It’s time for my annual CT scan to confirm that the anal cancer I was treated for a year ago is still gone. I had a simple question. “How much is this scan going to cost?”
My annual deductible has kicked in again, which means the first $10,000 of this year’s post-cancer surveillance spending is on my dime. You read that right. $10K. That number is why small business owners, farmers and other self-employed people get grumpy when they hear talk about how wonderful it is to have “affordable health care.”
I began my CT scan price research with my own provider.
I dug through year-old medical bills and was shocked to learn my health insurance had paid $8,000 to Avera Health for a CT scan of my chest, abdomen and pelvis last August. Yikes.
I looked it up on Google and learned that the going rate Medicare pays for a CT scan is $330. I thought I was reading a typo.
Why did my insurance pay $8,000 for something that would have cost Medicare $660? (two scans)
I called Sanford for a price quote. The kind man on the phone said, “We don’t give that out, but I can take down your information and they will send you an estimate in five to seven business days.”
Well, OK.
I called Avera Health for current price information. They sent me to a gentleman who said the first of the two scans would cost $5,300. The second would cost $2,500. The medicine would cost $1,000 and there would be a fee to read the results.
So, about $9,000? Holy smokes.
Then I called St. Luke’s Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa. The spokesperson said the scans would cost between $2,000 and $4,000. She could give me the range, but not an exact price.
When I asked what the amount on my bill would be, she said, “I can give you a range.”
The woman who answered the phone at a Minneapolis radiology clinic said someone would call me back within 24 hours. In less than one hour I received a price quote of $1,800 for the two scans I wanted. Wow.
I extended my medical consumer research to Omaha and called Nebraska Health Imaging. The woman who answered the phone there said, “Those two scans are $375 each. Your total will be $750.”
Bingo!
When we arrived at the Omaha clinic for the scan Wednesday, we paid the bill with a credit card and the account was settled before we left the office.
If you ever need to pay out-of-pocket for a CT scan, I suggest you ask about the price. It seems like there is a bit of a difference in cost around the area.
So, how much does a CT scan cost? Good question.