Lung cancer screening CT cost in California

In California, 181 hospitals publish a cash price for low-dose CT of the chest for lung cancer screening, no contrast dye: from $107.96 to $5,690.00, with a median of $356.06. The lowest price is at Marian Regional Medical Center (Santa Maria). The highest price is 52.7× the lowest.

• The median here, $356.06, is 6% below the US median of $380.16.
• That is 3.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($106.81).
• California ranks 22nd of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 44 of 181 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 71271. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map