Chg radiologic exam esophagus double contrast at Arroyo Grande Hospital

1400 E Church St, Santa Maria, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1760510937

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

$243.11

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.

$568.00

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.

$99.36 with Partnership Health Plan vs $839.73 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
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $99.36 ↓ -59%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $99.36 ↓ -59%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $99.39 ↓ -59%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $99.39 ↓ -59%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $150.32 ↓ -38%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $150.32 ↓ -38%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $222.30 ↓ -9%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↓ -7%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↓ -7%
United Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↓ -7%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↓ -7%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↓ -7%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↓ -7%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $226.19 ↓ -7%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $270.00 ↑ +11%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $340.20 ↑ +40%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $401.74 ↑ +65%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $401.74 ↑ +65%
United Commercial|Options PPO $401.74 ↑ +65%
United Commercial|HMO $401.74 ↑ +65%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $430.44 ↑ +77%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $430.44 ↑ +77%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $430.44 ↑ +77%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $453.60 ↑ +87%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $496.80 ↑ +104%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $523.80 ↑ +115%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $529.20 ↑ +118%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $540.00 ↑ +122%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $839.73 ↑ +245%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $839.73 ↑ +245%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chg radiologic exam esophagus double contrast at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $230.39 $142.02 – $864.73
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $334.05 $236.37 – $439.22
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $202.67 $99.36 – $987.17
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $183.28 $99.36 – $936.54
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $181.30 $99.36 – $936.54
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $1,076.10 $249.04 – $575.62
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $1,105.68 $225.59 – $629.44
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg $747.15 $235.54 – $251.09

All California hospitals for this procedure →