Abscess drainage cost in California

In California, 188 hospitals publish a cash price for incision and drainage of a simple or single skin abscess: from $63.20 to $8,921.10, with a median of $468.00. The lowest price is at UCI Health-Orange (Orange). The highest price is 141.2× the lowest.

• The median here, $468.00, is 40% above the US median of $335.34.
• That is 2.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($204.98).
• California ranks 44th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 51 of 188 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 10060. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map