Blood draw fee cost in California

In California, 216 hospitals publish a cash price for blood draw from a vein (venipuncture), collection fee only: from $1.75 to $1,500.28, with a median of $21.03. The lowest price is at Pioneers Memorial Hospital (Brawley). The highest price is 857.3× the lowest.

• The median here, $21.03, is 25% above the US median of $16.83.
• That is 2.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($9.34).
• California ranks 34th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 63 of 216 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 36415. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map