Joint injection (medium joint) cost in California

In California, 185 hospitals publish a cash price for joint injection or drainage, medium joint (wrist, elbow, ankle): from $65.50 to $7,588.80, with a median of $608.40. The lowest price is at Trinity Hospital (Weaverville). The highest price is 115.9× the lowest.

• The median here, $608.40, is 60% above the US median of $379.80.
• That is 1.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
• California ranks 43rd of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 51 of 185 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 20605. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map