A mammogram is the rare test where the sticker price and the price you should actually pay are very different numbers, and not because of negotiation. If you are uninsured or your plan does not cover screening, there is a federally funded program that may cover the scan entirely, and most people who qualify for it have never heard of it.
That said, the cash market is real and worth knowing. Freestanding imaging centers publish flat rates, prepaid marketplaces list national ranges, and 2D versus 3D versus diagnostic are three different price points. This guide covers all of it as of September 2026, starting with the prices and ending with the route that costs nothing.
What Does a Mammogram Cost Without Insurance?
Figures below are published self-pay prices and prepaid marketplace rates as of September 2026, alongside average submitted charges from the CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners file (2024 claims, released May 2026).
| Service / Type | Low | Average | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D screening mammogram, flat imaging center self-pay | $99 | $129 | $249 |
| 2D screening mammogram, flat imaging center self-pay | n/a | $195 | n/a |
| 2D screening mammogram, prepaid cash (MDsave) | $169 | $276 | $523 |
| 3D screening mammogram, prepaid cash (MDsave) | $191 | $319 | $559 |
| Diagnostic mammogram, flat imaging center self-pay | $159 | n/a | $249 |
| CPT 77067 screening in an office setting (average billed charge) | n/a | $333.50 | n/a |
| CPT 77066 diagnostic, bilateral, office setting (average billed charge) | n/a | $428.17 | n/a |
| CPT 77063 3D add-on in an office setting (average billed charge) | n/a | $162.08 | n/a |
| NBCCEDP screening for eligible women | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Sources: Excel Medical Imaging publishes $129 for a 3D screening bilateral, currently promoted at $99, and $159 unilateral or $195 bilateral for a 3D diagnostic exam; Advanced Medical Imaging publishes $195 for a 2D screening and $249 for a 2D/3D screening or diagnostic mammogram, both flat and including the radiologist read; the prepaid ranges and averages come from MDsave’s 2D and 3D screening mammogram listings, which also give estimated national averages of $389 and $537 respectively; billed-charge figures are national averages in the CMS 2024 physician file; the $0 row is the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program for women who meet its income, age and insurance criteria.
The spread between $99 and $559 for the same 3D screening exam is not a data error. A center that markets a flat cash rate and a facility that bills a screening mammogram through normal channels are running two different businesses on one machine.
What Drives the Price
Screening versus diagnostic
A screening mammogram is the routine exam done when nothing is wrong. A diagnostic mammogram takes additional views, usually because something showed up on a screening or because you have a symptom, and it costs more. In the CMS 2024 file, screening mammography (CPT 77067) carried an average submitted charge of $333.50 in office settings against $428.17 for bilateral diagnostic mammography (CPT 77066). At Excel Medical Imaging the same split is $129 screening versus $159 to $195 diagnostic.
This distinction also decides whether insurance pays. The ACA preventive rule attaches to screening, not diagnostic, which is why an insured woman called back for extra views can suddenly owe money on what she thought was a free test.
2D versus 3D tomosynthesis
3D mammography, or digital breast tomosynthesis, takes multiple images and reconstructs them, and it is now the default at most centers. The premium is smaller than people expect. In 2024 CMS data the 3D add-on code (77063) carried an average submitted charge of $162.08 in office settings with a Medicare-allowed amount of $40.12. On MDsave, 2D screening averages $276 nationally and 3D averages $319, a difference of $43.
Where you go
The largest single variable. A freestanding imaging center publishing $99 to $249 all in and a hospital outpatient breast center billing screening plus tomosynthesis plus a professional read are separated by hundreds of dollars for an identical exam. MDsave’s own estimated national averages of $389 for 2D and $537 for 3D describe what the exam costs when nobody shops.
Whether the read is bundled
Both centers cited here state the radiologist interpretation is inside the flat price, with Advanced Medical Imaging adding that there are no separate facility fees and results arrive within about 48 hours. A hospital quote frequently covers the technical component only, and the reading radiologist’s group bills separately weeks later. Always ask.
Unilateral versus bilateral
Diagnostic exams are priced per side. Excel Medical Imaging lists 3D diagnostic at $159 unilateral and $195 bilateral. If you are quoted a diagnostic price, confirm which one it is.
Cash Price vs. Insurance
For screening mammograms, insurance is the clear winner when you have it. As Susan G. Komen explains, since 2010 the Affordable Care Act has required all new health insurance plans to cover screening mammograms with no co-payment, every one to two years for women 40 and older and every year if a health care provider recommends it. Medicare and Medicaid cover screening mammograms as well.
That rule is exactly why this page exists, though. It does nothing for someone with no plan at all, and it does not reach diagnostic imaging, so a callback for extra views or a breast ultrasound lands on your deductible even with good coverage.
For an uninsured reader, the ranking is straightforward. Check the free program first. If you do not qualify, buy a flat-rate cash exam at a freestanding center, which at $99 to $249 is well under both the MDsave estimated national averages and the $333.50 average billed charge in CMS data. Do not let a screening mammogram be billed through a hospital outpatient department at full charge if you have any alternative.
Age 40 is the number to remember. It is where the ACA coverage obligation Komen describes begins for insured women, and it is also the lower bound of the CDC program’s breast screening eligibility, which runs from 40 to 64. If you are under 40 and uninsured, neither route is automatic and you are shopping the cash market.
How to Pay Less
- Start with the CDC program, not the price list. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program funds 71 award recipients across states, territories and tribal organizations, and provides free or low-cost screening if you have no insurance or your insurance does not cover screening exams, your yearly income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, and you are aged 40 to 64. Certain younger or older women may also qualify. In 2024 the program provided breast screening and diagnostic services to 305,992 women and it also covers diagnostic follow-up when a screening is abnormal. Use the CDC’s program finder to reach your state’s contact.
- Call the Komen Breast Care Helpline. Susan G. Komen’s navigators connect people to no-cost screening mammograms and diagnostic services based on income eligibility, plus local low-cost programs. The number is 1-877-465-6636, answered Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET and Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, with Spanish available.
- Ask a freestanding center for its flat self-pay mammogram rate. The phrasing is “what is your self-pay price for a screening mammogram, all in, including the radiologist read.” Published rates run $99 to $249. Check any quote against our fair price checker.
- Watch October. Komen notes that each October, during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many imaging centers offer mammograms at reduced rates. If your timing is flexible and you are paying cash, that is the cheapest month of the year to book.
- Try a community health center or free clinic. Sliding-scale clinics frequently have referral arrangements with local imaging providers and are the fastest way to get an order plus a discounted scan in one place. Our guide to free clinics and sliding-scale care explains how to find one.
- If a hospital bill shows up, work it down. Request an itemized hospital bill so you can see the technical charge, the tomosynthesis add-on and the professional read separately, use our medical bill negotiation guide and negotiation script to get to the posted cash rate, and check our hospital charity care guide if the balance is large.
How It Compares to Other Screening Tests
At $99 to $249 cash, a mammogram is one of the cheaper screening exams you can buy outright, comparable to a DEXA bone density scan and well under a colonoscopy or a PET scan. Follow-up imaging changes the math, though: a callback often means a diagnostic mammogram plus a breast ultrasound, and the two together can double the day’s cost.
That is another reason the CDC program is worth checking even if $129 sounds affordable. It covers diagnostic services after an abnormal screening, not just the first scan, which is the part that actually gets expensive.
This is a cost guide and not medical guidance. When to start screening and how often is a conversation for a clinician. What it should cost, and how to pay nothing if you qualify, is what this page is for.
Bottom Line
A mammogram is a $99 to $249 flat cash purchase at a freestanding imaging center that publishes rates, $169 to $559 prepaid through MDsave depending on 2D versus 3D, and a $333.50 to $428.17 billed charge if you let it run through normal channels. But the first call should not be to an imaging center at all. If you are uninsured, aged 40 to 64 and under 250% of the federal poverty level, the CDC’s screening program may cover the mammogram and the follow-up diagnostics for free, and Komen’s helpline can find it for you in one phone call.