Punch skin biopsy cost in California

In California, 142 hospitals publish a cash price for skin biopsy, punch, one lesion: from $64.40 to $12,291.00, with a median of $722.80. The lowest price is at UCI Health-Orange (Orange). The highest price is 190.9× the lowest.

• The median here, $722.80, is 84% above the US median of $393.50.
• That is 1.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($415.32).
• California ranks 47th of 49 states by median, cheapest first.
• 31 of 142 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 11104. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map