X Ray Cost: Prices With & Without Insurance

What you pay for an X-ray depends on the body part, the facility, and whether you pay cash or go through insurance. A quick chest or hand image at an imaging center sits at the low end. A hospital outpatient department usually sits higher, because hospitals add facility fees to the bill.

The numbers here come from GoodRx, MDsave, and Sidecar Health. They describe cash or self-pay prices and are not what an insurer pays, so treat them as a starting point for comparison shopping.

Cash prices vary more than most people expect. The spread in the table above shows that the same type of imaging can cost very little at one facility and several hundred at another. Many imaging centers and some hospitals post a self-pay price, and you can often get a quote by phone before you book.

Ask three things when you call. Does the price include the radiologist's reading, or is that billed separately? Is there a separate facility fee? Is there a discount for paying the same day? A bill that looks low can grow when the interpretation is charged on its own line.

Chest X-rays are one of the most common imaging tests, so they show up often in price data. Average cash prices differ by state, as the table shows.

State averages hide big differences between cities and between facility types. A rural imaging center and an urban hospital in the same state can charge very different amounts. Use the state figure as a rough guide and compare local quotes.

Your out-of-pocket cost with coverage depends on your deductible, copay, and coinsurance, and on whether the facility is in your network. None of the sources used here publish insured prices, so no insured figure is given on this page.

To find your own cost, call your insurer or use its online cost tool for the specific imaging code and facility. If you have a high deductible, you may pay close to the full negotiated rate until the deductible is met, and the cash price at some centers can be lower than that. Ask whether paying cash and skipping insurance is allowed, and whether the payment would count toward your deductible.

Each source defines X-ray pricing differently. One may report a typical figure for the exam, while another reports the full range of cash prices across facilities.

The wide gap between the lowest and highest cash prices reflects different facility types, regions, and body parts. It also reflects whether the radiologist's read is included. Check what the number covers before comparing.

• Body part. A single-view image is usually priced below a multi-view series.
• Number of views. More angles mean a higher charge.
• Facility type. Hospital outpatient departments often charge more than freestanding imaging centers or urgent care clinics.
• Location. Prices differ by state and by city.
• Radiologist's interpretation. It may be billed separately from the image itself.
• Ordering provider. A referral from your doctor is often required, and the visit that produces it has its own cost.

• A freestanding imaging center often has the lowest cash price and simple scheduling.
• Urgent care is convenient for injuries, and pricing varies by clinic.
• A hospital outpatient department is usually higher, since hospitals add facility charges.
• Some doctor's offices have imaging equipment and take the image on site.

Federal rules require hospitals to publish their prices online. You can look up a hospital's listed prices before you go, though the files can be hard to read. A phone call to the billing office is often faster.

An itemized bill usually separates the technical charge for taking the image from the professional charge for reading it. If you see two lines for one X-ray, that is normal, but both should match what you were quoted. Ask the billing office to explain any line you do not recognize, and request the itemized version if you only received a summary.

• Get quotes from at least two or three facilities.
• Ask for the self-pay or prompt-pay rate.
• Confirm the radiologist's read is included in the quote.
• Ask your doctor whether a freestanding center is acceptable, rather than the hospital.
• Keep your images on a disc or portal, so a second provider does not repeat the test.

A licensed physician decides whether you need an X-ray and which type.