Chest tube insertion cost in California

Prices at 161 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,459 — 81% above the US median ($1,361), roughly 17.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA $464 $264 ★ 5/5 199 min —
Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA $464 $264 ★ 5/5 276 min —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $620 $867 ★ 3/5 191 min —
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge, CA $786 $1,974 ★ 4/5 215 min —
Mercy Medical Center of Mt Shasta Mount Shasta, CA $836 $882 ★ 4/5 89 min —
Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage, CA $914 $2,025 ★ 4/5 259 min —
El Camino Health Mountain View, CA $939 — ★ 4/5 163 min —
UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital San Francisco, CA $945 $945 ★ 3/5 138 min —
Jerold Phelps Community Hospital Garberville, CA $967 — — 149 min —
California Hospital Medical Center La Los Angeles, CA $1,021 $1,622 ★ 2/5 254 min —
Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA $1,055 $2,701 ★ 1/5 248 min —
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg, CA $1,067 $2,367 — 94 min —
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $1,118 $2,103 ★ 3/5 170 min —
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA $1,118 $2,103 ★ 3/5 193 min —
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA $1,118 $2,103 ★ 3/5 197 min —
University of California Davis Medical Center Sacramento, CA $1,269 $6,251 ★ 4/5 328 min —
John Muir Behavioral Health Center Concord, CA $1,270 $2,089 — — —
Woodland Memorial Hospital Woodland, CA $1,405 $2,871 ★ 5/5 110 min —
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento, CA $1,477 $2,215 ★ 3/5 185 min —
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Grass Valley, CA $1,578 $2,750 ★ 3/5 145 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $1,601 $2,402 — 114 min —
Lompoc Valley Medical Center Lompoc, CA $1,610 $2,139 ★ 1/5 171 min —
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield, CA $1,669 $2,171 ★ 3/5 240 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $1,695 $2,238 ★ 1/5 160 min —
Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Sun Valley, CA $1,738 $2,015 — 227 min —

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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$4,015
Cash / self-pay
$2,459
Insurer-negotiated
$2,025
Medicare pays
$143
$1,011$5,089
Median cash $2,459  ·  Medicare $143  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,459 — about 17.2× the Medicare rate ($143). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($286).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $4,015 list price could save about $1,556 (39%).

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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