When it comes to diagnostic imaging, the average costs of angiograms, abdominal CTs, and MRIs are higher in the United States than in other industrialized countries, according to the International Federation of Health Plans’ 2013 Comparative Price Report.
The average cost of an angiogram in the United States last year was $907, about 11% higher than Argentina’s $818, which was the second-highest of the six countries included in all three IFHP comparisons. The lowest cost among the six countries was in the Netherlands, at $174.
For an abdominal CT scan, the average cost in the United States was $896 in 2013, compared with $500 in Australia. Spain had the lowest cost, with an average of $94, the IFHP reported. In the United States, the average price for an MRI in 2013 was $1,145, with the Netherlands second at $461 and Switzerland lowest at $138.
New Zealand, which was not included in the angiogram analysis and therefore left out of the graph below, was actually the second most-expensive country in which to get a CT scan ($731) and an MRI ($1,005).
The IFHP is composed of more than 100 member companies in 25 countries. For the survey, the price for each country was submitted by participating member plans. Some prices are drawn from the public sector, and some are from the private sector. U.S. averages are calculated from more than 100 million claims in the Truven MarketScan Research databases.
