How much does a mammogram cost?

A screening mammogram is an x-ray of the breast that is used to find cancer in women who have no signs of the disease. It generally costs between $100 and $150. Financial help is available in several ways:

• Most states now have laws requiring health insurance companies to pay all or part of the cost of a screening mammogram. Talk to your insurance company and health care providers for details.
• Medicare is the federal government's health insurance program for people 65 and older and people with disabilities. Medicare pays 80 percent of the cost of a screening mammogram each year for beneficiaries age 40 and older, and one baseline mammogram for beneficiaries age 35 to 39. Call Medicare's toll-free hotline at 1-800-633-4227. The TTY/TDD number for deaf and hard of hearing callers is 1-877-486-2048.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pays all or some of the cost of breast cancer screening services through its National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. This program provides mammograms and breast exams by a health professional to low-income, underinsured, and underserved women in all 50 states, six U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and 14 American Indian/Alaska Native organizations. For more information, contact your state health department or call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER.

Source:  "Ask the CIS" by the Cancer Information Service.  "Ask the CIS" is distributed by the Cancer Information Service (CIS) of the Heartland, which serves Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri & Illinois. The CIS is a program of the National Cancer Institute. Call the CIS toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time.