The cost of an MRI can vary by thousands of dollars depending on where you go
More Americans are on the hook for paying for their healthcare than ever before.
In particular, high-deductible health plans are on the rise. According to a September 2016 survey, the percentage of workers with an insurance plan that requires them to pay up to $1,000 out of pocket passed the 50% mark for the first time. That means consumers have a clearer picture of how much healthcare costs them.
And when it comes to getting part of your body imaged via X-ray or MRI, that clearer picture could be of a bill in the thousands.
Amino, a consumer healthcare company, found that the price of an MRI can be thousands of dollars more if you go to a hospital than if you go to an imaging center, depending on your state. Hospital MRI rates were consistently more expensive than a freestanding imaging center, the company found. Amino lists the cost estimates for the tests for roughly 10,000 locations on its site.
Michigan and Alaska had some of the most variation, while Mississippi and New Mexico had the least.
