Lumbar fusion cost in California

In California, 42 hospitals publish a cash price for lumbar spinal fusion (posterior), one level: from $5,642.80 to $118,739.02, with a median of $17,645.60. The lowest price is at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles). The highest price is 21.0× the lowest.

• The median here, $17,645.60, is about the same as the US median of $17,527.00.
• California ranks 13th of 23 states by median, cheapest first.
• 1 of 42 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 22612. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Oct 29, 2026. See them on a map