7 cheapest hospitals for chest x-ray, single view in Chicago.
Sorted by published cash-pay price, low to high. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. Cash-pay is what an uninsured patient is charged; insured patients can sometimes get the cash rate by asking. CPT code 71045.
See the full Chicago list with insurance rates.
This list shows the top 7 cash-pay prices. The procedure page covers every Chicago-area hospital, plus plan-specific negotiated rates if you add your insurance.
Full Chicago comparison →Why prices vary this much.
The same chest x-ray, single view on the same equipment can cost dramatically different amounts at different hospitals. Three reasons.
Chargemasters are arbitrary. The "sticker price" hospitals publish was never designed for consumers. It's a starting number for negotiation with insurance, with adjustments stacked on for decades.
Negotiated rates are confidential. Each insurer negotiates its own rate with each hospital. Aetna at Hospital A might pay 60% of what Cigna pays at the same hospital for the same code.
Cash pay is its own thing. Hospitals often offer self-pay rates dramatically cheaper than what they'd bill insurance, especially for elective procedures. Worth asking even if you have insurance.