Mammogram cost in California with insurance (2026): what insurers pay
Mammogram cost in California with insurance, 2026: insurers pay a typical $182 to $225 for a mammogram at doctors' offices and imaging centers, depending on whether it is a screening or diagnostic mammogram. Typical rates: screening mammogram $182, diagnostic mammogram $225. Rates from the published files of Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna, in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Los Angeles.
Mammogram prices by type
| Scan | Typical rate | By insurer and area | Original Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screening mammogram CPT 77067 | $182 | $153 to $294 | $145 to $172 |
| Diagnostic mammogram CPT 77066 | $225 | $182 to $359 | $180 to $213 |
Typical rate: the middle of the insurer medians across areas, leaving out Anthem's rate menu. By insurer and area: the lowest to highest insurer median in any one area, including Anthem. Original Medicare varies by area.
What each insurer pays
| Scan | Anthem Blue Cross | Blue Shield of California | Aetna | UnitedHealthcare | Cigna |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screening mammogram | $203 | $172 | $167 | $191 | $217 |
| Diagnostic mammogram | $251 | $205 | $205 | $235 | $270 |
Each insurer's figure is the middle of its area medians. Anthem Blue Cross figures reflect the menu of rates Anthem lists across its contracts, not contract-specific prices (why), so the typical rate leaves Anthem out. Kaiser Permanente is not listed: most Kaiser care is prepaid inside its own system, and it does not publish usable per-service rates.
Why mammogram prices vary
- Screening or diagnostic. A screening mammogram is preventive care that most plans cover with no cost to you for women 40 and older in network. A diagnostic mammogram, done to check a symptom such as a lump, is a different code and usually goes through your deductible and coinsurance.
- Follow-up after an abnormal screening. For plan years starting in 2026, most plans must also cover the additional imaging needed to finish a screening, such as a diagnostic mammogram, with no cost to you.
- 3D screening mammography (tomosynthesis) is billed as an add-on code (77063) on top of a screening mammogram.
Paying without insurance
The rates on this page are what insurers pay in network, not cash prices. If you are paying yourself, they are still a useful benchmark: ask the provider for its self-pay price before you book and compare it with these rates. Many freestanding imaging centers post cash prices for scans. Hospitals must publish a discounted cash price under federal price transparency rules, and if you are uninsured or paying yourself, the No Surprises Act entitles you to a written good faith estimate before scheduled care.
Get the price for your exact plan
An insurer has many contracts, and each plan uses one of them. The figures on this page cover all of an insurer's contracts in the area. The price for your plan depends on which one applies, and that is set by your employer or, if you buy your own coverage, by the plan you chose. The plan name is on your insurance card.
Your insurer's own cost tool gives a plan-specific estimate once you sign in:
- Anthem Blue Cross: Anthem's Find Care and cost estimates
- Blue Shield of California: Blue Shield's Treatment Cost Estimator
- Aetna: Aetna's Find Care cost estimates
- UnitedHealthcare: UnitedHealthcare's price transparency tool
- Cigna: the myCigna cost estimator (sign in)
AI assistants can look it up too. Arlo's free price transparency API and the Arlo MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT take a service, a ZIP code and a plan, and return nearby in-network providers with their negotiated rates.
Where these numbers come from
Rates come from the price transparency files Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna publish. We clean the files before summarizing them and only show an insurer when enough providers report a rate. Medicare figures are from the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule. More on how these pages are built.