Folate test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for Folate (folic acid) blood test: from $14.00 to $98.25, with a median of $90.00. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $76.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $90.00 at 100 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 7 cities for code 82746, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA FOLATE SERUM LC285700 | $14.00 | $14.70 | $4.41–$123.99 | 5% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA FOLATE, SERUM | $14.00 | $84.89 | $4.41–$123.99 | 84% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA FOLIC ACID SER LC002014,000810 | $14.00 | $14.70 | $4.41–$123.99 | 5% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA FOLIC ACID SERUM | $14.00 | $123.99 | $4.41–$123.99 | 89% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA ASSAY OF FOLIC ACID SERUM | $47.32 | $91.00 | $10.00–$30.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA ASSAY OF FOLIC ACID SERUM | $47.32 | $91.00 | $10.00–$30.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA ASSAY OF FOLIC ACID SERUM | $47.32 | $91.00 | $10.00–$30.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA HC BLOOD FOLIC ACID SERUM - FOLATE | $90.00 | $120.00 | $1.30–$90.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA HC BLOOD FOLIC ACID SERUM - FOLATE | $90.00 | $120.00 | $1.00–$98.40 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA HC BLOOD FOLIC ACID SERUM - FOLATE | $90.00 | $120.00 | $1.00–$90.43 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital Corporation La Mesa, CA HC BLOOD FOLIC ACID SERUM - FOLATE | $90.00 | $120.00 | $1.00–$130.92 | 25% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA Folic Acid Level | $90.20 | $164.00 | $14.70–$221.40 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA Folate Level | $94.39 | $157.32 | $12.86–$124.13 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rch Lab-Folate | $98.25 | $131.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $14.00, median $90.00, highest $98.25 — a 7.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $90.00. 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 6 of 10 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 folate test measures folic acid in the blood. It is ordered for anemia with large red blood cells, usually together with a vitamin B12 test (82607).
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82746 ($75.33). 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.
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CAFolate (Folic Acid) LC | $3.11 | file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CARsp Folic Acid Serum 301 | $4.50 | file |