Lower back MRI cost in Maine
In Maine, 25 hospitals publish a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $235.00 to $3,185.00, with a median of $1,419.25. The lowest price is at Central Maine Medical Center (Lewiston). The highest price is 13.6× the lowest.
- The median here, $1,419.25, is 25% below the US median of $1,902.72.
- That is 5.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- Maine ranks 13th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
- 7 of 25 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 72148. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 4, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$235.00Central Maine Medical Center
Median$1,419.25half of hospitals charge less
Highest$3,185.00in Maine
Lowest saves$1,184.25vs the median
Hospitals in Maine, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Maine Medical Center lowest Lewiston · Lewiston-Auburn, ME HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE | $235.00 | $2,668.44 | Jun 25, 2026 source file |
| Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center Bangor · Bangor, ME MRI LUMBAR SPINE | $362.88 | $1,728.00 | Feb 3, 2026 source file |
| Northern Light AR Gould Hospital Presque Isle · Presque Isle, ME MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST | $377.58 | $1,798.00 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital Ellsworth · Ellsworth, ME MRI Exam DTA | $449.50 | $1,798.00 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Northern Light Mercy Hospital Portland · Portland-South Portland, ME MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO CONTRAST | $484.64 | $1,864.00 | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Northern Light Mayo Hospital Dover Foxcroft · Dover Foxcroft, ME MRI Spine Lumbar w/o Contrast | $610.17 | $1,849.00 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital Pittsfield · Pittsfield, ME MRI LUMBAR SPINE | $628.66 | $1,849.00 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Blue Hill Memorial Hospital Blue Hill · Blue Hill, ME LUMBAR SPINE | $684.13 | $1,849.00 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Rumford Hospital Rumford · Rumford, ME HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE | $773.00 | $2,668.44 | Apr 29, 2026 source file |
| Bridgton Hospital Bridgton · Portland-South Portland, ME HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE | $827.00 | $2,668.44 | Apr 29, 2026 source file |
| St Mary's Regional Medical Center Lewiston · Lewiston-Auburn, ME HC MRI-SPINE LUMBAR WO CONTRAST | $1,124.42 | $2,959.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital Rockport · Rockport, ME HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,400.95 | $1,400.95 | Oct 30, 2026 source file |
| MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital Brunswick · Portland-South Portland, ME HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,419.25 | $1,419.25 | Oct 30, 2026 source file |
| Millinocket Regional Hospital Millinocket · Bangor, ME MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,485.00 | $1,650.00 | May 26, 2026 source file |
| MaineHealth Stephens Hospital Norway · Norway, ME HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,582.55 | $1,582.55 | Oct 30, 2026 source file |
| Down East Community Hospital Machias · Machias, ME MRI scan of lower spinal canal | $1,820.00 | $2,426.00 | — source file |
| Houlton Regional Hospital Houlton · Houlton, ME MRI SPINAL CANALLUMBAR W/O CO | $1,836.35 | $1,933.00 | Mar 25, 2026 source file |
| York Hospital York · Portland-South Portland, ME MRI L/SPINE W/O GAD 72148 | $1,874.40 | $3,124.00 | Jul 4, 2026 source file |
| Calais Community Hospital Calais · Calais, ME MRI scan of lower spinal canal | $1,910.00 | $2,546.00 | — source file |
| Mount Desert Island Hospital Bar Harbor · Bar Harbor, ME MR LUMBAR SPINE SURVEY | $2,102.40 | $2,336.00 | Jul 8, 2026 source file |
| Penobscot Valley Hospital Lincoln · Bangor, ME MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,196.82 | $2,746.03 | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| LincolnHealth Damariscotta · Damariscotta, ME HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $2,393.20 | $2,393.20 | Oct 30, 2026 source file |
| MaineHealth Waldo Hospital Belfast · Belfast, ME HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $2,677.60 | $2,677.60 | Oct 30, 2026 source file |
| MaineHealth Franklin Hospital Farmington · Farmington, ME HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $2,802.95 | $2,802.95 | Oct 30, 2026 source file |
| MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Biddeford Biddeford · Portland-South Portland, ME HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $3,185.00 | $3,185.00 | Oct 30, 2026 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-South Portland, ME | 5 | $484.64 | $1,419.25 |
| Bangor, ME | 3 | $362.88 | $1,485.00 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 2 | $235.00 | $679.71 |
| Bar Harbor, ME | 1 | $2,102.40 | $2,102.40 |
| Belfast, ME | 1 | $2,677.60 | $2,677.60 |
| Blue Hill, ME | 1 | $684.13 | $684.13 |
| Calais, ME | 1 | $1,910.00 | $1,910.00 |
| Damariscotta, ME | 1 | $2,393.20 | $2,393.20 |
| Dover Foxcroft, ME | 1 | $610.17 | $610.17 |
| Ellsworth, ME | 1 | $449.50 | $449.50 |
| Farmington, ME | 1 | $2,802.95 | $2,802.95 |
| Houlton, ME | 1 | $1,836.35 | $1,836.35 |
| Machias, ME | 1 | $1,820.00 | $1,820.00 |
| Norway, ME | 1 | $1,582.55 | $1,582.55 |
| Pittsfield, ME | 1 | $628.66 | $628.66 |
| Presque Isle, ME | 1 | $377.58 | $377.58 |
| Rockport, ME | 1 | $1,400.95 | $1,400.95 |
| Rumford, ME | 1 | $773.00 | $773.00 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What lower back MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lower back MRI explained.
MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in other states
- Alabama$1,596.76
- Alaska$3,437.78
- Arizona$1,752.45
- Arkansas$891.78
- California$3,060.69
- Colorado$2,164.66
- Connecticut$1,437.00
- Delaware$2,452.48
- District of Columbia$2,013.00, 3 hospitals
- Florida$3,699.50
- Georgia$1,713.00
- Hawaii$1,531.60
- Idaho$1,557.45
- Illinois$2,881.44
- Indiana$1,016.72
- Iowa$2,371.13
- Kansas$1,240.13
- Kentucky$1,725.03
- Louisiana$1,032.62
- Maryland$495.14
- Massachusetts$1,805.25
- Michigan$1,806.88
- Minnesota$2,036.24
- Mississippi$1,302.62
- Missouri$1,861.45
- Montana$1,753.00
- Nebraska$3,216.00
- Nevada$2,308.53
- New Hampshire$2,455.25
- New Jersey$591.91
- New Mexico$2,038.78
- New York$1,307.22
- North Carolina$2,227.59
- North Dakota$1,934.90
- Ohio$1,666.80
- Oklahoma$1,264.00
- Oregon$1,870.75
- Pennsylvania$1,790.00
- Puerto Rico$725.00
- Rhode Island$2,250.00
- South Carolina$2,193.60
- South Dakota$3,269.60
- Tennessee$984.54
- Texas$2,190.02
- Utah$4,273.11
- Vermont$3,576.90
- Virginia$2,000.00
- Washington$2,100.33
- West Virginia$1,350.75
- Wisconsin$2,210.00
- Wyoming$2,274.75
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.