Do You Know the Ballpark Cost of an MRI?

Call around. I read an article in Consumer Reports just this past year that specifically mentioned MRIs as one of the medical items that has a HUGE variability in costs. If I remember correctly from the article, the larger the institution the better chance of a lesser cost (although even amongst the larger hospitals/MRI facilities the cost varies), because the machines are extremely expensive and they have to be paid for. It's sort of a "duh" moment if you think about it. A larger, busier place will use it more, cutting down the "per use" expense to pay for the machine. A smaller, less busy place will need to charge more per use to cover the same cost of the machine.
Call around.

I had one at a hospital and it was $2500. I had one at an MRI center and it was $1500. With insurance I paid $250 and $150. Shop around and ask for prices.

Call the MRI place...they can tell you. Ask for a cash or pre pay discount.

Lots. Out of pocket? Like $1500-$3500 on average, although some run as low as $500 and some run as high as $10,000+.

If you're looking at insurance coverage? Most pay at 100% after your deductible is met if all their provisos are met (referralls, in network, etc.). Then? Your copay, if any.

Some standard copays are $10, $25, $100, $250.

Deductibles range from $0-Thousands.

You'll really have no idea how much money you're looking at until you know what kind of insurance you have.

You need to call your insurance carrier and ask what the contracted rate is.

Call the facility where she is having the MRI done and ask what the cost will be. My husband gets a yearly MRI of his pituitary b/c of his tumor. They do the scan with and without gad so it costs more than a standard MRI.

With insurance I paid out of pocket about $525.00 for my MRI on my head.

A lot especially since you do not have insurance. Figure $1,000 to 3,000.

The cost of a mri changes depending on which insurance plan you are using. Each insurance company has a different contracted rate with the facility. If you call the facility they might charge $1200 for a mri but the contracted rate with your plan might drop that charge down to $1000.

If u call they will tell u.

when i had mine for my eyes it was 1500 dollors. that was about four years ago.

1,500

Are you talking about a med flex or an HSA account? If you have a med flex account you want to call where the MRI will be done for an exact amount because that cannot be rolled over from year to year, HSA ballpark is fine. HSAs carry over and can be used for a wider range of medical expenses where the med flex has been limited by silly regulations.

Any chance you can get this moved up to December to get it covered this year (assuming you've bet your deductible already)?

Around here, the non-hospital MRI company (Shields MRI) offers an on-line quote service. You give them your contact info, the type of MRI and type of insurance and they e-mail or call you with an estimate. The average at Shields is about $500, vs. the large teaching hospital average of $1500, so shop around.