mri cost

How Much Should An MRI Cost?

Your doctor prescribed an MRI, and you don’t exactly have a Cadillac insurance plan. You suspect you’ll be on the hook for most of the bill… so just how much should you expect to pay?

As Forbes, Time, and many others have found, a clear answer is often hard to get.

As you consider your options, consider two basic factors: the bill (the amount billed by the hospital or imaging center) and your share (the portion not covered by your health insurance).

The bill for an MRI is, on average, $500 to $2500. The huge range in price depends on multiple different factors:

  • Size of the hospital or imaging center. Larger hospitals or chains have more leverage over insurers (which want to keep them “in-network”), and therefore charge higher prices. In contrast, independent imaging centers typically get stuck billing at lower rates.
  • Need for contrast: If your scan requires contrast (either with or with and without), the center will spend additional time inserting an IV and capturing contrast-enhanced pictures – all of which increases the bill.
  • Local competition: If there are lots of imaging centers in your area, prices often drift downward. Therefore, urban hospitals and imaging centers usually have lower rates than suburban and rural ones.

Meanwhile, your share of the bill depends on your insurance plan. If you have a high deductible and haven’t had many medical expenses this year, you may be on the hook for the entire bill. Even if you’ve met your deductible, you’ll be liable for co-insurance if you haven’t yet paid your annual out-of-pocket limit. Even if you’re responsible for just 20% of your imaging bill, you’ll still want the lowest available price.

We believe Medmo eliminates many of these complexities. Instead of guessing your bill (and praying you don’t get a huge surprise), you can just tell us the price you can afford. Only able to spend $400? Or less? That’s fine. We’ll take your offer to our partner centers and find one that can work with your budget. In fact, we may be able to book you into a last-minute opening, when a scanner would have otherwise been empty.

Best of all, there’s no cost to request a scan unless we successfully schedule the scan.

To book a scan, visit us at Medmo.com. Medmo helps people schedule radiology imaging tests – such as MRI, CT scans, PET, and more – at nearby accredited centers and identify the payment solution that works best for them.

Ready to get started?

Here’s what you’ll need to schedule an appointment

  • 1. Imaging referral / prescription

  • 2. Your contact information

  • 3. Insurance OR card information

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