Level 1 ER visit cost in California

In California, 210 hospitals publish a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $49.70 to $3,525.76, with a median of $420.68. The lowest price is at Sierra View Medical Center (Porterville). The highest price is 70.9× the lowest.

• The median here, $420.68, is 89% above the US median of $222.62.
• That is 4.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($86.15).
• California ranks 48th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 55 of 210 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 99281. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map