Healthcare is one of the most expensive line-items in many of our budgets. In fact, the average American spends around $10,000 per year on healthcare, and this figure is expected to continue to rise.
Americans undergo more imaging procedures, such as MRIs or CT scans, than do people from other countries. While there is definitely a role for imaging in many scenarios, the fact remains that many imaging studies are unnecessary, unhelpful, costly, and potentially dangerous.
Of course, these are general guidelines and any decisions about tests need to be made with your provider, but recognizing that many tests are not helpful, may cause additional harm, and cost money, should encourage you to question whether they are necessary.
There are some sites that can help you discover the cost of various procedures (here, for example) and you should, of course, be in touch with your insurance company as well.