Psychotherapy session cost in California

Prices at 130 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $331 — 43% above the US median ($232), roughly 2.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $54 $119 ★ 3/5 195 min 15.0%
Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage, CA $81 $141 ★ 4/5 259 min 14.8%
Bear Valley Community Hospital Big Bear Lake, CA $103 $110 143 min
Trinity Hospital Weaverville, CA $113 $137 70 min 14.5%
Community Hospital of San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA $118 $204 ★ 3/5 147 min 16.1%
St Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton, CA $134 $168
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $136 ★ 3/5 275 min 14.4%
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $147 $216 ★ 3/5 171 min 14.7%
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA $147 $216 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.3%
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA $147 $216 ★ 3/5 200 min 14.8%
San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp, CA $166 $202 ★ 2/5 218 min 15.2%
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Martinez, CA $172 ★ 4/5 175 min 14.2%
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $180 ★ 3/5 19.1%
John Muir Behavioral Health Center Concord, CA $181 $242
St Mary Medical Center Long Beach, CA $183 $204 ★ 5/5 153 min 14.0%
Woodland Memorial Hospital Woodland, CA $185 $351 ★ 5/5 116 min 14.8%
UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr San Diego, CA $191 $157 ★ 5/5 258 min 14.3%
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento, CA $194 $216 ★ 3/5 185 min 15.2%
Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA $221 $269 ★ 1/5 248 min 15.3%
Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA $227 $227 ★ 3/5 202 min 16.0%
Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center Garden Grove, CA $227 $227 ★ 2/5 138 min 16.6%
West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim, CA $227 $227 ★ 2/5 196 min 16.6%
Huntington Beach Hospital Huntington Beach, CA $227 $227 ★ 1/5 173 min 14.8%
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital La Palma, CA $227 $227 ★ 3/5 214 min 16.5%
Sherman Oaks Hospital Sherman Oaks, CA $227 $227 ★ 2/5 153 min 15.8%

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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$635
Cash / self-pay
$331
Insurer-negotiated
$228
Medicare pays
$140
$168$634
Median cash $331  ·  Medicare $140  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $331 — about 2.4× the Medicare rate ($140). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($281).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $635 list price could save about $304 (48%).

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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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Psychotherapy session cost in other states

All Psychotherapy session prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →