Spinal tap cost in California

In California, 190 hospitals publish a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $138.40 to $5,934.36, with a median of $1,320.80. The lowest price is at Eastern Plumas Health Care (Porola). The highest price is 42.9× the lowest.

• The median here, $1,320.80, is 54% above the US median of $859.25.
• That is 1.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($721.17).
• California ranks 49th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 51 of 190 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 62270. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map