How much does SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR cost in Texas?
CPT 87635 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for Texas.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
87635 SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR
Ask to pay
$103
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$104
Medicare $51
Ask $103
$32 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $944
What Medicare paysⓘ
$51
Typical price near you
$104
Cash / self-pay price
$105
Prices near you — 72 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Medical Center of El Paso lowest | Hospital | $32cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Dell Seton Medical Center at UT (Austin) | Hospital | $41cash | 0.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin | Hospital | $41cash | 0.8× | ★★★★★ |
| University Hospital - University Health (San Antonio) | Hospital | $41cash | 0.8× | — |
| Methodist Dallas Medical Center (Dallas) | Hospital | $45cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest (Houston) | Hospital | $49cash | 1.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Parkland Health (Dallas) | Hospital | $50cash | 1.0× | ★★★★★ |
| UT Southwestern William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital (Dallas) | Hospital | $51cash | 1.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital (Houston) | Hospital | $51cash | 1.0× | — |
| Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital (Houston) | Hospital | $51cash | 1.0× | — |
| The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus (El Paso) | Hospital | $54negotiated | 1.0× | — |
| Medical City Fort Worth | Hospital | $54cash | 1.0× | ★★★★★ |
| St. David's South Austin Medical Center (Austin) | Hospital | $54cash | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| St. David's Medical Center (Austin) | Hospital | $54cash | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| St. David's Round Rock Medical Center (Round Rock) | Hospital | $54cash | 1.1× | — |
| Medical City Plano | Hospital | $55cash | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Medical City Frisco | Hospital | $55cash | 1.1× | — |
| Medical City Dallas Hospital (Dallas) | Hospital | $57cash | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center (Houston) | Hospital | $58cash | 1.1× | ★★★★★ |
| HCA Houston Healthcare West (Houston) | Hospital | $62cash | 1.2× | ★★★★★ |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake (Webster) | Hospital | $63cash | 1.2× | ★★★★★ |
| St. David's North Austin Medical Center (Austin) | Hospital | $64cash | 1.2× | — |
| CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital – Westover Hills (San Antonio) | Hospital | $65cash | 1.3× | — |
| Methodist Hospital (San Antonio) | Hospital | $74cash | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Methodist Hospital Texsan (San Antonio) | Hospital | $74cash | 1.4× | — |
| Methodist Hospital Stone Oak (San Antonio) | Hospital | $74cash | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Methodist Hospital Metropolitan (San Antonio) | Hospital | $74cash | 1.4× | — |
| Valley Baptist Medical Center – Brownsville | Hospital | $90cash | 1.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Covenant Medical Center (Lubbock) | Hospital | $92cash | 1.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital (Sugar Land) | Hospital | $95cash | 1.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Houston Methodist Hospital (Houston) | Hospital | $95cash | 1.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital (The Woodlands) | Hospital | $95cash | 1.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano | Hospital | $104cash | 2.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center (Fort Worth) | Hospital | $104cash | 2.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Round Rock | Hospital | $104cash | 2.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas) | Hospital | $104cash | 2.0× | ★★★★★ |
| JPS Health Network – John Peter Smith Hospital (Fort Worth) | Hospital | $106cash | 2.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Shannon Medical Center (San Angelo) | Hospital | $110cash | 2.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple | Hospital | $112cash | 2.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – College Station | Hospital | $112cash | 2.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center (Houston) | Hospital | $121cash | 2.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center (The Woodlands) | Hospital | $121cash | 2.4× | — |
| Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Hospital Rockwall | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital (Arlington) | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Hospital Frisco | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Azle | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance (Fort Worth) | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville | Hospital | $140cash | 2.7× | — |
| Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center (Houston) | Hospital | $148cash | 2.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Hendrick Medical Center (Abilene) | Hospital | $169cash | 3.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Northeast Baptist Hospital (San Antonio) | Hospital | $194cash | 3.8× | — |
| North Central Baptist Hospital (San Antonio) | Hospital | $194cash | 3.8× | — |
| St. Luke's Baptist Hospital (San Antonio) | Hospital | $194cash | 3.8× | — |
| Cook Children's Medical Center (Fort Worth) | Hospital | $221cash | 4.3× | — |
| Texas Children's Hospital (Houston) gross charge | Hospital | $275cash | 5.4× | — |
| The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus (El Paso) gross charge | Hospital | $309cash | 6.0× | ★★★★★ |
| The Hospitals of Providence Memorial Campus (El Paso) gross charge | Hospital | $354cash | 6.9× | ★★★★★ |
| UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) gross charge | Hospital | $370negotiated | 7.2× | — |
| UMC Health System – University Medical Center (Lubbock) gross charge | Hospital | $416cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Valley Baptist Medical Center – Harlingen gross charge | Hospital | $445cash | 8.7× | — |
| Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (Edinburg) gross charge | Hospital | $944cash | 18.4× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 7 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 87635 (SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR), Medicare's benchmark rate is $51.31. A fair self-pay target for this line is $102.62. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 87635 is $104.55, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $57.18–$140.00. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
See SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR prices in another area
What should 87635 cost in Texas?
For SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR (CPT 87635) in Texas, a fair self-pay price is around $104, with hospitals ranging from $57 to $140 across 72 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $51, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR cost in Texas?
A fair self-pay price for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR (CPT 87635) in Texas is around $104, with hospital prices ranging from $57 to $140 across 72 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 87635?
Medicare pays about $51 for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR (CPT 87635). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) PCR?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
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Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.