How we calculate the US cost

$30,000Average cost of a 3-day US hospital stayHealthCare.gov $18,865Average prenatal care + childbirth + postpartumUS pregnancy cost analyses $600National median cash price for an MRIExpected Health Imaging Price Index $1,335Avg hospital outpatient lower-back MRI (employer plans)Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker $1,784Median hospital list price for a high-acuity ED facility feeJAMA Network Open, 2024 $800–$2,500Typical ground ambulance base charge (BLS/ALS)Ambulance billing guides 2026

Calculator

You pick NHS services you used in the last 12 months.
We apply a USD low / typical / high for each drawn from US commercial and hospital price data.
Your receipt shows the typical total, with the range underneath.

What each number means

Low: freestanding / cash-pay prices (e.g. median cash MRI ~$600; cash X-ray ~$65).
Typical: middle estimate for someone facing US billed care without a negotiated insurer rate, or before meeting a deductible.
High: hospital list prices or complex cases (e.g. ED facility fee list medians up to ~$1,784 before doctor, labs and imaging).

Why US prices vary so much

US healthcare prices vary dramatically for the same service. For example, an MRI might cost around $610 in a physician’s office, but the price can rise to roughly $1,335 in a hospital outpatient setting (large employer plans, Peterson-KFF). Emergency department visits are also subject to wide swings in pricing: Medicaid and Medicare Advantage rates are often more than 70% lower than hospital list prices (JAMA Network Open, 2024). Even hospital stays can be extremely costly, with HealthCare.gov citing an average of $30,000 for a three-day inpatient stay: about $10,000 per night on that scale. And even with insurance, bills can add up quickly, as deductibles, copays, and coinsurance mean many insured Americans must pay significant amounts out of pocket before full coverage begins.

Sources

HealthCare.gov — $30,000 average 3-day hospital stay; broken leg up to $7,500.
JAMA Network Open (2024) — ED facility list / cash / payer rates for CPT 99283–99285.
Expected Health Imaging Price Index — national median cash MRI $600, CT $375, X-ray $65, ultrasound $150.
Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker — hospital vs office MRI price gap.
US pregnancy cost analyses — ~$18,865 average prenatal + birth + postpartum.
Ambulance billing guides (2026) — ground BLS/ALS base charges ~$800–$2,500.
CMS hospital price transparency — published hospital chargemasters and payer rates.
Full service-by-service cost table — every low / typical / high we use.