Barium swallow cost in Santa Cruz, CA
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $1,125.72 to $1,125.72, with a median of $1,125.72. Across California, the median is $548.80 at 101 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 15, 2026 and Sep 15, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 FL-ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST | $1,125.72 | $1,876.20 | $54.64–$1,876.20 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST | $1,125.72 | $1,876.20 | $54.64–$1,876.20 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,125.72, median $1,125.72, highest $1,125.72.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,125.72. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A barium swallow is a live X-ray of the esophagus while you drink barium. It shows narrowing, hernias and problems with how food passes.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the study and the barium. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.