Breathing treatment cost in California

In California, 213 hospitals publish a cash price for breathing treatment (nebulizer or inhaler) for airway obstruction: from $19.38 to $2,742.00, with a median of $322.92. The lowest price is at Healdsburg Hospital (Healdsburg). The highest price is 141.5× the lowest.

• The median here, $322.92, is 96% above the US median of $164.63.
• That is 1.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($223.72).
• California ranks 49th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 62 of 213 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 94640. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map