Chickenpox immunity test cost in Santa Cruz, CA
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for chickenpox (varicella) immunity blood test: from $18.15 to $111.00, with a median of $64.58. The lowest listed price is at Watsonville Community Hospital — $46.43 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $37.90 at 181 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 86787, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 ANTIBODIES (TOTAL, IGM) ACIF/IFA, CSF File of Sep 15, 2026 · source file | $18.15 | $30.25 | $7.81–$85.94 | 40% |
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG CORE VZV AB IGM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $111.00 | $111.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG CORE VZV AB IGG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $115.00 | $115.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $18.15, median $64.58, highest $111.00 — a 6.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $64.58. 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 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 varicella antibody test shows whether you are immune to chickenpox. It is used by schools, health care employers and before pregnancy when vaccine records are missing.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
6 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 86787 ($58.73). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CARL-A-VZE 50167 | $2.25 | file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAQ4439 VZV AB IGG IA | $2.88 | file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAVARICELLA-ZOSTER ANTIBODY | $2.88 | file |
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CARL-A-VZV PAN 50162 | $3.15 | file |
| Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CARL-A-VZM 99314 | $4.05 | file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CAQ8683 VZV AB IGM IA | $5.04 | file |