Thoracentesis cost in California

In California, 187 hospitals publish a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $237.60 to $7,178.40, with a median of $2,033.20. The lowest price is at Community Memorial Hospital (Ventura). The highest price is 30.2× the lowest.

• The median here, $2,033.20, is 66% above the US median of $1,223.60.
• That is 3.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
• California ranks 49th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 51 of 187 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 32555. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 12, 2026. See them on a map