Prices at 73 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $9,699 — 186% above the US median ($3,396), roughly 9.5× the Medicare rate.
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated September 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Chargemaster (list price)
$17,320
Cash / self-pay
$9,699
Insurer-negotiated
$4,253
Medicare pays
$1,026
$2,641$10,247
Median cash $9,699 · Medicare $1,026 · bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+
Typical cash price here is $9,699 — about 9.5× the Medicare rate ($1,026). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($2,051).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $17,320 list price could save about $7,621 (44%).
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
