
Health Net Commercial|All Other Plans $15,502.00 ↑ +245%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $17,101.00 ↑ +280%

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 5, high severity) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $2,060.79 $226.60 – $3,279.18
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $3,441.94 $122.62 – $2,525.88
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $4,458.42 $802.54 – $818.92
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $1,593.02 $155.03 – $3,316.32
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $1,886.78 $138.93 – $526.26
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $1,459.03 $155.03 – $3,392.76
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,521.69 $155.03 – $5,573.54
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,494.50 $155.03 – $5,573.54

All California hospitals for this procedure →