Ultrasound cost in California with insurance (2026): what insurers pay
Ultrasound cost in California with insurance, 2026: insurers pay a typical $149 to $356 for an ultrasound at doctors' offices and imaging centers, depending on what is scanned. Typical rates: abdominal ultrasound $164, pelvic ultrasound $149, first trimester ultrasound $164, echocardiogram $356. 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.
Ultrasound prices by type
| Scan | Typical rate | By insurer and area | Original Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal ultrasound CPT 76700 | $164 | $127 to $245 | $130 to $154 |
| Pelvic ultrasound CPT 76856 | $149 | $111 to $203 | $120 to $143 |
| First trimester ultrasound CPT 76801 | $164 | $135 to $257 | $133 to $156 |
| Echocardiogram CPT 93306 | $356 | $289 to $504 | $225 to $265 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal ultrasound | $185 | $145 | $162 | $169 | $206 |
| Pelvic ultrasound | $157 | $121 | $147 | $150 | $183 |
| First trimester ultrasound | $181 | $154 | $158 | $167 | $203 |
| Echocardiogram | $489 | $341 | $355 | $370 | $392 |
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 ultrasound prices vary
- The area scanned. An abdominal, pelvic, pregnancy and heart ultrasound are each billed under their own code.
- Complete or limited. A limited ultrasound of one organ is a different code and is paid less than a complete one.
- Heart ultrasounds cost more. An echocardiogram includes Doppler measurements of blood flow and a cardiologist's reading.
- Where you get it. Hospital outpatient departments are usually paid more than doctors' offices and imaging centers for the same ultrasound.
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.