Calcium Score Test Cost: What a CAC Scan Costs Without Insurance

What a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan costs out of pocket, why insurance and Medicare rarely cover it, what drives the price, and how to find a lower one.

Published

October 1, 2026

Read time

9 min read

Medically reviewed by

Rhonda Collins, FNP-C

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A coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan usually costs about $100 to $400 when you pay out of pocket, and many people pay around $100 to $150 after comparing prices. Those are published estimates from GoodRx’s nationwide sample of facility prices, as published in June 2026, not quotes. Most insurance plans, including Original Medicare, don’t cover the scan, so most people pay the full price themselves.

Mito price: $249.00 member / $348.60 non-member, as shown on the Mito CAC scan page on October 2, 2026. There is no separate center, order or draw fee, and the price is the same at every partner center.

A CAC scan is a short, noncontrast CT scan of the heart that measures calcified plaque in the coronary arteries. The result is reported as a calcium score.

How much does a calcium score test cost without insurance?

Without insurance, expect to pay roughly $100 to $400 for a CAC scan, depending on where you have it. GoodRx reports that the scan “typically costs $100 to $400” and that the average cost in its sample is “about $100 to $150” (GoodRx). GoodRx also notes you “could pay less than $100 or more than $400, depending on the imaging center you choose.”

Its sample of self-pay prices, as published in June 2026, ran from $49 at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Columbus Regional Health in Indiana to $150 at Tufts Medicine and WakeMed, with a nationwide imaging chain listed at $599 (GoodRx). Facility prices change without notice, so treat these as examples of the spread, and confirm the current price with the facility before you book.

Does insurance cover a coronary artery calcium scan?

Usually not. Most health plans treat a CAC scan in a person without symptoms as screening rather than diagnostic testing, and most do not include it in their covered preventive benefits. A 2026 statement from a group of US cardiologists in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging found that “most payers do not follow these guidelines to cover CAC imaging requiring patients to pay out of pocket,” even though US prevention guidelines recommend the scan for some people at borderline or intermediate risk (Naghavi et al., 2026). Cardiologists made the same case for payer coverage in Circulation in 2022 (Greenland et al., 2022).

Coverage is more likely when a clinician orders the scan as part of a diagnostic workup. GoodRx notes that commercial plans “may also decline coverage unless the scan is ordered as part of a broader diagnostic workup” (GoodRx). If your doctor recommends a CAC scan, it is worth asking your plan whether a prior authorization or a medical necessity request would change the answer.

Does Medicare cover a calcium score test?

Original Medicare generally does not cover a CAC scan for screening. Medicare’s cardiovascular disease screening benefit covers blood tests for cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride levels once every 5 years, and the scan is not part of that benefit (Medicare.gov). GoodRx reports that most people with Medicare pay the full cost of the scan themselves, and that some Medicare Advantage plans may cover it (GoodRx). If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, check its benefits or call the plan before you book.

Is a CAC scan covered by insurance in Texas?

Texas is an exception for some people. A Texas law in effect since 2009 requires covered health plans to pay up to $200 for one noninvasive heart screening test every 5 years, either a CT scan measuring coronary artery calcification or a carotid ultrasound (Texas Insurance Code, Chapter 1376). It applies to men aged 46 to 75 and women aged 56 to 75 who have diabetes or an intermediate or higher risk of coronary heart disease under the Framingham risk algorithm. The law lists plan types it does not apply to, so ask your plan whether you qualify before you book.

What affects the price of a calcium score test?

Most of the price difference comes from where and how you buy the scan:

• The type of facility. Hospitals, hospital-owned imaging departments and independent imaging centers set their own self-pay prices. Some offer a flat cash price (GoodRx).
• Where you live. Prices in GoodRx’s sample differed by region and by health system.
• What’s included. Some providers bundle the scan with the radiologist’s reading and a follow-up visit at one price, while others charge for a follow-up appointment separately (GoodRx). A “heart scan” package that adds other tests costs more than a CAC scan alone.
• Promotions. Some facilities discount CAC scans during American Heart Month in February or other public health campaigns (GoodRx).

Before you book, ask whether the quoted price includes the radiologist’s report and whether any visit, order or booking fee is charged on top.

Can you use HSA or FSA funds for a CAC scan?

Generally, yes. HSA and FSA funds can pay for qualified medical expenses, which the IRS defines as expenses that “would generally qualify for the medical and dental expenses deduction” (IRS Publication 969). That deduction covers diagnosis and prevention of disease, and IRS Publication 502 lists “an annual physical examination and diagnostic tests by a physician” and “X-rays for medical reasons” as medical expenses, adding that “you don’t have to be ill at the time of the examination” (IRS Publication 502). Your plan administrator decides what documentation it needs, so keep your itemized receipt, and ask the administrator if you are unsure whether a specific purchase qualifies.

At Mito, you can pay for a CAC scan with your HSA or FSA card at checkout. Select “Pay with HSA/FSA” and you finish on the checkout page of Flex, Mito’s HSA/FSA payments partner, which emails you an itemized receipt.

How to find a lower price for a calcium score test

• Compare self-pay prices. Call two or three hospitals and imaging centers near you and ask for the cash price of a CAC scan, including the radiologist’s reading.
• Ask about campaigns. Some facilities lower the price during Heart Month or community health programs (GoodRx).
• Check your plan first. If your doctor recommends the scan, ask your plan whether it could be covered as a diagnostic test, and whether a prior authorization request would help. In Texas, ask whether your plan includes the state heart screening benefit.
• Use pre-tax money. Paying with HSA or FSA funds means you pay with money that was not taxed.
• Avoid paying twice. Pick a price that includes the report, and make sure the result reaches your doctor so the scan isn’t repeated sooner than needed.

Get a coronary artery calcium scan through Mito

Mito offers a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan at partner hospitals and imaging centers nationwide, booked through Fitnescity. The Mito price ($249.00 member, $348.60 non-member as of October 2, 2026) includes arranging the order, the radiologist’s read and the report in your Mito dashboard, with no separate center or order fee, and it is the same whichever partner center you choose.

Who can order. A 1-minute eligibility check runs before checkout, using the same questions as booking, so if you pass you won’t be turned away later for the same answers. The scan is for adults aged 40 to 75 with at least one heart risk factor: high cholesterol or blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of heart disease, a BMI over 25, smoking, or an inactive lifestyle. You can’t have heart symptoms or known heart disease (including a past heart attack, stroke, heart failure or a stent), and you can’t be pregnant.

No referral needed. The order is arranged for you, so you don’t need to ask your own doctor for one.

Booking and results. After you buy, you give your primary care doctor’s details, enter your ZIP code, and choose a center and two preferred times. The center confirms one of them, usually within hours. Results usually arrive within 24 hours, and officially within 2 business days, in your Mito dashboard. If your score is above 0, the testing center contacts you to arrange a call and sends your results to the primary care doctor you named.

A CAC scan looks at calcified plaque. Blood tests look at the particles and lipids behind it, so some people compare costs for both:

• ApoB test cost
• Lipoprotein(a) test cost
• Lipid panel cost
• Lab tests without insurance

A CAC scan is a screening test for people without symptoms. If you have chest pain, shortness of breath or other symptoms that worry you, call 911 or seek urgent care rather than booking a scan.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a coronary calcium scan cost at a hospital?

Hospital self-pay prices vary widely. In GoodRx’s published sample, several hospital heart scan programs listed prices between $49 and $150, and these programs may ask for a doctor’s order. GoodRx notes some facilities charge more than $400. Ask for the cash price, and whether you need an order, before you book.

Why doesn’t insurance pay for a calcium score test?

Most plans treat a CAC scan in someone without symptoms as screening that is not part of their covered preventive benefits. Coverage is more likely when a clinician orders the scan as part of a diagnostic workup.

Is a heart scan the same as a calcium score test?

Often, yes. A calcium score test is also called a coronary calcium scan, CAC scan or heart scan. But some packages sold as a “heart scan” add other tests, which raises the price, so check what a package includes before comparing prices.

Do I need a doctor’s order for a CAC scan?

Not through Mito. No referral is needed, because the order is arranged for you. Other hospitals and imaging centers may ask for a doctor’s order, so check when you book elsewhere.

Is the cost of a calcium score test worth it?

It is most useful when you’re unsure whether to start a statin, because the score can help guide how intensively to treat your risk. US prevention guidelines support the scan for people at borderline or intermediate risk, and Mito offers it to adults aged 40 to 75 with at least one risk factor. There isn’t yet evidence that scanning everyone improves outcomes: a 2026 cardiology statement notes that population-wide screening would need large outcome studies (Naghavi et al., 2026). Talk it through with your clinician.