Lower back X-ray cost in California

In California, 215 hospitals publish a cash price for X-ray of the lower back, 4 or more views: from $66.56 to $2,963.25, with a median of $652.00. The lowest price is at Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage). The highest price is 44.5× the lowest.

• The median here, $652.00, is 54% above the US median of $423.70.
• That is 6.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($106.81).
• California ranks 48th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 60 of 215 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 72110. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map