Rapid drug screen cost in California

In California, 101 hospitals publish a cash price for rapid drug screen read by eye (cup, dipstick or card), per day: from $6.34 to $2,097.38, with a median of $84.76. The lowest price is at Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding). The highest price is 330.8× the lowest.

• The median here, $84.76, is 48% above the US median of $57.20.
• That is 6.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($12.60).
• California ranks 39th of 48 states by median, cheapest first.
• 21 of 101 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 80305. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map