Shave skin biopsy cost in California

In California, 133 hospitals publish a cash price for tangential (shave-style) skin biopsy, one lesion: from $52.00 to $1,558.84, with a median of $552.00. The lowest price is at UCI Health-Orange (Orange). The highest price is 30.0× the lowest.

• The median here, $552.00, is 84% above the US median of $300.00.
• That is 1.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($415.32).
• California ranks 43rd of 49 states by median, cheapest first.
• 23 of 133 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 11102. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map