Level 3 ER visit cost in California

In California, 209 hospitals publish a cash price for emergency room visit, level 3 of 5, low-complexity problem: from $75.00 to $7,104.16, with a median of $1,500.00. The lowest price is at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (Hollister). The highest price is 94.7× the lowest.

• The median here, $1,500.00, is 133% above the US median of $644.80.
• That is 5.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($278.89).
• California ranks 48th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 54 of 209 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 99283. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map