Hepatitis C RNA test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for hepatitis C viral load (HCV RNA) test: from $34.74 to $201.75, with a median of $87.88. The lowest listed price is at Palomar Medical Center Escondido and 1 other hospital — $53.14 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $87.88 at 182 hospitals.
- The median here, $87.88, is 57% below the US median of $202.46.
- That is 2.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($42.84).
- San Diego, CA ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 8 cities for code 87522, 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido lowest Escondido, CA Hepatitis C Viral RNA Quant Real-Ti File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $34.74 | $57.90 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway lowest Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Hepatitis C Viral RNA Quant Real-Ti File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $34.74 | $57.90 | — | 40% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 HEP C QUAN LC 550033+3 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $42.00 | $119.89 | $15.00–$247.40 | 65% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital one side National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 HCV RT PCR QNT LC550362+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $42.00 | $247.40 | $15.00–$247.40 | 83% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Detection Test For; Hepatitis C Virus File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $59.40 | $108.00 | $12.96–$145.80 | 45% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 IADNA HEPATITIS C QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $87.88 | $169.00 | $30.00–$90.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 IADNA HEPATITIS C QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $87.88 | $169.00 | $30.00–$90.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 IADNA HEPATITIS C QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $87.88 | $169.00 | $30.00–$90.00 | 48% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Hepatitis C Rna Quant File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $95.25 | $127.00 | — | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC IADNA HEPATITIS C QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION - HCV QUANT PCR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $201.75 | $269.00 | $1.00–$242.10 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC IADNA HEPATITIS C QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION - HCV QUANT PCR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $201.75 | $269.00 | $1.00–$220.58 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC IADNA HEPATITIS C QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION - HCV QUANT PCR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $201.75 | $269.00 | $1.00–$389.55 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC IADNA HEPATITIS C QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION - HCV QUANT PCR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $201.75 | $269.00 | $1.15–$242.10 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Hep C Rna Pcr Quant File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $271.50 | $362.00 | — | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $34.74, median $87.88, highest $201.75 — a 5.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $87.88. 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 9 of 9 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 hepatitis C RNA test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Hepatitis C RNA test explained.