How Much Does a Mammogram Cost? A Data Analysis of 264 U.S. Hospitals

National Mammogram Cash Prices by Type

Cash-pay (self-pay) prices for the two most common mammogram codes, filtered to a $50–$6,000 plausibility window. Note the diagnostic code (77066) carries a higher median than the screening code (77067) — a diagnostic mammogram is a more involved exam. Click a procedure to compare every hospital's price side by side.

Values below $50 were excluded as copay fragments, deposits, or single line-item component fees (19 hospitals posted such values). A single-breast diagnostic code (77065) appears in our data at only one hospital and is omitted here to avoid implying a national range from one data point.

The Transparency Paradox

The federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule took effect in 2021 to make hospital prices comparable. Five years on, a screening mammogram — the same CPT, 77067 — is posted at $50 at Loretto Hospital in Chicago, Illinois and $5,288 at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. That is a 106x gap for the identical procedure code, published publicly by both hospitals under the same federal rule.

We call this the Transparency Paradox: the data is now public, but it didn't narrow what hospitals charge. A mammogram is a standardized, low-risk imaging test — the same digital machine, the same images, the same few minutes — yet the cash sticker price ranges across two orders of magnitude. Transparency made the spread visible; it did not make it go away. The patients who benefit are the ones who know the data exists and shop on it.

Screening vs. Diagnostic: The Distinction That Decides Your Bill

This is the single most important thing to understand about mammogram cost, and it's the part hospitals and insurers explain the worst. The cash prices in our tables matter for uninsured patients — but for the majority of women who have insurance, the question isn't "what does it cost," it's "will I be charged at all." And that turns entirely on one word in the order: screening or diagnostic.

Under the Affordable Care Act, ACA-compliant commercial plans and Medicare must cover a screening mammogram at 100% — no deductible, no copay, no coinsurance — for women per recommended guidelines (generally annual or biennial from age 40). A screening mammogram (CPT 77067) is the routine scan for a woman with no symptoms and no current breast problem. If your mammogram is coded as screening and you meet the guideline, you should pay nothing.

A diagnostic mammogram (CPT 77066, bilateral; or 77065, one breast) is a different animal. It's ordered when there's already a reason to look closely: a lump you or your doctor felt, breast pain or nipple discharge, a follow-up on a prior abnormal result, or surveillance after breast cancer. A diagnostic mammogram is not automatically free. It's billed like any other diagnostic imaging — your deductible and coinsurance apply from the first dollar. That's why our data shows the diagnostic code (77066) carrying a higher median than the screening code: it's a more involved exam, and it's priced and billed as one.

The trap is the callback. Roughly one in ten screening mammograms turns up something the radiologist wants a closer look at. You get a phone call asking you to come back for "additional imaging." That follow-up is a diagnostic mammogram (often with an ultrasound), and it converts your free screening into a billed diagnostic workup. The vast majority of callbacks turn out to be nothing — a dense-tissue overlap, a benign cyst — but the diagnostic visit still bills against your deductible. Many women are blindsided by this: the screen was free, the callback was not, and nobody told them the rules changed the moment the radiologist flagged the image.

A handful of states have passed laws extending zero cost-sharing to diagnostic and follow-up breast imaging, but coverage is uneven and depends on your state and plan type. Don't assume the callback is free — ask before you go (see the checklist below).

Why Mammogram Cost Varies So Much

• Screening vs. diagnostic coding. The biggest driver of whether you pay anything. A screening mammogram is fully covered with insurance; a diagnostic one (a callback, a lump workup, a post-cancer surveillance scan) is subject to your deductible and coinsurance, and is priced higher to begin with.
• 2D vs. 3D (tomosynthesis). A standard 2D digital mammogram and a 3D tomosynthesis exam are different services with different prices. 3D captures multiple thin image slices, finds more cancers in dense breasts, and reduces callbacks — but it often carries an extra charge, and not every plan covers the 3D add-on at 100%.
• Facility type. A hospital outpatient radiology department typically posts higher prices than a free-standing imaging center or dedicated breast center, which carry less overhead. The same scan can cost noticeably less down the street.
• The radiologist read. The image acquisition (the technical fee) and the radiologist's interpretation (the professional fee) are sometimes billed separately. A posted price may cover only the technical component, with the read arriving as a second bill.
• Geography and market concentration. Urban for-profit hospital systems post the highest mammogram prices in our data; rural and community hospitals post the lowest. The most expensive hospitals on our list are metro facilities; the cheapest are community and critical-access hospitals.

The 10 Most Expensive and 10 Cheapest Screening Mammograms

Posted cash prices for CPT 77067 (screening mammogram), one row per hospital (lowest posted cash price each). Click any hospital to see its full price and compare cash vs. gross vs. insurance-negotiated rates. Remember: with insurance, a true screening mammogram should cost you nothing regardless of the sticker price below — these figures matter most for self-pay and uninsured patients.

10 Most Expensive (CPT 77067)

10 Cheapest (CPT 77067)

A cash-pay patient at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas, NV pays roughly 106 times more for a screening mammogram than a cash-pay patient at Loretto Hospital in Chicago, IL — the same CPT 77067, the same routine scan. Note that two hospitals in our most-expensive list post values above $5,000 that likely reflect a chargemaster (list) rate placed in the cash field; see Methodology.

How to Pay Less for a Mammogram

1. Confirm it's coded as screening if you're due for routine screening, have no symptoms, and meet the guideline (generally 40+). A screening mammogram (CPT 77067) is covered at 100% by ACA-compliant insurance and Medicare. If it's mistakenly ordered or coded as diagnostic, you may be charged for something that should have been free — ask the ordering office to confirm the code.
2. Ask whether it's 2D or 3D, and whether 3D is covered. 3D tomosynthesis finds more cancers and reduces callbacks, but it can carry an extra charge that not every plan covers in full. If you want 3D, confirm your share before the visit.
3. Consider a free-standing imaging or breast center. These often post lower prices than a hospital outpatient department for the identical scan, because they carry less overhead.
4. If uninsured, ask for the cash-pay price directly and look for low-cost or free screening programs. Many community hospitals and the CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program offer free or reduced-cost mammograms for women who qualify.
5. Get a written good-faith estimate. Under the No Surprises Act, uninsured and self-pay patients are entitled to a good-faith estimate of the total cost before a scheduled service.

What to Ask When You Schedule

• Is this being coded as a screening or a diagnostic mammogram? What is the CPT code on the order?
• Is this a 2D digital mammogram or 3D tomosynthesis — and does my plan cover the 3D portion at 100%?
• What happens if you find something and ask me to come back? Does the callback get billed as a diagnostic mammogram, and would I owe my deductible on it?
• Is the radiologist's read included in the price, or billed separately?
• If I'm paying cash, what is the self-pay price — and is the read included?
• Can I get a written good-faith estimate of my total out-of-pocket cost before the visit?

Frequently Asked Questions

References & Further Reading

• CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR 180) — the federal requirement that produces the underlying data on this page.
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Breast Cancer Screening — official recommendation that women begin screening mammograms at age 40.
• American Cancer Society: Mammograms and Breast Cancer Screening — guidance on screening intervals, 2D vs. 3D, and what to expect.
• HealthCare.gov: Preventive Care Benefits for Women — the ACA preventive benefits that make a screening mammogram free with insurance.
• CMS: No Surprises Act — Good-Faith Estimates — your right to a written cost estimate before a scheduled service.

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