MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in California

Prices at 181 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,837 — 74% above the US median ($2,210), roughly 14.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $609 $475 14.4%
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $625 ★ 2/5 187 min 13.5%
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $754 $1,237 110 min 15.0%
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $810 $449 ★ 4/5 193 min 15.3%
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $810 $449 ★ 5/5 180 min 13.8%
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $810 $449 ★ 5/5 13.9%
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $810 $449 ★ 4/5 194 min 14.5%
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $814 $442 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.0%
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $943 $288 ★ 1/5 293 min 15.3%
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $971 $520 ★ 1/5 167 min 16.5%
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $1,084 128 min 15.0%
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,124 $431 ★ 3/5 191 min 14.6%
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $1,130 $465 ★ 2/5 178 min 16.7%
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $1,130 $465 ★ 4/5 192 min 15.2%
Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA $1,162 $824 ★ 3/5 228 min 15.1%
College Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,200 $450 ★ 3/5 330 min 15.2%
College Hospital Cerritos, CA $1,200 $450
Glendora Hospital Glendora, CA $1,200 $450
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $1,522 $335 ★ 3/5 195 min 15.0%
Community Hospital of San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA $1,545 $767 ★ 3/5 147 min 16.1%
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,654 $505 ★ 4/5 323 min 14.7%
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,654 $505 ★ 1/5 236 min 15.4%
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $1,654 $505 ★ 2/5 161 min 15.7%
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $1,693 $1,627 ★ 3/5 275 min 14.4%
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $1,736 $1,039 ★ 3/5 171 min 14.7%

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 July 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)
$6,399
Cash / self-pay
$3,837
Insurer-negotiated
$523
Medicare pays
$270
$664$8,076
Median cash $3,837  ·  Medicare $270  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,837 — about 14.2× the Medicare rate ($270). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($539).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $6,399 list price could save about $2,561 (40%).

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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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MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in other states

All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →