C. diff test cost in California

In California, 201 hospitals publish a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $12.17 to $776.69, with a median of $152.88. The lowest price is at Mercy Hospital of Folsom (Folsom). The highest price is 63.8× the lowest.

• The median here, $152.88, is 12% above the US median of $136.77.
• That is 4.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($37.27).
• California ranks 29th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 59 of 201 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 87493. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 12, 2026. See them on a map