Lower back (lumbar) spinal fusion cost in California

Prices at 105 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $51,946 — 31% below the US median ($75,328), roughly 34.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $15,250 $3,950 ★ 3/5 275 min 14.4%
Adventist Health Simi Valley Simi Valley, CA $40,113 $65,536 ★ 2/5 160 min 14.9%
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $42,033 $46,753 ★ 3/5 195 min 15.0%
Glendale Adventist Medical Center Glendale, CA $47,619 $67,113 ★ 4/5 182 min 15.7%
Adventist Health White Memorial Los Angeles, CA $51,746 $61,505 ★ 3/5 202 min 14.8%
Adventist Health White Memorial Montebello Montebello, CA $51,746 $61,505 ★ 3/5 15.7%
Pih Health Downey Hospital Downey, CA $52,146 $25,810 ★ 4/5 240 min 16.5%
Redlands Community Hospital Redlands, CA $52,220 $53,038 ★ 2/5 222 min 14.3%
Adventist Health Sonora Sonora, CA $53,452 $89,140 ★ 3/5 175 min 15.0%
Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA $122,782 $58,895 ★ 1/5 248 min 15.3%
Sonoma Valley Hospital Sonoma, CA $159,127 $39,710 ★ 2/5 122 min 15.0%
Washington Hospital Fremont, CA $271,648 $152,339 ★ 2/5 180 min 16.2%

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)
$250,708
Cash / self-pay
$51,946
Insurer-negotiated
$66,916
Medicare pays
$1,511
$40,305$155,493
Median cash $51,946  ·  Medicare $1,511  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $51,946 — about 34.4× the Medicare rate ($1,511). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($3,021).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $250,708 list price could save about $198,762 (79%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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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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All Lower back (lumbar) spinal fusion prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →