Quit-smoking counseling cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for quit-smoking counseling, 3 to 10 minutes: from $32.45 to $75.92, with a median of $61.46. The lowest listed price is at UC San Diego Medical Center — $29.01 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $73.36 at 73 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 4 cities for code 99406, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Medical Center lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Smoking And Tobacco Use Intermediate Counseling, Greater Than 3 Minutes Up To 10 Minutes | $32.45 | $59.00 | $10.41–$29.50 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 99406 - SMOKING CESSATION 3-10 MINS CHARGE | $42.85 | $71.42 | $10.51–$77.88 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 99406 SMOKING CESSATION 3-10 MINS CHARGE | $42.85 | $71.42 | $10.51–$77.88 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 BEHAV CHNG SMOKING 3-10 | $47.00 | $199.55 | $10.41–$199.55 | 76% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 BEHAV CHNG SMOKING 3-10 MINS - 99406 - 6010301 | $47.00 | $172.77 | $10.41–$199.55 | 73% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 BEHAV CHNG SMOKING 3-10 MINS | $66.45 | $110.75 | $10.51–$87.38 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 TOBACCO USE CESSATION INTERMEDIATE 3-10 MINUTES | $75.92 | $146.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA TOBACCO USE CESSATION INTERMEDIATE 3-10 MINUTES | $75.92 | $146.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 TOBACCO USE CESSATION INTERMEDIATE 3-10 MINUTES | $75.92 | $146.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $32.45, median $61.46, highest $75.92 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $75.92. 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 2 of 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. 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
Brief counseling to help quit smoking or vaping.
What the price covers
The price is for one session or evaluation.