Swallow study cost in California

In California, 201 hospitals publish a cash price for swallow study (modified barium swallow, video X-ray): from $111.67 to $6,906.55, with a median of $661.50. The lowest price is at Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage). The highest price is 61.8× the lowest.

• The median here, $661.50, is 40% above the US median of $471.60.
• That is 3.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($179.20).
• California ranks 44th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 56 of 201 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 74230. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map