Bill of Health

We priced

Lower back X-ray

A standard X-ray series of the lower spine, at least four views.

47 hospitals · 1633 published rates Cheapest $16.40 · dearest $349.44

Sorted cheapest first. A published figure that behaves like a placeholder rather than a real price — one cent, or a figure orders of magnitude below what other hospitals publish for the same billing code — never leads this order. It stays listed, after every other figure, ordered by its own amount among the others like it.

See these on a map →

MacNeal Hospital Gottlieb Community Health Services Corporation
Berwyn 96 published rates
$19.07 – $1,390.54
negotiated rate
Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago (Presence Chicago Hospital Network)
49 published rates
$44.12 – $730.42
negotiated rate
Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital
Wheaton 28 published rates
$349.44 – $832
negotiated rate

Comparisons against other hospitals were computed on 2 November 2026. Each price carries its own fetch date; a comparison is a snapshot of what other hospitals had published when it ran, not a standing fact.

Why a range? One insurer publishes different rates for different plans at the same hospital — a PPO and an HMO under the same name can differ several times over. We show what the hospital published rather than collapsing it into a single number that might not be yours.