Prices at 3 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $4,908 — 30% below the US median ($7,046), roughly 5.5× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego | San Diego, CA | $3,255 | $8,681 | ★ 4/5 | — | 13.7% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | $4,908 | $9,333 | ★ 4/5 | 193 min | 15.3% |
| UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr | San Diego, CA | $27,189 | $9,077 | ★ 5/5 | 258 min | 14.3% |
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 August 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)
Typical cash price here is $4,908 — about 5.5× the Medicare rate ($898). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($1,796).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $19,632 list price could save about $14,724 (75%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in San Diego
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy Sebastian, PA-C | Physician Assistant | San Diego, CA | 14 |
| Vikram Udani, MD | Neurosurgery | San Diego, CA | 13 |
| Yusef Jordan, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | San Diego, CA | 11 |
All Lumbar discectomy prices in California → · All Lumbar discectomy prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego