Strep throat test cost in California

Prices at 155 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $102 — 76% above the US median ($58), roughly 6.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Saint Francis Medical Center Lynwood, CA $16 $17 ★ 3/5 250 min 14.9%
Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center Garden Grove, CA $16 $17 ★ 2/5 138 min 16.6%
West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim, CA $16 $17 ★ 2/5 196 min 16.6%
Huntington Beach Hospital Huntington Beach, CA $16 $17 ★ 1/5 173 min 14.8%
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital La Palma, CA $16 $17 ★ 3/5 214 min 16.5%
Chino Valley Medical Center Chino, CA $16 $17 ★ 4/5 173 min 16.1%
San Dimas Community Hospital San Dimas, CA $16 $17 ★ 2/5 155 min 15.5%
Desert Valley Hospital Victorville, CA $16 $17 ★ 3/5 173 min 15.8%
Sherman Oaks Hospital Sherman Oaks, CA $16 $17 ★ 2/5 153 min 15.8%
Montclair Hospital Medical Center Montclair, CA $16 $17 ★ 3/5 151 min 15.3%
Shasta Regional Medical Center Redding, CA $16 $17 ★ 2/5 148 min 15.9%
Mark Twain Medical Center San Andreas, CA $17 $19 ★ 3/5 128 min 15.2%
St Elizabeth Community Hospital Red Bluff, CA $20 $20 ★ 4/5 136 min 15.1%
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $23 $24 ★ 3/5 195 min 15.0%
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $26 $17 ★ 1/5 167 min 16.5%
Riverside University Health System-Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA $27 $20 ★ 3/5 245 min 15.3%
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $28 $23 ★ 4/5 193 min 15.3%
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $28 $18 ★ 5/5 180 min 13.8%
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $28 $18 ★ 5/5 13.9%
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $28 $18 ★ 4/5 194 min 14.5%
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $30 $17 14.4%
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $40 $26 ★ 1/5 293 min 15.3%
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $40 $50 ★ 3/5 275 min 14.4%
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $40 $9 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.0%
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $44 128 min 15.0%

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)
$209
Cash / self-pay
$102
Insurer-negotiated
$17
Medicare pays
$17
$16$209
Median cash $102  ·  Medicare $17  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $102 — about 6.2× the Medicare rate ($17). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($33).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $209 list price could save about $107 (51%).

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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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Strep throat test cost in other states

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