1-hour glucose test cost in California

In California, 181 hospitals publish a cash price for glucose challenge test (1-hour glucose after a sugar drink): from $4.53 to $1,314.31, with a median of $52.00. The lowest price is at Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) and 4 other hospitals. The highest price is 290.1× the lowest.

• The median here, $52.00, is 23% above the US median of $42.35.
• That is 10.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($4.75).
• California ranks 38th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 48 of 181 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 82950. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map