Insulin test cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 23 hospitals list a cash price for insulin blood test: from $26.44 to $210.00, with a median of $66.64. The lowest listed price is at Sequoia Hospital — $40.20 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $36.29 at 166 hospitals.
- The median here, $66.64, is 8% above the US median of $61.71.
- That is 5.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($11.43).
- San Francisco, CA ranks 4th of 4 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 12 of 23 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 23 facilities across 15 cities for code 83525, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 31, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoia Hospital lowest Redwood City, CA · (650) 369-5811 RL-QD-CARDIO IQ 36509A File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $26.44 | $77.50 | $11.43–$77.50 | 66% |
| Chinese Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Insulin measurement, total File of Jul 22, 2026 · source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | $6.06–$260.90 | — |
| Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CA · (650) 369-5811 INSULIN TOTAL File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $63.46 | $186.00 | $11.43–$186.00 | 66% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Fnd Hospital - Richmond Campus Richmond, CA · (510) 752-1000 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 ASSAY OF INSULIN TOTAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.64 | $119.00 | $11.00–$35.00 | 44% |
| Eden Medical Center Castro Valley, CA · (510) 537-1234 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| Mills-Peninsula Medical Center Burlingame, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Herrick Campus Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center-Summit Campus-Hawthorne Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| Mills Health Center San Mateo, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $134.00 | $134.00 | — | — |
| Novato Community Hospital Novato, CA · (415) 209-1300 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Mills-Peninsula Medical Center Burlingame, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Eden Medical Center Castro Valley, CA · (510) 537-1234 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch, CA · (925) 779-7200 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center-Summit Campus-Hawthorne Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Herrick Campus Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
| Mills Health Center San Mateo, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CORE INSULIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $210.00 | $210.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $26.44, median $66.64, highest $210.00 — a 7.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 22 facilities here, median $100.32. 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 12 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 insulin test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Insulin test explained.
6 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 83525 ($51.35). 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.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| St. Rose Hospital Hayward, CALC -Insulin | $1.83 | file |
| St. Rose Hospital Hayward, CALC - INSULIN TOTAL LEVEL | $1.83 | file |
| Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CARL-A-INSULIN R 70107 | $2.73 | file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CAInsulin | $3.71 | file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CAInsulin Free | $4.54 | file |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CAASSAY OF INSULIN | $4.80 | file |