Hemoglobin A1c (Diabetes Test): what it covers and what it costs
What does a Hemoglobin A1c (Diabetes Test) cost? Across 40 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for an A1c Test (CPT 83036) runs from about $9 in Indianapolis, IN to $122 in San Antonio, TX, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 22 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What an A1c Test price actually covers
A haemoglobin A1c test reports average blood glucose over roughly the preceding three months by measuring the share of haemoglobin that is glycated. It requires no fasting and is a single test rather than a panel.
Code scope. 83036 = hemoglobin A1c (lab method). Point-of-care/home-device A1c is 83037.
What is — and isn't — in the price
The price covers laboratory analysis of one test. Specimen collection may be separate. Point-of-care A1c testing performed in a clinic during a visit is sometimes billed differently from a send-out laboratory test.
Why A1c Test prices differ so much between hospitals
The absolute figures are small, so proportional differences between hospitals look large. Whether the test is billed for screening or for monitoring an existing diagnosis changes how it is covered, though not usually what the hospital charges.
What else usually lands on the bill
Fasting glucose and an oral glucose tolerance test are the alternative diagnostic routes, each its own code. Continuous glucose monitoring supplies, where prescribed, are a durable medical equipment charge.
What to ask before you book
Ask whether the result is processed in-house or sent to a reference laboratory and which entity will bill you — for inexpensive tests, the surprise is usually who sends the bill rather than its size.
Where the money actually moves
An inexpensive test wherever it is run, so the practical saving is avoiding a hospital outpatient facility fee on the draw. Independent laboratories and pharmacy testing are the cheaper cash routes.
What the A1c Test numbers show nationally
A A1c Test costs 13.5× as much in San Antonio as in Indianapolis
Across the 40 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $9 in Indianapolis, IN to $122 in San Antonio, TX — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1253% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest A1c Test prices
Lowest: PIEDMONT HOSPITAL (Atlanta, GA) at $0; ALLIANCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (Memphis, TN) at $1; BETHESDA HOSPITAL EAST (Miami, FL) at $3. Highest: TEMPLE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Philadelphia, PA) at $272; HAZEL HAWKINS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (San Jose, CA) at $178; CHILDRENS MEDICAL CTR OF DALLAS (Dallas, TX) at $174. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
22 of 40 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay A1c Test price
Cheapest published cash price: $7 (Jacksonville). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 84% below the list price for an A1c Test
Across the 33 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 84% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Indianapolis: $410 list against $9 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish an A1c Test price
253 hospital price-file entries across 40 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 83036 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
A1c Test price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a A1c Test, by metro — lowest first. 22 of these 40 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 34 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | $9 | $9 | $176 | 4 |
| Cleveland, OH | $10 | $10–$46 | $44 | 8 |
| Sacramento, CA | $10 | $10–$12 | $80 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $10 | $10–$12 | $80 | 7 |
| Memphis, TN | $10 | $1–$26 | — | 4 |
| Nashville, TN | $10 | $10–$39 | — | 9 |
| Orlando, FL | $10 | $9–$26 | — | 4 |
| Tampa, FL | $10 | $10–$11 | — | 6 |
| Riverside, CA | $11 | $8–$30 | $64 | 6 |
| Birmingham, AL | $12 | $10–$117 | — | 10 |
| Detroit, MI | $12 | $8–$19 | $26 | 6 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $13 | $10–$17 | — | 6 |
| Raleigh, NC | $14 | $12–$14 | $16 | 3 |
| New York, NY | $14 | $10–$31 | $24 | 7 |
| Hartford, CT | $15 | $10–$19 | — | 4 |
| Atlanta, GA | $15 | $0–$65 | $54 | 9 |
| Portland, OR | $15 | $10–$21 | — | 8 |
| Buffalo, NY | $15 | $10–$16 | — | 3 |
| Seattle, WA | $15 | $13–$71 | — | 8 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $16 | $12–$40 | — | 3 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $17 | $17 | $7 | 3 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $19 | $7–$272 | $85 | 15 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $19 | $8–$58 | $64 | 5 |
| St. Louis, MO | $21 | $8–$27 | $34 | 7 |
| Kansas City, MO | $22 | $17–$89 | — | 7 |
| Washington, DC | $23 | $10–$59 | $109 | 8 |
| Denver, CO | $24 | $10–$54 | $50 | 10 |
| Miami, FL | $24 | $3–$75 | — | 4 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $25 | $10–$93 | $27 | 10 |
| San Jose, CA | $33 | $10–$178 | — | 3 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $40 | $22–$71 | $55 | 9 |
| Houston, TX | $42 | $39–$44 | — | 6 |
| San Diego, CA | $43 | $10–$85 | $65 | 6 |
| Boston, MA | $49 | $19–$72 | — | 3 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $50 | $11–$76 | $115 | 5 |
| Baltimore, MD | $60 | $44–$66 | — | 4 |
| Dallas, TX | $68 | $10–$174 | $103 | 10 |
| Austin, TX | $72 | $10–$105 | $65 | 9 |
| Chicago, IL | $91 | $88–$100 | $61 | 3 |
| San Antonio, TX | $122 | $10–$137 | — | 3 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an A1c Test cost?
- Across 40 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $17, ranging from $9 in Indianapolis to $122 in San Antonio. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 83036.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- The price covers laboratory analysis of one test. Specimen collection may be separate. Point-of-care A1c testing performed in a clinic during a visit is sometimes billed differently from a send-out laboratory test.
- Why do A1c Test prices differ so much between hospitals?
- The absolute figures are small, so proportional differences between hospitals look large. Whether the test is billed for screening or for monitoring an existing diagnosis changes how it is covered, though not usually what the hospital charges.