Mammogram Cost Without Insurance: Screening, 3D and Free Options in 2026

Screening vs Diagnostic: The Split That Sets Your Price

A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast, but there are two kinds, and they are booked, billed and covered differently. The National Cancer Institute describes a screening mammogram as one used to look for breast cancer in people who have no signs or symptoms. A diagnostic mammogram is used after a lump or another sign has been found, such as breast pain, thickened skin, nipple discharge, or a change in breast size or shape, or to look more closely at something seen on a screening exam. Diagnostic exams take more images.

That distinction drives cost. Screening is the preventive service that federal rules make free under most private plans and Medicare. Diagnostic imaging is treated as medical care: it generally needs a clinician's order, it is billed under different procedure codes, and coverage rules that apply to screening do not automatically apply. Under Medicare, for example, a screening mammogram costs nothing when the provider accepts assignment, while a diagnostic mammogram costs 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible. In cash prices, the gap shows up too: Memorial Healthcare System lists $99 for a self-pay 3D screening but $235 for a diagnostic mammogram.

Published Cash Prices, October 2026

Of the imaging chains we checked, Solis, RadNet and SimonMed do not post a base self-pay mammogram price, so the numbers below come from sources that do: one hospital system's self-pay list, two cash-pay imaging networks, and MDsave, a marketplace where you prepay a bundled price for a named facility. We checked each on October 18, 2026. Some of these pages carry no date or may be older, and the MDsave figures are ranges across specific facilities in specific markets, so treat them as benchmarks, not a quote for your town.

What the price includes matters as much as the number. MDsave says its listed prices are bundled to include the related fees, with no separate bills after the appointment, although at least one listing we saw itemizes a marketplace fee alongside the facility and radiologist fees. Green Imaging says its cash price is final, with no separate radiologist fee. For a hospital list price such as Memorial's, ask whether the radiologist's reading is billed separately. Whatever you are quoted, confirm it covers the radiologist's interpretation, and whether a same-day ultrasound or extra views would be billed separately.

2D vs 3D Mammograms (Tomosynthesis)

A standard digital mammogram takes flat images of each breast. Digital breast tomosynthesis, usually marketed as a 3D mammogram, takes multiple images from different angles that are assembled into thin slices. Some breast centers now offer 3D as their standard screening exam, so ask which one you are being booked for.

For billing, 3D screening is an add-on. The facility bills the standard screening code and adds a tomosynthesis code on top, so a self-pay quote for 3D may be higher than one for 2D at the same facility. In the published prices we found, though, 3D was not always the expensive option: Memorial Healthcare System lists its self-pay screening as a 3D exam at $99, while MDsave's 3D listings ran $191 to $559 nationally and its 2D listings ran $172 to $358 in the Georgia and Florida markets we sampled. Those ranges come from different facilities, so they do not tell you what 3D adds at any one center. Ask the facility for both numbers.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's 2024 recommendation treats both standard digital mammography and tomosynthesis as effective screening options, so choosing 2D does not put you outside the recommendation. Whether 3D is worth any extra cost for you is a question for your clinician, particularly if you have dense breast tissue.

Watch for a separate kind of extra: optional AI-assisted reads. RadNet's regional FAQ pages list a $40 charge to add its Enhanced Breast Cancer Detection (EBCD) to a mammogram. What those pages say about coverage differs by region: some name the medical groups that cover EBCD, while another RadNet FAQ says insurance is currently not covering the cost. SimonMed says AI is already part of its 3D mammograms at no added cost, and lists its Mammogram+ as a $50 self-pay add-on to a screening mammogram that is not yet covered by insurance. Neither add-on is needed for a standard screening exam; if you are offered one, ask your clinician whether it would change anything for you before you pay.

What Gets Billed, and the Codes to Quote

When you ask for a cash price, use the procedure code. It stops a front desk from quoting the wrong exam, and it is how prices appear in hospital price-transparency files. You can look up any of these codes in the CMS Physician Fee Schedule tool.

Hospitals are required by CMS to publish their standard charges, including discounted cash prices, in a machine-readable file, along with a consumer-friendly list or price estimator for shoppable services. Searching a hospital's file for 77067 gives you a benchmark to hold against a freestanding center's quote. Some hospitals also post a flat self-pay price on their website, as Memorial Healthcare System does.

Ways to Pay $0 or Less

1. The CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

The NBCCEDP funds free or low-cost breast and cervical cancer screening through programs in every state, Washington, DC, U.S. territories and some tribes and tribal organizations. The CDC's general eligibility for breast screening is: no insurance, or insurance that does not cover screening or leaves costs you cannot afford; income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level; and age 40-64. Programs also pay for diagnostic follow-up when a screening result is abnormal, and under the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000, states can offer Medicaid coverage for treatment to women diagnosed through the program. Each state sets its own details, and funding and program rules can change, so contact your state program even if you are near a cutoff.

2. Medicare

Medicare Part B covers a screening mammogram once every 12 months for women 40 and older, plus one baseline mammogram between 35 and 39. You pay nothing for the screening if the doctor or other provider accepts assignment. Diagnostic mammograms are covered when medically necessary, with 20% coinsurance after the Part B deductible.

3. ACA-compliant private plans

HealthCare.gov lists mammography screening every 1 to 2 years for women over 40 among the preventive services that all Marketplace plans and many other private plans must cover without a copay or coinsurance, even before you meet your deductible. That applies only when you use an in-network provider, and grandfathered plans are exempt. The USPSTF's 2024 recommendation is biennial screening for women aged 40 to 74 at average risk.

Follow-up imaging is where insured people still get bills. HRSA's Women's Preventive Services Guidelines, which set part of what ACA-compliant plans must cover for women, say that when additional imaging such as MRI, ultrasound or mammography, and pathology evaluation, are indicated to complete the screening process, those services are also recommended. When that applies depends on your plan and plan year, and imaging billed as diagnostic can still carry cost sharing, so ask your insurer before a callback appointment how the follow-up will be billed.

4. Facility discounts, financial assistance and health centers

• Solis Mammography says every center offers self-pay and that eligible people may qualify for its Value Screening Program. Ask about eligibility when you request a quote.
• Nonprofit hospitals must have a written financial assistance policy under IRS section 501(r), and must limit what they charge eligible patients for emergency or other medically necessary care to no more than the amounts generally billed to insured patients. Ask for the application before you are billed.
• HRSA-funded community health centers charge on a sliding fee scale based on income. A clinician there can examine you, order a diagnostic exam if you need one, and point you to local screening programs.
• Mobile mammography. Some hospitals and state programs run mobile units at community events. Federal MQSA rules apply to mobile units as well, so ask whether the unit is certified and who will receive your results.

Where to Get a Self-Pay Mammogram

If no program covers you, compare at least two kinds of facility: one that publishes a price (a hospital self-pay list, a cash-pay network or a marketplace listing) and a dedicated breast center or imaging chain near you that quotes on request. A published price gives you a benchmark; the local quote tells you what you will actually pay. Whichever you choose, make sure the facility is certified under the federal Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), which the FDA requires of every mammography facility.

Order rules differ by facility. Solis says you do not need a doctor's order to schedule a screening mammogram at most of its locations, while diagnostic exams require one. Memorial Healthcare System says scheduling a mammogram requires a prescription, and Green Imaging says most of its exams require a signed physician order, so ask before you book. MQSA rules require the facility to send you a plain-language summary of your results within 30 days, but an abnormal result still needs a clinician to arrange follow-up, so know who that will be before you book.

For how cash-pay imaging centers and booking networks price other scans, see our cash-pay imaging hub and the MRI cost without insurance guide. If you are also due for colorectal screening, the colonoscopy cost guide covers how that preventive test is priced and covered.

Dense Breasts: Ultrasound and MRI Add-Ons

Since September 10, 2024, amended FDA mammography rules require every facility to tell you whether your breast tissue is dense or not dense. If it is dense, the notice must explain that dense tissue can make breast cancer harder to find on a mammogram and raises the risk of developing breast cancer, and suggest you talk with your provider about whether other imaging tests could help. If your notice says dense, the next question is usually what extra imaging would cost.

The evidence is unsettled. The USPSTF concluded in 2024 that current evidence is insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of supplemental screening with breast ultrasound or MRI for people with dense breasts whose mammogram is normal. That is not a recommendation against it, but it means coverage for supplemental imaging varies by plan and by state. If you pay cash, breast ultrasound was $160 self-pay at Memorial Healthcare System and $93 to $444 for one breast across MDsave's national listings; both-breast listings ran $174 to $316 in Dallas and $298 to $658 in Houston. Quote breast MRI (77049) separately. Our ultrasound cost guide covers how cash ultrasound pricing works. Decide on supplemental imaging with a clinician who knows your history, because extra imaging can also lead to more follow-up tests and biopsies.

How to Save on a Mammogram

• Check eligibility before you pay. The CDC program, Medicare, and an in-network ACA plan can each bring a screening to $0.
• Start from a published price. A posted rate such as Memorial's $99 3D screening, Green Imaging's $125 starting price or RadiologyAssist's roughly $140 gives you a number to hold a local quote against.
• Get a Good Faith Estimate. If you are uninsured or not using insurance and schedule at least three business days ahead, the provider must give you a written estimate. If the final bill is at least $400 above it, you can dispute it through the CMS process.
• Quote by code. Ask for 77067 alone and with the 77063 add-on so you can see what 3D adds at that facility.
• Ask what is included. Confirm that the radiologist's reading is in the price, and what happens if you are asked for extra views or an ultrasound.
• Skip add-ons you have not discussed. Optional AI-assisted reads, such as RadNet's $40 EBCD or SimonMed's $50 Mammogram+, are extra charges; SimonMed says Mammogram+ is not yet covered by insurance, and RadNet's coverage notes for EBCD vary by region.
• Read marketplace terms. MDsave's prices are prepaid; check for a marketplace fee and confirm the refund terms if you end up not getting the exam.
• Benchmark a hospital. Look up the hospital's posted cash price for 77067 and compare it with a freestanding center.
• Send prior images. If you change facilities, ask to have earlier mammograms sent for comparison, which helps the radiologist read your new exam.
• Use HSA or FSA funds. IRS Publication 502 counts X-rays for medical reasons as a medical expense. Confirm with your plan administrator and keep an itemized receipt.

When to See a Clinician, and Red Flags

Talk with a licensed clinician about when to start screening and how often, especially if you are under 40 or over 74. The USPSTF's average-risk recommendation does not apply to people with a known genetic mutation such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, a history of high-dose chest radiation at a young age, or a previous breast cancer or high-risk breast lesion. Those groups may need earlier or additional imaging, including MRI, which a clinician should plan.

See a clinician promptly, and ask for a diagnostic mammogram rather than a screening slot, if you notice any of the signs the National Cancer Institute lists as reasons for a diagnostic exam:

• A lump in the breast
• Breast pain
• Thickened skin on the breast
• Nipple discharge
• A change in breast size or shape

Be wary of any facility that cannot tell you whether it is MQSA-certified, will not put a self-pay price in writing, or steers you to a cheaper screening slot when you have a symptom. A normal screening mammogram does not rule out a lump you can feel; get any change examined even after a recent normal result. Elective imaging is not a substitute either: as our full-body MRI cost guide explains, a whole-body screening MRI does not replace the screenings your clinician recommends, including mammography.