Stool blood test (FOBT) cost in California

In California, 198 hospitals publish a cash price for stool test for hidden blood (guaiac FOBT): from $3.30 to $745.88, with a median of $39.00. The lowest price is at St Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino). The highest price is 226.0× the lowest.

• The median here, $39.00, is 47% above the US median of $26.48.
• That is 8.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($4.38).
• California ranks 46th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 59 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 82270. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map