How much does a Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine typically cost in the United States?

Across 1,456 U.S. hospitals in 52 states, the modeled national fair BaseRate for Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine is $206, with most hospital negotiated prices falling between $121 and $446.

Why do hospital prices for Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine 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 · 1,456 hospitals

Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine cost

What a varicella (chickenpox) vaccine 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 FingerprintHigh Insurer Rate · Deep Cash Discount

Cash-Arbitrage Bifurcated Pricer

Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC Health System maintains elevated commercial insurance contracts (1.50× Fair BaseRate) while offering direct self-pay cash discounts that beat commercial negotiated medians on 37% of procedures. High-deductible and uninsured patients should always request the self-pay cash rate prior to billing.

#117 of 134 in PA · 86th State Percentile#2,637 of 3,385 in U.S. · 77th National Percentile

Advantage

Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)

Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.88× the peer BaseRate benchmark
Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 37% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
4-Star CMS clinical rating with 78% patient recommendation (68/100 safety score)
IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (40.0% AGB cap)

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 (1.7×) & laboratory (3.0×) services average 1.25× higher multiples than routine shoppable care (1.2×)
Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 1.32×) jump +33% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 0.99×)
Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 13.6× Medicare (16¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)

Front-Door ShoppableElective / Imaging

1.2× Medicare

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

Back-Door Captive & ER1.25× Divergence

1.5× Medicare

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

Quantile Tail Spread+33% Upper Tail

Q25 0.88× · Q50 0.99× · Q75 1.32×

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

1.2× MedicareGood

Outpatient Surgery & ORBack-Door Captive

0.7× MedicareGood

Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI)Front-Door Shoppable

2.9× MedicareFair

Back-Door Captive ER VisitsBack-Door Captive

1.7× MedicareGood

Inpatient Lab & PathologyBack-Door Captive

3.0× MedicareFair

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

0.5× MedicareGood

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

37% Cash Edge · 99/100Good

CMS Clinical Safety & Star ValueIntegrity & Outcomes

4 CMS · 68/100Fair

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

National State Price Index Heatmap · Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine

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

AK1.68× 1.8× Med ME0.97× 1.5× Med WA0.92× 1.5× Med ID0.60× 1.6× Med MT1.04× 1.5× Med ND0.91× 2.4× Med MN0.98× 1.6× Med WI1.00× 2.0× Med MI1.02× 1.1× Med VT0.86× 1.3× Med NH1.38× 1.9× Med OR0.99× 1.5× Med NV0.93× 1.7× Med WY0.85× 1.0× Med SD0.97× 1.8× Med IA0.90× 1.7× Med IL1.09× 1.5× Med IN0.99× 1.4× Med OH1.32× 1.4× Med PA1.03× 1.3× Med NY0.95× 1.4× Med MA1.05× 1.9× Med CA0.98× 1.5× Med UT0.98× 2.2× Med CO1.68× 1.9× Med NE0.81× 2.5× Med MO0.99× 1.4× Med KY0.74× 1.7× Med WV1.70× 1.5× Med VA1.24× 1.7× Med MD1.27× 1.2× Med NJ1.02× 1.7× Med CT1.75× 1.3× Med AZ3.17× 1.5× Med NM1.23× 2.0× Med KS0.90× 1.8× Med AR0.81× 1.4× Med TN1.29× 1.3× Med NC1.32× 1.6× Med SC1.31× 1.4× Med DE1.00× 2.3× Med DC1.31× 1.9× Med RI0.68× 1.6× Med OK0.95× 1.7× Med LA1.01× 1.4× Med MS0.67× 1.3× Med AL0.92× 1.1× Med GA1.11× 1.6× Med HI1.00× 1.3× Med TX1.92× 1.8× Med FL0.86× 2.1× Med PR0.77× 1.1× Med

ID0.60×1.6× Med MS0.67×1.3× Med RI0.68×1.6× Med KY0.74×1.7× Med PR0.77×1.1× Med AR0.81×1.4× Med NE0.81×2.5× Med WY0.85×1.0× Med FL0.86×2.1× Med VT0.86×1.3× Med IA0.90×1.7× Med KS0.90×1.8× Med ND0.91×2.4× Med AL0.92×1.1× Med WA0.92×1.5× Med NV0.93×1.7× Med NY0.95×1.4× Med OK0.95×1.7× Med ME0.97×1.5× Med SD0.97×1.8× Med CA0.98×1.5× Med MN0.98×1.6× Med UT0.98×2.2× Med IN0.99×1.4× Med MO0.99×1.4× Med OR0.99×1.5× Med DE1.00×2.3× Med HI1.00×1.3× Med WI1.00×2.0× Med LA1.01×1.4× Med MI1.02×1.1× Med NJ1.02×1.7× Med PA1.03×1.3× Med MT1.04×1.5× Med MA1.05×1.9× Med IL1.09×1.5× Med GA1.11×1.6× Med NM1.23×2.0× Med VA1.24×1.7× Med MD1.27×1.2× Med TN1.29×1.3× Med DC1.31×1.9× Med SC1.31×1.4× Med NC1.32×1.6× Med OH1.32×1.4× Med NH1.38×1.9× Med AK1.68×1.8× Med CO1.68×1.9× Med WV1.70×1.5× Med CT1.75×1.3× Med TX1.92×1.8× Med AZ3.17×1.5× Med

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

ID0.60×(1.6×)MS0.67×(1.3×)RI0.68×(1.6×)KY0.74×(1.7×)PR0.77×(1.1×)

5 Highest-Markup States (Strict Bill Audit Recommended)

AZ3.17×(1.5×)TX1.92×(1.8×)CT1.75×(1.3×)WV1.70×(1.5×)CO1.68×(1.9×)

The BaseRate high confidence

$206

the fair national price for a varicella (chickenpox) vaccine

typically $121–$446 across 1,456 hospitals · how we calculate it

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

1,456

hospitals priced

states

3.7×

price spread — where shopping matters

—

vs. Medicare

Across 1,456 hospitals in 52 states, a varicella (chickenpox) vaccine has a fair BaseRate of $206 and typically costs $121–$446. The cheapest state is ID; the priciest is AZ.

Cheapest hospitals for a varicella (chickenpox) vaccine

Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine cost by state

AK $341 4 hospitals AL $187 20 hospitals AR $165 9 hospitals AZ $643 18 hospitals CA $198 85 hospitals CO $342 32 hospitals CT $355 9 hospitals DC $266 4 hospitals DE $202 2 hospitals FL $174 96 hospitals GA $225 40 hospitals HI $202 12 hospitals IA $183 57 hospitals ID $121 6 hospitals IL $222 51 hospitals IN $201 68 hospitals KS $183 29 hospitals KY $151 23 hospitals LA $206 40 hospitals MA $213 31 hospitals MD $258 2 hospitals ME $196 18 hospitals MI $208 66 hospitals MN $198 41 hospitals MO $200 25 hospitals MS $136 17 hospitals MT $211 5 hospitals NC $268 33 hospitals ND $185 12 hospitals NE $164 29 hospitals NH $281 10 hospitals NJ $208 38 hospitals NM $250 8 hospitals NV $189 13 hospitals NY $192 47 hospitals OH $268 39 hospitals OK $192 30 hospitals OR $200 13 hospitals PA $209 42 hospitals RI $139 4 hospitals SC $265 35 hospitals SD $196 5 hospitals TN $262 36 hospitals TX $389 110 hospitals UT $198 18 hospitals VA $251 25 hospitals VT $174 5 hospitals WA $186 18 hospitals WI $203 61 hospitals WV $345 13 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™ $206

Medicare Rate $119

Self-Pay Cash Request Quote

Insurer Median $203

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: $177 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $177

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 = $177).

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 +$281 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $206 Fair BaseRate ($119 Medicare)

Your bill ($487) is $281 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($206) and 4.1× the $119 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.