Chest X-ray, 1 view cost in California

In California, 218 hospitals publish a cash price for chest X-ray, single view: from $45.36 to $2,053.16, with a median of $364.00. The lowest price is at American Advanced - Glenn Medical Center (Willows). The highest price is 45.3× the lowest.

• The median here, $364.00, is 80% above the US median of $201.68.
• That is 4.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($88.91).
• California ranks 48th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 62 of 218 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 71045. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map