Basic metabolic panel cost in California

In California, 216 hospitals publish a cash price for basic metabolic panel (blood test): from $8.00 to $2,184.50, with a median of $193.20. The lowest price is at Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) and 12 other hospitals. The highest price is 273.1× the lowest.

• The median here, $193.20, is 117% above the US median of $89.07.
• That is 22.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($8.46).
• California ranks 46th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 60 of 216 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 80048. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map