Dysequilibrium
In 2024, Medicare and patients paid an average of $7,207 per stay at 405 hospitals. Half of hospitals averaged between $6,024 and $7,769.
National figures, 2024
- Average payment per case
- $7,207
- Typical range (middle half of hospitals)
- $6,024–$7,769
- Medicare’s share
- $5,179
- Average billed charge
- $47,453
- Hospitals reporting
- 405
Hospitals in California
Narrow by a state, city or ZIP code (optionally a distance around it), and/or pick specific hospitals. With both, your picks are added to the area’s hospitals.
- Average payment across these 28 hospitals
- $8,742
- Median hospital
- $8,576
- Lowest to highest
- $6,417–$13,264
- Medicare stays
- 474
28 hospitals reported at least 11 Medicare stays for this in 2024. Download as CSV
| Hospital | Cases | Average payment | vs national average | Medicare paid | Billed charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC Arcadia Hospital | 17 | $6,417 | 11% below the national average | $4,741 | $56,854 |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital - Encinitas | 14 | $7,373 | About average | $6,200 | $42,632 |
| Torrance Memorial Medical Center | 21 | $7,432 | About average | $5,956 | $80,861 |
| Memorial Medical Center | 13 | $7,526 | About average | $6,144 | $54,445 |
| Oroville Hospital | 17 | $7,593 | About average | $6,014 | $28,276 |
| USC Verdugo Hills Hospital | 13 | $7,684 | About average | $5,503 | $72,658 |
| Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center | 31 | $7,806 | About average | $5,977 | $90,960 |
| Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital | 12 | $8,024 | 11% above the national average | $6,560 | $35,645 |
| Uci Health - Fountain Valley | 18 | $8,026 | 11% above the national average | $6,462 | $99,192 |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center | 27 | $8,248 | 14% above the national average | $6,738 | $62,799 |
| West Anaheim Medical Center | 11 | $8,267 | 15% above the national average | $6,649 | $30,145 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus | 15 | $8,305 | 15% above the national average | $6,668 | $88,445 |
| Grossmont Hospital | 45 | $8,470 | 18% above the national average | $6,350 | $48,346 |
| Community Hospital Of The Monterey Peninsula | 19 | $8,504 | 18% above the national average | $6,873 | $69,591 |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | 17 | $8,649 | 20% above the national average | $6,780 | $63,336 |
| MarinHealth Medical Center | 11 | $8,723 | 21% above the national average | $7,091 | $105,369 |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center | 13 | $8,803 | 22% above the national average | $7,419 | $52,303 |
| John Muir Medical Center - Concord Campus | 13 | $8,896 | 23% above the national average | $7,781 | $85,020 |
| Salinas Valley Health Medical Center | 11 | $8,919 | 24% above the national average | $7,584 | $63,502 |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center | 11 | $8,985 | 25% above the national average | $5,512 | $60,144 |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital | 11 | $8,994 | 25% above the national average | $7,197 | $53,974 |
| Good Samaritan Hospital | 20 | $9,086 | 26% above the national average | $6,551 | $172,052 |
| Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento | 11 | $9,367 | 30% above the national average | $7,702 | $58,587 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | 30 | $9,942 | 38% above the national average | $7,406 | $115,417 |
| Riverside Community Hospital | 11 | $10,131 | 41% above the national average | $8,073 | $114,978 |
| Temecula Valley Hospital | 12 | $10,335 | 43% above the national average | $8,399 | $68,739 |
| Stanford Health Care | 19 | $13,241 | 84% above the national average | $9,993 | $151,969 |
| Santa Clara Valley Medical Center | 11 | $13,264 | 84% above the national average | $11,470 | $58,708 |
National trend
Average payment and billed charge per stay, and how many Medicare stays were reported each year.
- Average payment
- Average billed charge
View data as a table
| Year of care | Average payment | Average billed charge |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $6,464 | $36K |
| 2021 | $6,704 | $39K |
| 2022 | $6,773 | $42K |
| 2023 | $7,085 | $45K |
| 2024 | $7,207 | $47K |
By state, 2024
Case-weighted average payment across each state’s reporting hospitals, lowest first.
Show all 42 states
| State | Hospitals | Cases | Average payment | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 1 | 11 | $5,120 | $5,120–$5,120 |
| Iowa | 2 | 27 | $5,275 | $5,269–$5,282 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 15 | $5,319 | $5,319–$5,319 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 64 | $5,400 | $5,136–$5,586 |
| Missouri | 10 | 164 | $5,753 | $5,355–$6,109 |
| Alabama | 1 | 12 | $5,831 | $5,831–$5,831 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 19 | $5,883 | $5,883–$5,883 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 49 | $5,936 | $5,183–$6,608 |
| Indiana | 6 | 79 | $5,976 | $5,461–$6,177 |
| Arizona | 7 | 135 | $6,029 | $5,930–$6,263 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 12 | $6,077 | $6,077–$6,077 |
| Virginia | 18 | 344 | $6,094 | $5,663–$6,268 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 42 | $6,109 | $5,951–$6,250 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 51 | $6,271 | $6,035–$6,525 |
| Ohio | 14 | 217 | $6,339 | $5,505–$6,944 |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | 521 | $6,399 | $5,652–$6,897 |
| Colorado | 4 | 54 | $6,427 | $6,124–$6,749 |
| South Carolina | 8 | 150 | $6,478 | $5,867–$6,960 |
| Florida | 60 | 1,344 | $6,549 | $5,893–$7,157 |
| Kansas | 5 | 76 | $6,595 | $6,151–$6,979 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 47 | $6,656 | $6,446–$6,872 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 126 | $6,678 | $5,916–$6,958 |
| Michigan | 16 | 287 | $6,727 | $6,394–$7,113 |
| Illinois | 21 | 376 | $6,808 | $5,911–$7,582 |
| Massachusetts | 19 | 414 | $6,849 | $6,421–$7,375 |
| Washington | 5 | 71 | $6,851 | $6,861–$6,960 |
| Delaware | 3 | 53 | $6,894 | $6,617–$6,898 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 12 | $6,963 | $6,963–$6,963 |
| Texas | 22 | 420 | $7,011 | $6,187–$7,631 |
| Tennessee | 5 | 94 | $7,036 | $6,622–$7,845 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 35 | $7,229 | $6,828–$7,586 |
| Georgia | 10 | 163 | $7,341 | $6,412–$7,674 |
| Maine | 1 | 15 | $7,384 | $7,384–$7,384 |
| Oregon | 1 | 12 | $7,400 | $7,400–$7,400 |
| Minnesota | 6 | 88 | $7,413 | $6,075–$6,962 |
| New Jersey | 25 | 396 | $7,446 | $6,642–$7,956 |
| Nevada | 6 | 143 | $7,452 | $7,058–$7,930 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 12 | $8,307 | $8,307–$8,307 |
| California | 28 | 474 | $8,742 | $7,970–$9,017 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 16 | $8,842 | $8,842–$8,842 |
| New York | 31 | 858 | $9,660 | $7,286–$10,456 |
| Maryland | 13 | 223 | $9,995 | $8,663–$10,678 |
About these numbers
Average payment is what Medicare paid plus the patient’s deductible and coinsurance (and any other insurer), averaged over the hospital’s Medicare cases. It covers the hospital’s part of the care; doctors bill separately. Billed charges are the hospital’s list prices, which few patients pay.
Medicare sets its payments by formula, adjusting for local wages, teaching programs, the share of low-income patients and unusually costly cases. Those adjustments drive most differences between hospitals, so a lower payment doesn’t mean better or worse care, and Medicare patients’ own costs usually vary much less than the totals. Private insurance pays different, usually higher, prices.
Source: CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service (Medicare fee-for-service claims). CMS omits hospitals with fewer than 11 stays. More in the glossary.