MRI (Cost)

ELI5 - If the operational cost of an MRI scan is $50-75, why does it cost up to $3500 to a patient?

While the procedure itself may not be that expensive, owning and operating such an extremely high-tech machine comes with massive overhead. To begin with, an MRI machine can cost several million dollars. Parts, which often break, can be extraordinarily expensive—the imaging coils, for example, can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. MRI contrast agent (the magnetic fluid patients must take before an MRI) can cost up to 40/mL. The techs and doctors who operate the machines and interpret the results also have to be paid. And ultimately, there is a markup because the healthcare companies that can afford these machines have a monopoly on them and will charge what they can.

By Alex 11 months ago