Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) cost in Sacramento, CA

Prices at 7 hospitals in Sacramento, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,066 — 149% above the US median ($830), roughly 12.5× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $856 $1,089 ★ 3/5 170 min —
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento, CA $1,131 $1,831 ★ 3/5 185 min —
University of California Davis Medical Center Sacramento, CA $1,371 $2,803 ★ 4/5 328 min —
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Sacramento Sacramento, CA $2,066 $879 ★ 4/5 — —
Kaiser Foundation Hosp So Sacramento Sacramento, CA $2,066 $879 ★ 2/5 — —
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento Sacramento, CA $2,877 — ★ 4/5 192 min —
Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern Calif Sacramento, CA $4,115 $94 — — —

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)
$3,690
Cash / self-pay
$2,066
Insurer-negotiated
$984
Medicare pays
$165
$1,021$3,372
Median cash $2,066  ·  Medicare $165  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,066 — about 12.5× the Medicare rate ($165). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($330).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,690 list price could save about $1,624 (44%).

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.

All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices in California → · All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices (national) · All hospitals in Sacramento