Urine microalbumin test cost in Santa Cruz, CA
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for urine microalbumin (albumin) test: from $113.00 to $634.38, with a median of $373.69. The lowest listed price is at Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz — $260.69 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $35.70 at 195 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 82043, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 15, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz lowest Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG CORE MICROALBUMIN UR RAN | $113.00 | $113.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz lowest Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG CORE MICROALBUMIN UR 24HR | $113.00 | $113.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 MICROALB QNT | $634.38 | $1,057.30 | $5.78–$1,063.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 UR ALBUMIN QUANTITATIVE | $634.38 | $1,057.30 | $5.78–$1,063.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $113.00, median $373.69, highest $634.38 — a 5.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $373.69. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A urine microalbumin test measures small amounts of albumin protein in the urine. It is the yearly kidney check for people with diabetes or high blood pressure.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test; collecting the sample may be billed separately.
3 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82043 ($48.00). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAQ6517 MICROALB QNT | $1.50 | file |
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CARL-A-ALB/CRT 50203A | $2.03 | file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAQ15281 MICROALB QNT | $2.25 | file |