Healthcare prices in California (2026): what insurers pay for common care

Negotiated rates by insurer and area.

What health insurers in California pay doctors, imaging centers and labs for common services, from the rate files every insurer is required to publish. Rates from Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna.

How to read these prices

Each number is a negotiated rate: the total an in-network provider is paid for the service, split between you and your insurer according to your plan. Before your deductible is met you usually pay all of it. How the numbers are built.

Get the price for your exact plan

An insurer has many contracts, and each plan uses one of them. The figures on this page cover all of an insurer's contracts in the area. The price for your plan depends on which one applies, and that is set by your employer or the plan name on your insurance card.

Your insurer's own cost tool gives a plan-specific estimate once you sign in:

Anthem Blue Cross: Anthem's Find Care and cost estimates
Blue Shield of California: Blue Shield's Treatment Cost Estimator
Aetna: Aetna's Find Care cost estimates
UnitedHealthcare: UnitedHealthcare's price transparency tool
Cigna: the myCigna cost estimator (sign in)

AI assistants can look it up too. Arlo's free price transparency API and the Arlo MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT take a service, a ZIP code and a plan, and return nearby in-network providers with their negotiated rates.