Emergency department visit (level 1) cost in California

Prices at 171 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $421 — 102% above the US median ($208), roughly 38.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $98 $108 ★ 3/5 195 min 15.0%
Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA $107 $108 ★ 3/5 202 min 16.0%
Saint Francis Medical Center Lynwood, CA $107 $108 ★ 3/5 250 min 14.9%
Encino Hospital Medical Center Encino, CA $107 $108 ★ 3/5 135 min 15.6%
Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center Garden Grove, CA $107 $108 ★ 2/5 138 min 16.6%
West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim, CA $107 $108 ★ 2/5 196 min 16.6%
Huntington Beach Hospital Huntington Beach, CA $107 $108 ★ 1/5 173 min 14.8%
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital La Palma, CA $107 $108 ★ 3/5 214 min 16.5%
Chino Valley Medical Center Chino, CA $107 $108 ★ 4/5 173 min 16.1%
San Dimas Community Hospital San Dimas, CA $107 $108 ★ 2/5 155 min 15.5%
Desert Valley Hospital Victorville, CA $107 $108 ★ 3/5 173 min 15.8%
Sherman Oaks Hospital Sherman Oaks, CA $107 $108 ★ 2/5 153 min 15.8%
Montclair Hospital Medical Center Montclair, CA $107 $108 ★ 3/5 151 min 15.3%
Shasta Regional Medical Center Redding, CA $107 $108 ★ 2/5 148 min 15.9%
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $110 128 min 15.0%
Lompoc Valley Medical Center Lompoc, CA $112 $130 ★ 1/5 169 min 15.9%
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $114 $107 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.0%
Bear Valley Community Hospital Big Bear Lake, CA $115 $113 143 min
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $121 $386 ★ 3/5 171 min 14.7%
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA $121 $386 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.3%
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA $121 $386 ★ 3/5 200 min 14.8%
Mad River Community Hospital Arcata, CA $141 $94 ★ 1/5 118 min 14.9%
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $142 ★ 2/5 187 min 13.5%
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $147 $113 14.4%
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas, CA $152 $55 ★ 3/5 128 min 15.2%

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 June 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)
$731
Cash / self-pay
$421
Insurer-negotiated
$146
Medicare pays
$11
$107$672
Median cash $421  ·  Medicare $11  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $421 — about 38.2× the Medicare rate ($11). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($22).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $731 list price could save about $310 (42%).

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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.

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Emergency department visit (level 1) cost in other states

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