Tonsillectomy, child cost in California

In California, 44 hospitals publish a cash price for tonsil and adenoid removal, child under 12: from $528.00 to $13,696.80, with a median of $10,634.40. The lowest price is at Oroville Hospital (Oroville). The highest price is 25.9× the lowest.

• The median here, $10,634.40, is 90% above the US median of $5,589.78.
• California ranks 29th of 31 states by median, cheapest first.
• 2 of 44 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 42820. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Oct 31, 2026. See them on a map