astronomical cost of brain mri

[someqs17]

hi all,

i am at a complete loss right now and think yall would know the most about this. i went for my second brain mri a couple months ago for ms symptoms and i just got the bill. i had it done on a 3t machine at a hospital. the cost before insurance was $10,000. thats right, $10,000. with my insurance i owe $1,828.

now, i had a brain mri done at an mri place a year ago on a 1t machine and the cost before insurance was $1,400 and i paid $300.

i called my insurance and they cant help...they said id need to check w the hospital on the cost. how could this be soooo much money!?????? it seems complelteyl insane.

would love to hear what u all think

could this be? could 3t cost like 10x a regular machine? this seems unbelievable to me and im hoping its a mistake but i tend not to think so. meanwhile i had a lumbar puncture whixh was only 3k before insurance.

[LilMinnie]

Alex explained it pretty well. Yes, there is an understanding that, for example, once you meet your deductible you as the insured will pay a predetermined percentage. Mine is ten percent. The question becomes ten percent of what amount? Medicare and Medicaid don't pay much, so the rest of us make up the difference. The cost for those of us with private insurance is not the same as for those with Medicare and Medicaid because the government will not pay much. In this case, it isn't the fault of the insurance companies.

[doublevision1]

U.S. health care truly baffles me.  Wouldn't / shouldn't the exact amount of the patient's co-pay be understood up front, and agreed to in writing, with patient signing off on the amount in advance?  How is it that insurance companies can spring this on the patient after the fact?

[jensequitur]

Sometimes they'll give you a discount on a cash price - worth checking out.

[xxSamanthaJ]

i meant i had 4 MRI's done, not 2

[xxSamanthaJ]

i had 2 MRI's done. lumbar spine, thoracic, cervical and brain MRI. They were $975 then $102 after insurance. im pretty sure that 10,000 before insurance number is wrong. then hospital would be the one youd want to talk to about it, like the others said.

good luck!

[LilMinnie]

Lol, our posts must have crossed. That's what I said, it's like buying a car! Ugh, and the haggling stinks :(