Prices at 165 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $4,026 — 90% above the US median ($2,125), roughly 16.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Valley Community Hospital | Big Bear Lake, CA | $629 | $624 | — | 139 min | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley | Pleasanton, CA | $641 | $553 | ★ 5/5 | 199 min | — |
| Stanford Health Care | Stanford, CA | $641 | $553 | ★ 5/5 | 276 min | — |
| Colorado River Medical Center | Needles, CA | $646 | — | — | 121 min | — |
| Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District | Brawley, CA | $654 | $916 | ★ 3/5 | 191 min | — |
| Jerold Phelps Community Hospital | Garberville, CA | $718 | — | — | 149 min | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center | Oceanside, CA | $1,172 | $4,381 | ★ 1/5 | 248 min | — |
| Northridge Hospital Medical Center | Northridge, CA | $1,180 | $3,384 | ★ 4/5 | 215 min | — |
| Contra Costa Regional Medical Center | Martinez, CA | $1,248 | — | ★ 4/5 | 171 min | — |
| Bakersfield Memorial Hospital | Bakersfield, CA | $1,322 | $2,779 | ★ 3/5 | 240 min | — |
| Mercy General Hospital | Sacramento, CA | $1,485 | $4,136 | ★ 3/5 | 170 min | — |
| Mercy Hospital | Bakersfield, CA | $1,485 | $4,136 | ★ 3/5 | 193 min | — |
| Mercy San Juan Medical Center | Carmichael, CA | $1,485 | $4,136 | ★ 3/5 | 197 min | — |
| Mercy Medical Center of Mt Shasta | Mount Shasta, CA | $1,684 | $1,775 | ★ 4/5 | 89 min | — |
| California Hospital Medical Center La | Los Angeles, CA | $1,839 | $2,768 | ★ 2/5 | 254 min | — |
| Woodland Memorial Hospital | Woodland, CA | $1,867 | $4,136 | ★ 5/5 | 110 min | — |
| Eisenhower Medical Center | Rancho Mirage, CA | $1,913 | $4,061 | ★ 4/5 | 259 min | — |
| El Camino Health | Mountain View, CA | $1,919 | — | ★ 4/5 | 163 min | — |
| Methodist Hospital of Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $1,962 | $4,211 | ★ 3/5 | 185 min | — |
| College Medical Center | Long Beach, CA | $2,010 | $3,962 | ★ 3/5 | 322 min | — |
| College Hospital | Cerritos, CA | $2,010 | $3,962 | — | — | — |
| Glendora Hospital | Glendora, CA | $2,010 | $3,962 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Panorama City | Panorama City, CA | $2,194 | $3,825 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $2,194 | $3,825 | ★ 5/5 | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Downey | Downey, CA | $2,194 | $3,825 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
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 October 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 $4,026 — about 16.9× the Medicare rate ($238). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($476).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,959 list price could save about $1,933 (32%).
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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Central line placement cost in other states
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