Barium swallow cost in Brownsville, TX
In Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $175.00 to $3,974.18, with a median of $2,074.59. The lowest listed price is at Harlingen Medical Center — $1,899.59 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $501.34 at 226 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 XR ESOPHAGUS - 74220 - 416701050 | $175.00 | $1,148.00 | $97.56–$1,211.00 | 85% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 XR ESOPHAGUS - 74220 - 407001050 | $175.00 | $1,451.01 | $97.56–$1,211.00 | 88% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Regional Medical Center Brownsville, TX · (956) 350-7000 Radiologic examination, esophagus, including scout chest radiograph(s) and delayed image(s), when performed; single-contrast (eg, barium) study | $3,974.18 | $3,974.18 | $101.90 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Regional Medical Center Brownsville, TX · (956) 350-7000 XR ESOPHAGUS | $3,974.18 | $3,974.18 | $278.19–$3,378.05 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $175.00, median $2,074.59, highest $3,974.18 — a 22.7× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A barium swallow is a live X-ray of the esophagus while you drink barium. It shows narrowing, hernias and problems with how food passes.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the study and the barium. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.