Lower back X-ray cost in New York

In New York, 111 hospitals publish a cash price for X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine), 2 or 3 views: from $47.75 to $2,089.00, with a median of $275.16. The lowest price is at Garnet Health Medical Center (Middletown). The highest price is 43.7× the lowest.

• The median here, $275.16, is 9% below the US median of $303.00.
• That is 2.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($106.81).
• New York ranks 20th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 33 of 111 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

New York law (Public Health Law §2807-k(9-a), as amended in October 2024): uninsured patients with income below 200% of the federal poverty level owe nothing for emergency and medically necessary hospital care; up to 400% they pay on a sliding scale of at most 10% or 20% of what Medicaid would pay. Emergency care is covered for New York residents, other care for people living in the hospital's service area; immigration status does not count. Ask for the Uniform Hospital Financial Assistance form. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 72100. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 11, 2026. See them on a map