Magnesium test cost in Santa Cruz, CA — inpatient
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for magnesium blood test as an inpatient: from $5.29 to $5.29, with a median of $5.29. Across California, the median is $106.08 at 103 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 83735, 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 Q10551 MG RBC ICP/MS | $5.29 | $8.83 | $6.70–$983.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 MAGNESIUM | $582.99 | $971.65 | $6.70–$983.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $5.29, median $5.29, highest $5.29.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $5.29 — 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 and 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 magnesium test measures the level of magnesium in the blood. Doctors order it for muscle cramps or weakness, an irregular heartbeat, low potassium or calcium that does not correct, and for people on diuretics, long-term acid-reducing drugs or with kidney disease.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 83735 ($43.50). 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, CAASSAY OF MAGNESIUM | $1.84 | file |