Employers may need to dig deep into regional medical procedure pricing as they strive to hold down health plan costs.

A study of regional cost variances for female-specific procedures by Castlight Health found huge variances for such common procedures as mammograms, preventative primary gynecological exams, and OB/GYN follow up visits.

In the case of mammograms, the ranges were highest in the major metropolitan area of New York ($130-$1,900), Dallas-Forth Worth ($50-$1,050), and Los Angeles ($86-$954).

Metro areas in Florida also reported wide price ranges, as did San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Detroit.

Even smaller markets reported surprising differences. The Visalia-Tulare-Porterville SMSA had a range of $77 to $307, and prices ranged from $97 to $214 in Dayton, OH.

Read: Annual family health costs hit nearly $25K

But employers in 74 markets can take heart from the study: In those markets, there was essentially a single price for a mammogram.

Some of those markets were a bit on the high side—Janesville-Beloit, WI, for instance, reported a mammogram charge of $507, Eau Claire, WI, $486, and Jackson, MS, $446.

But from a planning standpoint, knowing the cost is far better than learning that it can vary widely—after getting the bill.

The mammogram data was extracted and reported by Kaiser Health News.

Instant Insights /

Women's medical procedures vary widely in cost by region

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