Lead test cost in Santa Cruz, CA — inpatient
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for blood lead test as an inpatient: from $6.78 to $6.78, with a median of $6.78. Across California, the median is $21.84 at 85 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 83655, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 15, 2026 and Sep 15, 2026.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CA Q7655 LEAD | $6.78 | $11.30 | $2.79–$80.73 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $6.78, median $6.78, highest $6.78.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $6.78 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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 blood lead test measures lead in the blood. It is used to screen young children and for adults exposed at work.
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 83655 ($41.40). 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, CAQ599 PB BL ICP/MS | $2.55 | file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAASSAY OF LEAD | $2.55 | file |