How much does a wrist x-ray cost without insurance?

[Gravitycollapse]

I was in a motorcycle accident today and I'm nearly certain I broke my wrist. However, I don't have health insurance.

I was wondering if someone could give me a ballpark estimate before I get it looked at.

[joshcryer]

1. $500 or so, but you'd need to go through the ER.

And all the intake forms and whatnot. You're probably looking at at least $1,000.

[Gravitycollapse]

2. Will they just bill it to me? Or do I have to pay up front?

[joshcryer]

5. They can't refuse to treat you.

So yeah, they will bill it to you.

Please get checked out. I had a compression fracture when I was a kid. Hurt like hell. Luckily we had Medicaid.

edit: they don't necessarily have to give you a proper cast, though, they might give you one of those generic ones that strap on as opposed to a full wrist wrap with plaster. That's what they did to me when I was a kid but that strap hurt like hell and we went to a better hospital where they gave me a full plaster wrap.

[Safetykitten]

6. Correct.

[Gravitycollapse]

7. I'm going to try and get into my doctor tomorrow.

[joshcryer]

8. Take it easy, check my edit, too.

If it's a compound / compression fracture it'll heal on it's own but you can't do squat with that wrist at all or you're done for and could make it worse...

[Art_from_Ark]

27. Wow, that's crazy

The uninsured cost for a foot X-ray in my hometown is $45.

[shaylah2012]

40. wow!

$45?? Where do you live?

[Art_from_Ark]

41. I don't live there anymore, but I occasionally go back

Northwest Arkansas. I was having foot problems the last time I was back (last year) and asked about getting an examination at a local foot clinic. They said the total price would be $160, including $45 for the X-ray.

[Safetykitten]

3. In Phoenix? About 3 grand when all is said and done.

[VanillaRhapsody]

4. It is so late...you should just go to the emergency room..

4 months ago....I fell (trying to roller skate) thought I sprained my wrist...went to a walk in clinic....to have an xray "just in case". 5 days later I was having surgery to put a plate and screws into my wrist. I am finishing Physical Therapy this week....Please please please go have that thing looked at. Trust me on this....had I not sought treatment...I would have suffered a crippling injury. I thought I just sprained it because I could "still move my fingers".....little did I know what was in store for me this entire summer! Just go....

[SharonAnn]

26. I'm currently in a cast for a broken wrist.

Needed some hardware to put the 2 pieces together so they would heal correctly. Otherwise the bones will drift out of alignment. Then, you have permanent damage and the wrist (a complicated structure of many small bones) will never work correctly again. It could be almost unusable.

I'm on Medicare so I was covered. But the fear of having a useless hand would've driven me to get it checked out even without it.

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. Exactly....you don't know how important a wrist is until you lose the use of one...

it boggles the mind....particularly since I had to go and break my dominant wrist. I'll have to say I have had an interesting summer...

[pnwmom]

9. If you have an urgent care center in your area, they can treat simple fractures.

You could call and just ask them what it would cost to get an x-ray. If it turns out you need further treatment, make sure you take the x-ray with you since you paid for it -- it's yours.

This is the kind of place I'm talking about. They list the kind of services they provide as opposed to a hospital emergency room. My son recently went to one on a Saturday when our doctor's office was closed, and it was much cheaper than going to an emergency room.

http://www.overlakehospital.org/services/medical-clinics/urgent-care/redmond/#Urgent-Care

[grasswire]

10. It would be cheaper to go to a walk-in clinic than the ER.

I agree that you could suffer tremendous nerve injury or some other calamity if you don't get it looked at.

Do you have insurance on your motorcycle that will pay medical bills?

[Gravitycollapse]

11. No, in fact I only have liability on the motorcycle.

Don't even get me started on the actual cost repair and medical care. It's too much for me to handle right now.

Just towing it back to my house cost me 600 dollars.

[joshcryer]

12. Damn, that sucks!

So the motorcycle was salvageable at least? I've yet to lay one down but I have many friends who would've scrapped their motorcycle for that cost.

[Gravitycollapse]

13. This is what it looked like...

The bike was tipped over to the other side. But all the damage is visible here.



The reason why the tow was so expensive is that I was 150 miles from home.

[joshcryer]

17. :(

Best of luck man, that sucks so bad.

[Nye Bevan]

14. NEGOTIATE, NEGOTIATE, NEGOTIATE.

Call around a few facilities before you go anywhere. Tell them that you have no insurance and would like an x-ray, but that you need to be sure what the cost will be ahead of time. Almost nobody pays "list price" for medical procedures, as the insurance companies negotiate discounted rates, but you should be able to negotiate down to at least the discounted insurance company rate, even though you are paying out of pocket.

Here's a story about someone who negotiated the cost of a hernia procedure down from $20,000 to $3,000:

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/a/SB10001424127887324139404579017113415486176?mg=reno64-wsj

[Safetykitten]

15. He will need the cash or credit card at time of service then. They will not bill.

That's why you go to the emergency room.

[alittlelark]

18. That is NOT why you go to the Emergency room.

You go there for an urgent issue.


BTW - creepy answer you gave....

[pnwmom]

34. Great advice. I also know someone who tried to negotiate after the fact.

After her expensive emergency room visit, she wrote a letter to the hospital telling them what her income was and asking if she could spread out the payments somehow -- and they forgave the whole thing!

[Trekologer]

38. Everything is negotiable

Here's an article on how to negotiate medical bills.

And here's the Healthcare Blue Book, which lists fair prices for various healthcare procedures:

According to it, the fair price for a hand x-ray (closest listed to wrist) is $38 and wrist cast $160. As always with negotiating, start lower than the "fair" price.

[SheilaT]

16. There is usually not one simple answer to that question.

It will depend on the specific ER or Urgent Care facility. I strongly recommend the latter.

I can't speak for any other hospitals, but the one I work for will offer an up-front 40 percent or so reduction if you pay within a month.

Make some phone calls first thing tomorrow. And absolutely get it looked at as soon as possible. Broken bones are not to be taken lightly.

[newfie11]

19. Call around, prices differ

But keep in mind you will also be charged a reading fee by the radiologist that reads your X-ray.

[rug]

20. Call one of these places.

http://www.concentra.com/urgent-care-centers/arizona/phoenix-urgent-care.aspx

There seems to be quite a few companies staffing urgent care centers in Phoenix. I bet they're for-profit so shop around.

[Demonaut]

21. why is this a question in this country?..it's absurd we build carriers and can't treat our citizens

with simple healthcare

it's obscene

[gopiscrap]

23. I have been saying this for years

[newfie11]

32. Even Mexico has nationalized health care for all

We are being left behind in this world as far as progress goes.
Oh unless you look at weapons design, development, and manufacturing.

[gopiscrap]

22. I had one once at a Dr.'s office for 210.00

[quinnox]

24. The cost doesn't matter, just make sure to have it checked out

I know you are a young person, and no matter what the costs is, it should be looked at and fixed. You don't want to have a screwed up wrist when you are still so young and have the rest of your life to live. If you have to, just go to an emergency room. They are forced to help you there, and they know most people will not ever be able to pay them back.


Please let us know what happened when you get it looked at (and do it ASAP, if it really hurts, go to the emergency room at once, tonight!). As I told you before, I have really enjoyed your postings here. I am sorry this happened, and I am concerned about you.

[Hekate]

25. Unfortunately it depends on the hospital

Best of luck -- take care of it, because you really don't want it to heal badly.

[cynatnite]

28. It depends on how serious of a break it is...

You will have to include the doctor visit, radiologist reading the x-ray, and treatment. If it's a serious break they may want to do a more in depth scan and have an orthopedist look at it as well. You may even need surgery.

It really depends on how serious of a break you have to know the costs. It could run into several thousand dollars or perhaps be as low as 700-800 dollars.

If you don't get it looked at you run the risk of more serious damage as time goes on.

Then again, it may not even be broken at all. It could be just a sprain.

The only way to know is to get it looked at. Good luck.

on edit: If you want to mitigate your costs, go to an urgent care and not an ER.

[Warpy]

29. If you've got urgent care centers in your area, go there first thing tomorrow morning

as soon as they open. You are going to want that taken care of ASAP if it's broken, otherwise it won't heal correctly.

I'm assuming it's turned all sorts of funny colors but doesn't have bone sticking through the skin. If it does, go to an ER NOW.

Some things are worth going into debt to get treated. This is one.

[Sgent]

31. Depends on your area

1) If there is any type of bleeding or bone showing go to the ER.

2) Otherwise you can wait until tomorrow AM and either see your regular doctor if you have one or go to an urgent care facility.

If you call around and negotiate, the urgent care visit with x-ray should be less than $250 in most areas of the country. If you see your regular doctor and she doesn't perform x-rays in office, ask her for a referral to a local outpatient free-standing facility and call them to negotiate. Usually the x-ray should be less than $75 including radiologist reading (often quite a bit less) if you pay with a credit card / cash.

One thing to note -- if you go the ER it depends but unless its a compound fracture they will probably discharge you with a referral to one of their on staff orthopedists -- there is no legal requirement to treat such an injury once its established that your stable.

FYI, emergency physicians and family practice / medicine physicians have training in the evaluation of fractures and treatment of simple fractures. Internal medicine docs may have the expertise as well depending on their specific program and / or post residency experience.

[B Calm]

33. It's what comes after the x-ray that cost money. You'll need a cast

and therapy.

[AngryOldDem]

35. You may also get a bill from the doctor who interprets it.

I've gotten separate bills in the past, although this may not be an issue with you.

I'd say plan on at least a couple hundred dollars.

And it is a damn shame that people in this country have to lie on a hospital gurney and do mental math to see how much medical care will possibly cost them. It's bullshit, and just wrong.

[rightsideout]

36. You'll need more than one X-ray

I broke my wrist a few years ago on a Friday. I called my doctor over the weekend and he had me go directly to a radiologist then had me go to an orthopedic surgeon with the films for treatment. I skipped the whole hospital thing. Just did referrals from my doctor by phone.

But the orthopedic surgeon had a least 4 X-Rays done during the time I was in a cast. I asked why so many X-rays and he said because of where the break was he had to make sure it was healing properly. Otherwise, I would need surgery and have to have it reset. So he said better safe than sorry to make sure it was healing properly.

So be prepared for more than one X-Ray. My wrist if fine today. I can't even remember which one it was now.

But I didn't get it looked at for a couple days. I broke it on Friday and by Monday I was in a lot of pain. It was obviously more than a sprain.

[Yo_Mama]

37. About $200 in an outpatient clinic cash

In some places, maybe $150. Don't go to a hospital, though.

[NCTraveler]

39. The free clinic in my area...

The free clinic in my area will give out referrals for xrays to a place they work with. This place will take the xray and have it read for $46. It is a great service that they offer. That still doesn't help you if it is broken. It will let you know the severity of the problem.