A DEXA scan typically costs between $50 and $400, depending on where you get it and why. The biggest factor is whether you’re going to a hospital, an independent imaging center, or a wellness clinic, and whether insurance covers it. If you qualify for coverage, you may pay nothing out of pocket.
Self-Pay Prices by Location
Where you get your scan creates the widest price swing. Hospital-based bone density scans range from $150 to $400 before insurance. That higher price reflects hospital overhead: facility fees, administrative costs, and the general markup that comes with a large medical system.
Independent imaging centers and wellness clinics run leaner operations and pass those savings along. At a fitness-focused wellness center, you might pay $50 to $100 for the same technology and accuracy you’d get at a hospital. Private wellness centers and independent imaging facilities generally fall in the $150 to $300 range for body composition scans, though some simpler setups charge as little as $40.
The price also depends on what the scan is measuring. A standard bone density scan (the medical kind, checking for osteoporosis) and a body composition scan (the fitness kind, measuring fat and muscle distribution) use the same DEXA technology but are offered in different settings with different pricing structures.
Bone Density vs. Body Composition Scans
These two uses of DEXA technology serve different purposes, attract different customers, and come with different price tags.
A bone density scan is a medical test. It measures mineral density in your spine and hip to screen for osteoporosis or track how well treatment is working. This is the version your doctor orders, and it’s the one insurance is most likely to cover. Hospital outpatient departments charge around $145 on average for the procedure (based on Medicare’s national payment data), though the sticker price before insurance can be much higher.
A body composition scan breaks down your body into fat mass, lean muscle mass, and bone mass, region by region. Athletes, bodybuilders, and people tracking fitness goals use these to get a more precise picture than a bathroom scale or body fat caliper can offer. These scans are almost never covered by insurance because they aren’t considered medically necessary. The good news is they’re often cheaper: wellness centers typically charge $40 to $200, with many clustered around $50 to $100.
What Medicare Covers
Medicare Part B covers bone density scans once every 24 months (or more frequently if medically necessary) for people who meet specific criteria. You qualify if any of these apply:
- Estrogen deficiency with osteoporosis risk: your doctor has determined you’re estrogen-deficient and at risk based on your medical history
- X-ray findings: imaging has already shown possible osteoporosis, osteopenia, or vertebral fractures
- Steroid use: you’re taking prednisone or similar steroid medications, or about to start
- Hyperparathyroidism: you’ve been diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism
- Treatment monitoring: you’re already on osteoporosis medication and need to check whether it’s working
If you qualify and your provider accepts Medicare assignment, you pay nothing. Zero copay, zero coinsurance. The total Medicare-approved amount runs about $68 at ambulatory surgical centers and $145 at hospital outpatient departments, but those costs are absorbed entirely by Medicare when the provider accepts assignment.
Private Insurance Coverage
Most private insurers follow similar guidelines to Medicare, covering bone density scans when they’re considered medically necessary. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends osteoporosis screening for all women 65 and older, and for postmenopausal women under 65 who have elevated risk factors. Those risk factors include low body weight, a parent who fractured a hip, smoking, heavy alcohol use, and certain medications like corticosteroids or insulin.
Under the Affordable Care Act, preventive services recommended by the Task Force are generally covered without cost-sharing by most private plans. That means if you’re a woman 65 or older, a screening DEXA scan should be covered with no copay. For younger women, coverage often depends on whether your doctor documents specific risk factors.
The evidence on screening men is less established. The Task Force has not made a recommendation for or against routine osteoporosis screening in men, which means insurers are less consistent about covering scans for male patients. If you’re a man concerned about bone density, especially with risk factors like long-term steroid use, your doctor can sometimes get the scan approved by documenting medical necessity.
How to Pay Less
If you’re paying out of pocket, start by looking at independent imaging centers rather than hospitals. The technology is the same, but hospital facility fees can double the price. For a body composition scan, search for fitness or wellness clinics in your area that offer DEXA. Many advertise pricing openly on their websites, and some offer package deals if you plan to scan every few months to track progress.
If you’re getting a medical bone density scan, ask the imaging center for their self-pay or cash-pay rate before scheduling. These rates are often significantly lower than the amount billed to insurance. Some centers charge $100 to $150 for a cash-pay bone density scan, which is comparable to or less than what a hospital bills Medicare.
For the scan itself, expect a quick visit. The procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes, requires no preparation, and involves lying still on a padded table while a low-dose X-ray arm passes over your body. The radiation exposure is extremely small, roughly one-tenth of a standard chest X-ray.