Injection (shot) cost in California

In California, 222 hospitals publish a cash price for injection under the skin or into a muscle, for treatment or testing: from $12.50 to $1,153.36, with a median of $179.20. The lowest price is at Pioneers Memorial Hospital (Brawley). The highest price is 92.3× the lowest.

• The median here, $179.20, is 79% above the US median of $100.10.
• That is 2.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($73.56).
• California ranks 46th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 64 of 222 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 96372. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map