HIV viral load test cost in Santa Maria, CA
In Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative) (one side of the body): from $32.67 to $32.67, with a median of $32.67. Across California, the median is $85.00 at 130 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 87536, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Feb 28, 2026.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dignity Health one side Santa Maria, CA · (805) 739-3100 RL-A-HIV-1 RNA QT RT PCR | $32.67 | $76.33 | $38.17–$219.29 | 57% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
One side of the body : lowest $32.67, median $32.67, highest $32.67.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $32.67. 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 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
The HIV viral load test measures how much virus is in the blood. It shows how well treatment is working.
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 87536 ($294.39). 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.
| Dignity Health Santa Maria, CARL-A-HIV QNT 3000867 | $25.68 | file |