Ear irrigation cost in California

In California, 140 hospitals publish a cash price for earwax removal by irrigation (rinsing), one ear: from $14.00 to $1,753.00, with a median of $177.52. The lowest price is at Trinity Hospital (Weaverville). The highest price is 125.2× the lowest.

• The median here, $177.52, is 68% above the US median of $105.95.
• That is 2.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($60.27).
• California ranks 42nd of 49 states by median, cheapest first.
• 27 of 140 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 69209. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map