Why do two hospitals charge different prices?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Because US hospital prices are negotiated, not set: the chargemaster is an opening bid, each insurer cuts its own deal with each hospital, Medicare and Medicaid pay set rates, and facility fees, region, and market power stack on top - so the same scan can price several-fold apart. Since 2021 hospitals must post their prices, and CMS requires good faith estimates for uninsured patients who ask - so non-urgent care (imaging, scheduled procedures) is now genuinely shoppable by phone.
What to do
- Shop scheduled care. Imaging and procedures: call two or three facilities for prices.
- Ask about facility fees. Hospital outpatient departments carry them; independent centers often do not.
- Request the good faith estimate. A federal right for the uninsured.
- Never pay list price without asking. Financial assistance policies exist for a reason.
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