How much does a Blood test, basic metabolic panel typically cost in the United States?

Across 2,487 U.S. hospitals in 52 states, the modeled national fair BaseRate for Blood test, basic metabolic panel is $10, with most hospital negotiated prices falling between $8 and $17.

Why do hospital prices for Blood test, basic metabolic panel vary across facilities?

Commercial rates are negotiated individually between hospital systems and insurers, creating wide local dispersion even within the same metro area. Comparing facility-specific cash and in-network rates before scheduling care helps avoid overpaying.

National price data · 2,487 hospitals

Blood test, basic metabolic panel cost

What a blood test, basic metabolic panel costs across the U.S. — and the fair price to aim for.

Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark

1.00×vs. Fair Market Price

Typical commercial prices here match the fair market benchmark (1.00×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.

86/100 · Verified

86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited

File Completeness90

Price Logic88

Peer Alignment86

Clean Billing83

Real Cash Discount84

Regional Value Leader

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

Behavioral Pricing FingerprintLow Shoppable & Low Captive

Uniform Value Leader

Sheridan Memorial Hospital maintains disciplined commercial pricing across both elective shoppable care (0.7× Medicare) and captive emergency/ancillary departments (0.8× Medicare). Patients and health plans benefit from predictable, below-benchmark rates (0.72× Fair BaseRate) without hidden ancillary cross-subsidization.

#4 of 11 in WY · 27th State Percentile#154 of 3,385 in U.S. · 4th National Percentile

Advantage

Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)

Elective shoppable care is priced 28% below peer Fair BaseRate (0.72×)
Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 68% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
CMS clinical safety score (65/100 safety score) with 68% patient recommendation
Binding Good Faith Estimate rights under 45 CFR § 149.610 protect self-pay patients before scheduling

Watchout

Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)

Even at low-cost facilities (1.00× Fair BaseRate), out-of-network or unnegotiated chargemaster bills can exceed commercial medians — confirm in-network status or request a self-pay cash quote up front.
Captive ER (0.4×) & laboratory (1.4×) services average 1.14× higher multiples than routine shoppable care (0.7×)
Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 0.88×) jump +26% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 0.70×)
Consolidated metro market (HHI 10,000) limits in-network hospital competition (Highly Concentrated Monopoly (>2,500))

Front-Door ShoppableElective / Imaging

0.7× Medicare

Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.

Back-Door Captive & ER1.14× Divergence

0.8× Medicare

Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.

Quantile Tail Spread+26% Upper Tail

Q25 0.49× · Q50 0.70× · Q75 0.88×

Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.

Select any lens to inspect department markups, federal cost accounting, or insurer discounts.

Department & Integrity Multiples (vs. CMS Medicare Cost Anchor) Green ≤1.3× · Teal 1.3–1.8× · Amber 1.8–2.5× · Rose >2.5×

Front-Door Shoppable CareFront-Door Shoppable

0.7× MedicareGood

Outpatient Surgery & ORBack-Door Captive

0.9× MedicareGood

Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI)Front-Door Shoppable

0.6× MedicareGood

Back-Door Captive ER VisitsBack-Door Captive

0.5× MedicareGood

Inpatient Lab & PathologyBack-Door Captive

1.4× MedicareGood

Specialty & Infusion Drugs (J-Codes)Back-Door Captive

1.1× MedicareGood

Self-Pay Cash Honesty & 501(r)Integrity & Outcomes

68% Cash Edge · 99/100Good

CMS Clinical Safety & Star ValueIntegrity & Outcomes

3 CMS · 65/100Fair

National Geographic Price Intelligence · 50-State + DC/PR Cartogram

National State Price Index Heatmap · Blood test, basic metabolic panel

State commercial price index vs. U.S. median (1.00×) and average Medicare multiple across all 53 priced states & territories

<0.93× Below Fair Price 0.93–1.05× Near Average 1.05–1.18× Elevated >1.18× High-Cost State

AK1.11× 1.2× Med ME1.00× 1.1× Med WA1.11× 1.2× Med ID0.89× 0.9× Med MT1.78× 1.9× Med ND1.00× 1.1× Med MN1.00× 1.1× Med WI1.33× 1.4× Med MI1.22× 1.3× Med VT1.00× 1.1× Med NH1.11× 1.2× Med OR1.22× 1.3× Med NV0.89× 0.9× Med WY1.00× 1.1× Med SD1.00× 1.1× Med IA1.00× 1.1× Med IL1.00× 1.1× Med IN0.89× 0.9× Med OH1.00× 1.1× Med PA1.11× 1.2× Med NY1.00× 1.1× Med MA1.44× 1.5× Med CA1.00× 1.1× Med UT1.22× 1.3× Med CO0.89× 0.9× Med NE1.11× 1.2× Med MO1.22× 1.3× Med KY0.89× 0.9× Med WV1.00× 1.1× Med VA1.00× 1.1× Med MD1.20× 1.2× Med NJ1.00× 1.1× Med CT0.89× 0.9× Med AZ1.00× 1.1× Med NM1.11× 1.2× Med KS1.78× 1.9× Med AR1.22× 1.3× Med TN1.00× 1.1× Med NC1.11× 1.2× Med SC1.11× 1.2× Med DE1.33× 1.4× Med DC1.33× 1.4× Med RI1.33× 1.4× Med OK1.11× 1.2× Med LA1.00× 1.1× Med MS1.22× 1.3× Med AL0.89× 0.9× Med GA1.00× 1.1× Med HI1.33× 1.4× Med TX1.11× 1.2× Med FL1.00× 1.1× Med PR1.33× 1.4× Med

AL0.89×0.9× Med CO0.89×0.9× Med CT0.89×0.9× Med ID0.89×0.9× Med IN0.89×0.9× Med KY0.89×0.9× Med NV0.89×0.9× Med AZ1.00×1.1× Med CA1.00×1.1× Med FL1.00×1.1× Med GA1.00×1.1× Med IA1.00×1.1× Med IL1.00×1.1× Med LA1.00×1.1× Med ME1.00×1.1× Med MN1.00×1.1× Med ND1.00×1.1× Med NJ1.00×1.1× Med NY1.00×1.1× Med OH1.00×1.1× Med SD1.00×1.1× Med TN1.00×1.1× Med VA1.00×1.1× Med VT1.00×1.1× Med WV1.00×1.1× Med WY1.00×1.1× Med AK1.11×1.2× Med NC1.11×1.2× Med NE1.11×1.2× Med NH1.11×1.2× Med NM1.11×1.2× Med OK1.11×1.2× Med PA1.11×1.2× Med SC1.11×1.2× Med TX1.11×1.2× Med WA1.11×1.2× Med MD1.20×1.2× Med AR1.22×1.3× Med MI1.22×1.3× Med MO1.22×1.3× Med MS1.22×1.3× Med OR1.22×1.3× Med UT1.22×1.3× Med DC1.33×1.4× Med DE1.33×1.4× Med HI1.33×1.4× Med PR1.33×1.4× Med RI1.33×1.4× Med WI1.33×1.4× Med MA1.44×1.5× Med KS1.78×1.9× Med MT1.78×1.9× Med

5 Lowest-Price States (Confounder-Isolated Value Leaders)

AL0.89×(0.9×)CO0.89×(0.9×)CT0.89×(0.9×)ID0.89×(0.9×)IN0.89×(0.9×)

5 Highest-Markup States (Strict Bill Audit Recommended)

MT1.78×(1.9×)KS1.78×(1.9×)MA1.44×(1.5×)WI1.33×(1.4×)RI1.33×(1.4×)

The BaseRate high confidence

$10

the fair national price for a blood test, basic metabolic panel

typically $8–$17 across 2,487 hospitals · how we calculate it

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

2,487

hospitals priced

states

2.1×

price spread — where shopping matters

1.1×

vs. Medicare

Across 2,487 hospitals in 52 states, a blood test, basic metabolic panel has a fair BaseRate of $10 and typically costs $8–$17. The cheapest state is AL; the priciest is MT.

Cheapest hospitals for a blood test, basic metabolic panel

Blood test, basic metabolic panel cost by state

AK $10 2 hospitals AL $8 45 hospitals AR $11 37 hospitals AZ $9 48 hospitals CA $9 200 hospitals CO $8 49 hospitals CT $8 19 hospitals DC $12 4 hospitals DE $12 8 hospitals FL $9 144 hospitals GA $9 86 hospitals HI $12 17 hospitals IA $9 46 hospitals ID $8 17 hospitals IL $9 95 hospitals IN $8 84 hospitals KS $16 65 hospitals KY $8 49 hospitals LA $9 71 hospitals MA $13 32 hospitals ME $9 20 hospitals MI $11 75 hospitals MN $9 47 hospitals MO $11 65 hospitals MS $11 55 hospitals MT $16 11 hospitals NC $10 52 hospitals ND $9 8 hospitals NE $10 19 hospitals NH $10 8 hospitals NJ $9 46 hospitals NM $10 11 hospitals NV $8 19 hospitals NY $9 77 hospitals OH $9 88 hospitals OK $10 51 hospitals OR $11 33 hospitals PA $10 98 hospitals PR $12 15 hospitals RI $12 6 hospitals SC $10 38 hospitals SD $9 5 hospitals TN $9 71 hospitals TX $10 225 hospitals UT $11 22 hospitals VA $9 50 hospitals VT $9 6 hospitals WA $10 44 hospitals WI $12 82 hospitals WV $9 16 hospitals WY $9 5 hospitals

Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at U.S. Hospital Benchmark (Zero PHI Required)

Fair BaseRate™ $10

Medicare Rate $6

Self-Pay Cash Request Quote

Insurer Median $9

1. Amount on Your Bill or Quote ($) Pre-filled with U.S. Hospital Benchmark’s charged/list benchmark

2. Household Annual Income ($) Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines

3. Household Size (1–8) 2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person

Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $8 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $8

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $8).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Request Prompt-Pay Quote

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Ask U.S. Hospital Benchmark's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$12 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $10 Fair BaseRate ($6 Medicare)

Your bill ($22) is $12 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($10) and 3.7× the $6 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.