Paracentesis cost in California

In California, 192 hospitals publish a cash price for paracentesis with imaging guidance: from $180.00 to $10,500.00, with a median of $1,835.60. The lowest price is at Oroville Hospital (Oroville). The highest price is 58.3× the lowest.

• The median here, $1,835.60, is 44% above the US median of $1,275.50.
• That is 2.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($926.63).
• California ranks 47th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 51 of 192 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 49083. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map