Prices at 8 hospitals in Sacramento, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $506 — 47% above the US median ($343), roughly 10.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy General Hospital | Sacramento, CA | $256 | $154 | ★ 3/5 | 170 min | — |
| Methodist Hospital of Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $338 | $168 | ★ 3/5 | 185 min | — |
| University of California Davis Medical Center | Sacramento, CA | $385 | $39 | ★ 4/5 | 328 min | — |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern Calif | Sacramento, CA | $440 | $67 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $571 | $149 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hosp So Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $571 | $149 | ★ 2/5 | — | — |
| Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $1,059 | — | ★ 4/5 | 192 min | — |
| Sutter Center for Psychiatry | Sacramento, CA | $1,059 | — | — | — | — |
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 $506 — about 10.8× the Medicare rate ($47). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($94).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,039 list price could save about $533 (51%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices in California → · All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices (national) · All hospitals in Sacramento