Contrast exam thoracic aorta at St. Joseph's Medical Center Stockton

1800 N California St, Stockton, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1528190931

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

$2,881.79

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.

$9,802.00

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.

$255.55 with BCBS - Anthem vs $30,595.56 with Cigna — 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|> 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Medicaid|< 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|< 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
HPSJ Medicaid|> 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Kaiser Medicaid|> 21 $255.55 ↓ -91%
Health Plan of San Joaquin Medicaid|All Plans $255.55 ↓ -91%
Health Net Medicaid|All Plans $631.21 ↓ -78%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $766.34 ↓ -73%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $766.34 ↓ -73%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $766.34 ↓ -73%
Kaiser Commercial|All Other Plans $1,029.42 ↓ -64%
Kaiser Commercial|Affiliated Payers $1,029.42 ↓ -64%
Sutter UMR Commercial|All Plans $2,205.90 ↓ -23%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $2,941.20 ↑ +2%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Exchange $3,235.32 ↑ +12%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $3,529.44 ↑ +22%
Medcore Commercial|Without ER $3,795.82 ↑ +32%
Alignment Health Medicare|All Plans $4,019.10 ↑ +39%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $4,019.64 ↑ +39%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $4,411.80 ↑ +53%
Kaiser Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Molina Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
United Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Cigna Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Blue Shield CA Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Scan Health Plan Medicare|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Hill Physicians Commercial|All Plans $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
Medcore Commercial|With ER $4,465.67 ↑ +55%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $4,902.00 ↑ +70%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $4,902.00 ↑ +70%
United Commercial|Options PPO $4,902.00 ↑ +70%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $4,902.00 ↑ +70%
United Commercial|HMO $4,902.00 ↑ +70%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $30,595.56 ↑ +962%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $30,595.56 ↑ +962%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Contrast exam thoracic aorta at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Arroyo Grande Hospital Santa Maria $4,761.50 $255.55 – $13,457.70
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $4,361.00 $255.55 – $15,820.61
Mercy Hospitals – Bakersfield Bakersfield $2,875.63 $255.55 – $15,009.21
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $2,844.62 $255.55 – $15,009.21
Queen of The Valley Medical Center Napa $4,627.74 $1,989.67 – $4,434.05
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $6,941.61 $4,061.05 – $4,434.05
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Santa Rosa $4,627.74 $1,721.34 – $4,434.05
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $2,753.76 $1,403.19 – $7,512.94

All California hospitals for this procedure →