Rapid strep test cost in Albany, NY
In Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, 3 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $9.10 to $72.80, with a median of $33.00. The lowest listed price is at Samaritan Hospital — $23.90 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $36.20 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 cities for code 87880, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samaritan Hospital lowest Troy, NY · (518) 427-3402 HC Infectious Agent Antigen Immunoassay Direct Optical Observation Streptococcus A | $9.10 | $14.00 | $3.79–$75.85 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Samaritan Hospital Troy, NY · (518) 427-3402 PR Inf Agt Agn Immunoassay W Direct Optical Obs Strep Group A | $33.00 | $33.00 | $13.22–$33.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Peters Hospital Albany, NY · (518) 525-1550 PR Inf Agt Agn Immunoassay W Direct Optical Obs Strep Group A | $33.00 | $33.00 | $13.22–$33.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Peters Hospital Albany, NY · (518) 525-1550 HC Infectious Agent Antigen Immunoassay Direct Optical Observation Streptococcus A | $53.95 | $83.00 | $3.79–$83.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sunnyview Rehab Hospital Schenectady, NY · (518) 382-4500 HC Infectious Agent Antigen Immunoassay Direct Optical Observation Streptococcus A | $72.80 | $112.00 | $3.79–$106.40 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Samaritan Hospital Troy, NY · (518) 427-3402 HC Infectious Agent Antigen Immunoassay Direct Optical Observation Streptococcus A | $204.10 | — | $3.79–$299.15 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $9.10, median $33.00, highest $72.80 — a 8.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $36.82. 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 2 of 3 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 it is
A rapid strep test checks a throat swab for group A strep bacteria, the cause of strep throat, and gives a result in minutes. It helps the clinician decide whether antibiotics are needed.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the rapid test only. The visit is billed separately, and a backup throat culture, if done, has its own charge.