A1C test cost in California

In California, 216 hospitals publish a cash price for hemoglobin A1C blood test (average blood sugar over about 3 months): from $5.77 to $529.65, with a median of $65.25. The lowest price is at St Elizabeth Community Hospital (Red Bluff). The highest price is 91.8× the lowest.

• The median here, $65.25, is 8% above the US median of $60.20.
• That is 6.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($9.71).
• California ranks 28th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 64 of 216 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 83036. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map