One scan, worked through

Is it lower-cost to pay cash for an MRI in the US?

It can be. Paying cash costs less when the written cash quote is below your share under your plan for the same billing code. Whether the cash payment counts toward your deductible is set by your plan, so the answer also depends on the rest of your plan year.

Peter Langdon · TreatCompare editor — healthcare price research

Published 13 May 2026Updated 6 November 2026

Important information for US visitors

This page is general consumer information about US healthcare cost decisions. It is not insurance advice, billing advice, legal advice, tax advice, or medical advice. The calculator does arithmetic on numbers you enter. Check any quoted price and your share with your provider and your insurer before booking care.

The short answer

Compare like with like. A cash quote against your share under the plan for the same billing code, not against the hospital’s gross charge.
Your deductible decides your share. Until it is met you pay the plan’s allowed amount yourself; after it, your coinsurance or copay.
Ask whether cash counts. A plan counts what it processes as a claim; a payment outside it may not count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket limit.
Check what each quote includes. The scan and the radiologist’s read can be billed separately.

What is published for an MRI, by billing code

Hospital figures are facility charges from each hospital’s own standard-charge file, one per hospital, with a median only at 4 or more hospitals. Medicare amounts are national, before geographic adjustment.

Code	Hospital cash price	Hospital negotiated rates	What Medicare pays
70551MRI brain without contrast	Median $1,66970 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,455	Median $46883 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,783	$195.40
70552MRI brain with contrast	Median $2,04981 hospitals; lowest $395, highest $12,186	Median $71192 hospitals; lowest $331, highest $4,663	$268.88
70553MRI brain without and with contrast	Median $2,54779 hospitals; lowest $395, highest $20,478	Median $69190 hospitals; lowest $331, highest $5,663	$316.97
72141MRI cervical spine without contrast	Median $1,90978 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,858	Median $50389 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,721	$190.72
72148MRI lumbar spine without contrast	Median $1,79677 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,888	Median $50488 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,717	$191.72
72146MRI thoracic spine without contrast	Median $1,84379 hospitals; lowest $237, highest $10,888	Median $50490 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,770	$190.39
73221MRI upper extremity joint without contrast	Median $1,80364 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,099	Median $43682 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,583	$205.08
73721MRI lower extremity joint without contrast	Median $1,57158 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,578	Median $43676 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,633	$204.41
74181MRI abdomen without contrast	Median $1,53575 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $9,909	Median $47786 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,948	$193.73

Every hospital and its file: MRI cost page (files read October 26, 2026 to November 6, 2026). Medicare: CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D, read October 26, 2026.

Cash vs insurance MRI calculator

Enter the cash quote you have been given, your plan’s allowed amount for the same billing code, and your deductible and out-of-pocket position. The tool does the arithmetic; it is not a bill.

Calculator

Cash quote or insurance share for an MRI?

Enter the quote you were given and your own plan figures. Every field starts empty: the tool uses only what you type, or a sourced figure you choose to copy in.

Arithmetic, not a bill

Cash quote ($)

Median hospital cash price, code 72148 (US): $1,795.66 (77 hospitals, facility charge only). every hospital and its file, read October 26, 2026.

Plan’s allowed or negotiated amount ($)

Median hospital negotiated rate, code 72148 (US): $504.07 (88 hospitals, facility charge only; your plan's own rate may differ). every hospital and its file, read October 26, 2026.

Deductible remaining ($)Coinsurance after deductible (%)Copay ($)Out-of-pocket limit remaining ($)

Enter a cash quote and your plan’s allowed amount to see the comparison.

The insurance share is the deductible still to pay (up to the allowed amount), plus your coinsurance on the rest, plus any copay, capped at the out-of-pocket limit you entered. It does not check network status, prior authorization, separately billed physician, radiology, anesthesia or pathology fees, or whether a cash payment counts toward your deductible.

Open shareable result

Help the dataset

A written quote or an explanation of benefits you have received helps other readers. Useful submissions include body part, contrast status, radiologist read fee, provider name, date quoted and whether the amount was a cash price, an allowed amount, your share on an explanation of benefits, or a billed charge.

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Before booking, ask

Provider

What billing code will be used for this MRI?
Is the cash quote complete, or are professional or facility fees separate?
Is contrast, anesthesia, pathology or follow-up included if relevant?
Can you provide the quote in writing before booking?
Is contrast included, and is the radiologist interpretation included?
Is the scan billed by a hospital outpatient department or an independent imaging center?

Insurer

Is the provider in-network for my exact plan?
Will this billing code require prior authorization?
What patient responsibility do you estimate after deductible, copay and coinsurance?
If I pay cash, can I submit a claim afterwards, and would it count toward my deductible?

Keep the checklist

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Data funnel

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What to check on each side

The cash quote

Is the MRI scheduled rather than urgent?
Is the quote in writing, for the exact billing code?
Does it include the radiologist’s read and any facility charge?
Will the plan accept a claim for it afterwards?

The insurance route

How much of the deductible is left?
How far is the out-of-pocket limit?
Is prior authorization needed, for this scan or for follow-up care?
Is the provider in network for your exact plan?
Is more imaging or treatment likely this plan year?

Paying yourself: the Good Faith Estimate

Providers and facilities must give uninsured and self-pay patients a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges when a service is scheduled or on request.

“This section sets forth requirements for health care providers and health care facilities related to the issuance of good faith estimates of expected charges for uninsured (or self-pay) individuals (or their authorized representatives), upon request or upon scheduling an item or service.”

Ask for the estimate in writing when you book, and ask whether it covers the separate physician, radiology, anesthesia and pathology bills.

eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610, In force (45 CFR 149.610, text as of 2026-10-01), read October 26, 2026.

Across 77 US hospital standard-charge files, the discounted cash price for a lumbar spine MRI without contrast (code 72148) had a median of $1,796; the single lowest hospital published $268 and the highest $10,888. These are hospital facility charges; the radiologist may bill separately.

For the same code, the median of 88 hospitals' middle negotiated rates with insurers was $504. A negotiated rate is what the insurer pays the hospital; the patient's share depends on the plan.

Medicare's national amount for code 72148 in an office or independent imaging setting is $191.72 (CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D), before geographic adjustment.

Sources: hospital standard-charge files, each linked on the TreatCompare MRI cost page; CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D, read October 26, 2026.

Healthcare data note

Sources, review and limits

Updated November 6, 2026

Main sources

Hospital standard-charge files (112 hospitals, each file linked below)
CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D
CMS ambulatory surgical center rates, Addendum AA (October 2026)
CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles
Medicare.gov: Medicare costs
HealthCare.gov glossary: out-of-pocket maximum/limit
eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610

Methodology: Hospital figures are read from each hospital's own standard-charge file: one figure per hospital and billing code, facility charge only, a median only at four or more hospitals, and cash and negotiated rates never combined. No independent imaging center's price has been read. Your share depends on your plan, network status, prior authorization and separately billed professional fees.

Ask about methodologyMethodology, source summaries and structured extracts: TreatCompare data team

Sources

Hospital standard-charge files (112 hospitals, each file linked below), files read October 26, 2026 to November 6, 2026. Read 26 October 2026. Discounted cash prices and negotiated rates, published under 45 CFR 180.50.
CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D, released August 26, 2026. Read 26 October 2026. What Medicare pays a clinician, national amount.
CMS ambulatory surgical center rates, Addendum AA (October 2026), effective October 1, 2026. Read 26 October 2026. What Medicare pays an ambulatory surgical center, national rate.
CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles, Calendar year 2026. Read 26 October 2026. Medicare Part B annual deductible
Medicare.gov: Medicare costs, In force (statutory share; not set annually). Read 26 October 2026. Medicare Part B coinsurance
HealthCare.gov glossary: out-of-pocket maximum/limit, Plan year 2026. Read 26 October 2026. Marketplace out-of-pocket limit, individual
eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610, In force (45 CFR 149.610, text as of 2026-10-01). Read 26 October 2026. Good Faith Estimate for uninsured or self-pay patients

Frequently asked questions

When is paying cash for an MRI lower-cost than using insurance?

When the written cash quote is below your share under your plan for the same billing code. Your share depends on how much of your deductible is left, your coinsurance and copay, and your out-of-pocket limit. Whether a cash payment counts toward your deductible is set by your plan, so the answer also depends on what other care you expect this plan year.

Will paying cash for an MRI count toward my deductible?

Your plan decides. A plan counts what it processes as a claim; a payment outside the plan counts only if the plan accepts a claim for it afterwards. Ask your insurer before you pay.

How do I get a real MRI cash quote in the US?

Ask the provider for its discounted cash (self-pay) price for the exact billing code, whether the radiologist’s interpretation and any facility charge are included, and for the quote in writing. If you are uninsured or paying yourself, you can ask for a Good Faith Estimate.

Does the cash price include the radiologist’s interpretation?

Not always. Hospital files list facility and professional charges separately, and Medicare itself pays the scan and the read as two components. Ask for a written breakdown before booking.

Is a hospital or an independent imaging center lower-cost?

This site cannot say: it has read hospitals’ files but no independent imaging center’s own price page. Ask both for a written quote for the same code, and compare what each includes.

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