Hepatitis C antibody test cost in California

In California, 200 hospitals publish a cash price for hepatitis C antibody blood test (screening): from $7.39 to $296.00, with a median of $54.74. The lowest price is at El Centro Regional Medical Center (El Centro). The highest price is 40.1× the lowest.

• The median here, $54.74, is 30% below the US median of $78.40.
• That is 3.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($14.27).
• California ranks 9th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 63 of 200 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 86803. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 4, 2026. See them on a map