CEA test cost in Waco, TX
In Waco, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test: from $68.76 to $134.56, with a median of $101.66. The lowest listed price is at Ascension Providence — $32.90 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $155.72 at 298 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 82378, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jun 13, 2026 and Jun 13, 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 Waco, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Providence lowest Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 CEA+1 more line at this price source file | $68.76 | $191.00 | $15.93–$83.61 | 64% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest Waco, TX · (254) 202-2000 HC CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN+4 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $134.56 | $224.26 | $15.93–$168.19 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest Waco, TX · (254) 202-2000 HC REF MAYO, CEAPC - CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN (CEA), PANCREATIC CYST FLUID File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $340.80 | $568.00 | $15.93–$426.00 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $68.76, median $101.66, highest $134.56 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $101.66. 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 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. 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 CEA test measures a protein that can be high in colorectal and some other cancers. It is used to follow treatment and watch for recurrence, not to screen healthy people.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.