COVID-19 PCR test cost in New Orleans, LA
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $8.96 to $86.85, with a median of $46.44. The lowest listed price is at West Jefferson Medical Center — $37.48 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $74.10 at 51 hospitals.
- The median here, $46.44, is 53% below the US median of $98.92.
- That is 0.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($51.31).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 5 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 16, 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Jefferson Medical Center lowest Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 Ej Ref Lab Covid-19 Pcr Quest File of Jun 30, 2026 · source file | $8.96 | $56.00 | $10.79–$92.36 | 84% |
| Touro Infirmary New Orleans, LA · (504) 897-8247 Ia Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $25.90 | $185.00 | $131.35–$94.17 | 86% |
| New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 592-6600 Ia Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq+1 more line at this price File of Jun 24, 2026 · source file | $27.52 | $172.00 | $103.20–$80.45 | 84% |
| West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19 (Convid19pcr) Non-Cdc File of Jun 30, 2026 · source file | $27.52 | $172.00 | $115.45–$92.36 | 84% |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 PR SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $40.70 | $185.00 | $38.48–$176.51 | 78% |
| Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 899-9511 Ia Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq+1 more line at this price File of Jun 24, 2026 · source file | $42.93 | $159.00 | $111.30–$77.74 | 73% |
| Touro Infirmary New Orleans, LA · (504) 897-8247 Arup Covid19 Ia Dna/Rna Amp Prbe Teq File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $44.24 | $316.00 | $116.29–$89.79 | 86% |
| West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 Ia Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq File of Jun 30, 2026 · source file | $48.00 | $300.00 | $115.45–$92.36 | 84% |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $49.95 | $185.00 | $38.48–$157.25 | 73% |
| West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 Arup Covid19 Ia Dna/Rna Amp Prbe Teq File of Jun 30, 2026 · source file | $50.40 | $315.00 | $115.45–$94.50 | 84% |
| New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 592-6600 Arup Covid19 Ia Dna/Rna Amp Prbe Teq File of Jun 24, 2026 · source file | $50.72 | $317.00 | $106.89–$80.45 | 84% |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE+1 more line at this price File of Sep 16, 2026 · source file | $51.80 | $185.00 | $38.48–$274.51 | 72% |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $59.20 | $185.00 | $21.55–$138.75 | 68% |
| University Med Center New Orleans, LA · (504) 702-3000 Ia Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $60.72 | $276.00 | $115.45–$95.28 | 78% |
| Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 899-9511 Arup Covid19 Ia Dna/Rna Amp Prbe Teq File of Jun 24, 2026 · source file | $79.38 | $294.00 | $114.66–$91.14 | 73% |
| St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 529-6600 HI THRUPUT IADNA/RNA SARS-COV2 COVID APT+1 more line at this price File of Aug 17, 2026 · source file | $86.85 | $246.28 | $50.28–$112.80 | 65% |
| University Med Center New Orleans, LA · (504) 702-3000 Arup Covid19 Ia Dna/Rna Amp Prbe Teq File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $112.64 | $512.00 | $115.45–$77.00 | 78% |
Outpatient: lowest $8.96, median $46.44, highest $86.85 — a 9.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $55.50. 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 10 of 10 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 5 it is 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 COVID-19 PCR test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: COVID-19 PCR test explained.
9 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 87635 ($81.00). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LAEj Ref Lab Covid-19 Pcr Quest | $7.84 | file |
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LASars-Cov-2/Covid-19 (Convid19pcr) Non-Cdc | $7.84 | file |
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LAIa Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq | $7.84 | file |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LAEj Ref Lab Covid-19 Pcr Quest | $7.84 | file |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LASars-Cov-2/Covid-19 (Convid19pcr) Non-Cdc | $7.84 | file |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LAIa Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq | $7.84 | file |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LAEj Ref Lab Covid-19 Pcr Quest | $7.84 | file |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LASars-Cov-2/Covid-19 (Convid19pcr) Non-Cdc | $7.84 | file |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LAIa Dna/Rna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prbe Teq | $7.84 | file |