Urine dipstick, automated cost in California

In California, 198 hospitals publish a cash price for urinalysis without microscope exam, automated: from $2.52 to $374.25, with a median of $56.00. The lowest price is at Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center (Glendale). The highest price is 148.5× the lowest.

• The median here, $56.00, is 115% above the US median of $26.07.
• That is 24.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($2.25).
• California ranks 46th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 62 of 198 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 81003. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map