ER Visit (level 1, minor) 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

$350.54

Cash price

?

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.

$819.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$21.77 with Partnership Health Plan vs $9,548.00 with United — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $21.77 ↓ -94%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $21.77 ↓ -94%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -94%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $21.77 ↓ -94%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $32.94 ↓ -91%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $32.94 ↓ -91%
MHS Hospice Commercial|All Plans $84.93 ↓ -76%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -68%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -68%
United Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -68%
Alignment Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -68%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -68%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -68%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $111.88 ↓ -68%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $417.45 ↑ +19%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $440.22 ↑ +26%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|Exchange $493.35 ↑ +41%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $516.12 ↑ +47%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $516.12 ↑ +47%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $516.12 ↑ +47%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $637.56 ↑ +82%
Blue Shield CA Commercial|FFS $683.10 ↑ +95%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $698.28 ↑ +99%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $743.82 ↑ +112%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $833.00 ↑ +138%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $833.00 ↑ +138%
Health Net Commercial|Care Product $869.00 ↑ +148%
Health Net Commercial|FFS $984.00 ↑ +181%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $1,434.00 ↑ +309%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $1,922.00 ↑ +448%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $4,244.00 ↑ +1111%
United Commercial|Options PPO $4,930.00 ↑ +1306%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $4,933.00 ↑ +1307%
United Commercial|HMO $9,548.00 ↑ +2624%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

ER Visit (level 1, minor) at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $370.99 $27.95 – $694.54
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville $311.68 $17.06 – $331.74
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma $587.01 $113.64 – $115.95
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas $262.41 $16.04 – $60.76
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $335.56 $21.77 – $838.88
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $176.60 $21.77 – $334.56
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $174.70 $21.77 – $390.32
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $631.89 $119.73 – $119.73

All California hospitals for this procedure →