Upper GI series cost in California

In California, 203 hospitals publish a cash price for upper GI series (X-ray of esophagus, stomach and duodenum with contrast): from $89.16 to $6,521.94, with a median of $616.00. The lowest price is at Mercy Medical Center (Merced). The highest price is 73.1× the lowest.

• The median here, $616.00, is 11% above the US median of $555.04.
• That is 3.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($179.20).
• California ranks 32nd of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 60 of 203 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 74240. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map