Explore real healthcare budgets, estimate procedure costs, understand insurance coverage, and compare providers - all before making healthcare decisions.
Cost questions are only half the picture. Coverage questions - what insurance pays, when, and why - are where most families get surprised.
Is colonoscopy free? When does a screening become diagnostic - and trigger cost-sharing? Preventive vs. diagnostic status can change your bill from $0 to $2,000 for the same procedure.
What does Medicare pay for imaging, surgery, and screening? Part A vs. Part B cost-sharing differs significantly by setting - hospital outpatient vs. physician office changes what you owe.
Will insurance require approval before your procedure? Prior auth denials are the most common reason claims are delayed or rejected - and the rules vary by plan and procedure type.
When can a provider bill you beyond your plan's allowed amount? The No Surprises Act (2022) limits this - but loopholes exist. Know when you're protected and when you're not.
Healthcare commonly splits a single visit into multiple charges from different billing entities. A colonoscopy, for example, typically generates:
Each bill has its own CPT code, its own network status, and its own cost-sharing calculation. CostKits helps you predict all of them - and verify each one when the bills arrive.
New to healthcare costs? These guides explain the concepts behind medical bills, insurance, and healthcare budgeting.
CostKits is a healthcare cost-planning platform for U.S. families, built by a healthcare actuary. It helps patients and caregivers understand, predict, and manage what medical care will actually cost — before the bills arrive. With CostKits you can:
CostKits is built for the people who actually manage their household's medical spending.
Households that want to budget for the year, avoid surprise bills, and know what care will cost before scheduling it.
Parents planning for well-child visits, vaccines, urgent care, and the occasional ER trip — and checking those bills for errors.
Caregivers coordinating procedures, imaging, and hospital stays for a parent, who need to forecast and verify costs on someone else's behalf.
HDHP and HSA members who pay full price until the deductible is met, and need to track exactly where they stand all year.
Most tools do one thing: a price lookup, a bill scanner, or an insurer estimate. CostKits connects the full picture — from researching a price to forecasting your year to checking the final bill.
Real price ranges by procedure, state, and insurance type — not a single national "average" that doesn't reflect what you'll pay.
A forward-looking forecast for your whole household's year, modeling likely visits, imaging, labs, and hospital use — not just a one-time lookup.
Checks your bills against expected allowed amounts to flag likely errors, duplicate charges, and overcharges you can dispute.
Tracks how close you are to your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, so you know when your costs are about to drop.
Model how a plan's deductible, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket max change what you'll actually spend — before you commit to it.
These are the exact questions people ask - about costs, coverage, providers, and bills. CostKits is built to answer them.
MRI costs range from $400 to $3,500+ depending on your state, the facility type (hospital vs. standalone imaging center), and the body part being imaged. Hospital outpatient MRIs average 200–300% more than independent imaging centers for the same scan. See MRI cost by state.
A preventive colonoscopy is covered at 100% (no cost-sharing) under the ACA for most plans. But if polyps are removed, the claim can reclassify from preventive to diagnostic - triggering your deductible and coinsurance for the same visit. This "diagnostic colonoscopy" reclassification surprises millions of patients each year. See colonoscopy coverage guide.
Your deductible is the amount you pay before insurance starts sharing costs. Your out-of-pocket maximum is the most you'll pay in a year - after which insurance covers 100%. Many families confuse these two limits. See deductible vs. out-of-pocket max explained.
Most hospital procedures generate at least two bills: a facility fee (from the hospital or surgery center) and a professional fee (from the physician). They may have different network status and different cost-sharing. See the EOB vs. medical bill guide for how to reconcile them.
The allowed amount is your insurer's negotiated rate - what they've agreed to pay the provider. It's typically 30–70% less than the provider's list (chargemaster) price. Your cost-sharing is calculated on the allowed amount, not the billed amount. If you're in-network, you should never owe more than the allowed amount. See allowed amount vs. negotiated rate.
Common billing errors include: duplicate line items, upcoded procedure codes, charges for services not received, unbundling (splitting one service into multiple billed codes), and patient responsibility amounts that exceed the allowed rate. CostKits analyzes your bill line by line and flags amounts that fall outside expected ranges. Check your bill free →
Prior authorization requirements vary by plan, procedure, and setting. Imaging (MRI, CT), surgery, certain medications, and specialist referrals commonly require advance approval. A denied prior auth can result in the full cost being your responsibility. Check your plan's prior auth list before scheduling elective procedures.
If you've already met your deductible, completing elective care before your benefits reset in January can save you significantly. If you haven't met your deductible, it may make more sense to delay. CostKits tracks your deductible progress so you can time procedures to your advantage. Check your deductible status →
Most families underestimate annual out-of-pocket costs because they only plan for premiums - not deductibles, coinsurance, and unexpected utilization. A personalized CostKits forecast models your household's likely primary care, specialist, emergency, inpatient, and lab use to build a realistic annual budget range. Build your forecast free →
Browse real price ranges by procedure and state. Start with the most common:
Our estimates combine published pricing benchmarks, your plan's benefit design, real-world billing patterns, and actuarial forecasting. Here's what goes into a CostKits estimate.
We anchor estimates to published and publicly reported price benchmarks so ranges reflect what care actually costs in your state — not a single national average.
We factor in how your plan works — deductible, coinsurance, copays, and out-of-pocket maximum — to estimate your share, not just the sticker price.
We compare charges against typical allowed amounts and common billing patterns to flag prices and errors that fall outside the expected range.
We apply actuarial utilization modeling to your household profile — estimating likely primary care, specialist, emergency, inpatient, and lab use — to project your annual cost as a range.
CostKits was created by John Caruso, FSA, MAAA — a healthcare actuary with more than two decades of experience in healthcare pricing, claims, reimbursement, and analytics. That background is why CostKits explains why costs vary and how the system works, rather than just listing prices.
After more than two decades working in healthcare pricing, claims, reimbursement, and analytics, I realized that consumers were still expected to make major financial decisions with very little practical guidance. Healthcare costs affect nearly every family, yet understanding what a procedure will cost, how insurance applies, and why bills arrive the way they do remains incredibly difficult. I started CostKits to help bridge that gap — combining pricing data, insurance concepts, medical bills, and spending history into a single view that is practical for real-world decision making.
CostKits is funded by a simple subscription, not by selling your data or taking referral fees from providers. A free estimate is always available; the paid CostKits Plan ($15/month or $150/year) unlocks the full forecast range, insurance modeling, and ongoing tracking. Because we answer to subscribers — not advertisers — our estimates stay on your side.
Use CostKits APIs and embeddable widgets to power cost estimators, coverage checkers, and bill analysis tools. Trusted healthcare financial infrastructure - built by an actuary, backed by Medicare and commercial payer data.
<script src="https://cdn.costkits.com/widget.js"></script>
<div id="costkits-cost-estimator"
data-key="ck_pub_xxxxx"
data-procedure="colonoscopy"
data-state="CT">
</div>
POST /v1/estimate/procedure
Authorization: Bearer ck_sec_xxxxx
{ "procedure": "colonoscopy", "state": "CT" }
// Returns:
{ "estimate": { "low": 1800, "median": 4200,
"high": 8500 },
"settings": [{ "name": "asc", "median": 2400 }],
"confidence": 0.82 }
Simple annual healthcare cost estimate
Full forecast range + insurance modeling
A preventive colonoscopy is covered at 100% (no cost-sharing) for most insured adults under the ACA. However, if polyps are removed, your insurer may reclassify it from preventive to diagnostic - triggering your deductible and coinsurance. This reclassification surprises millions of patients each year. See our colonoscopy coverage guide →
Most procedures generate separate bills from: the facility (hospital/surgery center), the physician, the anesthesiologist, and any specialists involved (e.g., pathology if tissue was sent to a lab). Each has its own network status and cost-sharing calculation. How to match your EOB to each bill →
Prior authorization is advance approval from your insurer before you receive certain services - commonly MRI, CT, surgery, specialty drugs, and some specialist visits. If your provider performs a service without obtaining required prior auth, your insurer may deny the claim entirely, leaving you responsible for the full cost.
A copay is a fixed dollar amount ($30 for a primary care visit). Coinsurance is a percentage of the allowed amount you owe after your deductible is met (e.g., 20% of the allowed amount). Some plans use copays, some use coinsurance, and some use both depending on the service type.
Common signs of medical bill errors include duplicate charges, incorrect procedure codes, charges for services not received, and amounts that don't match your Explanation of Benefits (EOB). Our free checker identifies these instantly. Learn more about reading your medical bill →
Yes! CostKits offers a completely free medical bill checker that analyzes your bills for errors, duplicate charges, and overcharges. No signup, no credit card, and 100% anonymous. Enter your bill details or email your bill to get instant analysis.
The most common errors include duplicate charges (same service billed twice), upcoding (billing for more expensive procedures), unbundling (charging separately for services that should be combined), and charges for services not received. See real examples of billing errors →
Your EOB comes from your insurance and shows how they processed your claim. Your medical bill is from the provider requesting payment. Comparing them helps catch errors. Read our complete EOB vs Medical Bill guide →
Medical bills follow a specific timeline. Most providers give you 30-180 days before collections begins. You have rights under the FDCPA once collectors are involved. Learn the collections timeline and your rights →
Yes. We are HIPAA compliant and use bank-level encryption to protect your medical information. Your data is never shared with third parties without your explicit consent.
Your bill amount depends on three things: (1) the CPT code billed, (2) your insurance's negotiated rate (which is 30-70% less than the provider's list price), and (3) your deductible/coinsurance status. The same $500 service might cost you $50-$2,000 depending on these factors. That's why price transparency matters - and why CostKits analyzes what you *should* be paying versus what's actually billed.
Your "allowed amount" is the negotiated rate your insurance company has agreed to pay the provider - typically 30-70% less than the provider's chargemaster (list price). Your bill should never exceed the allowed amount if the provider is in-network. If it does, that's a billing error. CostKits catches these automatically and flags them for dispute.
Balance billing happens when an in-network provider illegally bills you for the difference between their chargemaster and your insurance's allowed amount. Look for items where "Patient Responsibility" exceeds your deductible plus coinsurance. This is a violation of the No Surprises Act. CostKits flags these as potential overcharges so you can dispute them with your insurance and get a refund.
You have options: (1) Contact the provider's billing department to negotiate or set up a payment plan - many offer 0% interest. (2) File an appeal if you believe the bill contains errors (use CostKits to identify them). (3) Know your rights: as of January 2025, medical debt can't appear on your credit report, so don't ignore the bill out of fear. Get errors fixed *before* debt spirals.
Yes - if the error is confirmed. Refunds typically take 30-90 days after you dispute in writing. Common refund reasons: duplicate charges, unbundling errors (splitting one service into multiple codes), charges for services not rendered, or amounts exceeding the allowed rate. CostKits identifies these errors instantly so you can file a dispute. Document everything: your EOB, bill, and error analysis. Providers refund 75%+ of disputes when challenged properly.
Your annual healthcare cost depends on your age, conditions, household, and insurance plan. CostKits estimates your likely primary care, specialist, emergency, inpatient, and lab usage, then applies your plan's deductible and coinsurance to forecast your total out-of-pocket cost as a low/medium/high range.
Most families underestimate healthcare spending because they only plan for premiums, not deductibles and coinsurance. A personalized CostKits forecast helps you set aside the right amount for expected visits plus a buffer for unexpected utilization before the year ends.
An MRI can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars depending on your state, the facility (hospital vs. standalone imaging center), and your insurance. Your actual share depends on whether you've met your deductible. See MRI cost by state →
If you've already met your deductible (or out-of-pocket maximum) this year, completing elective care before your benefits reset in January can save you significant money. CostKits tracks where you stand against your deductible so you can time procedures to your advantage.