Code G0008. Medicare covered 11,616,610 of these. Here is what providers billed and what Medicare allowed, state by state.
Providers in Armed Forces Europe billed the most for this, at $68.09. In Vermont the average was $29.28. Same procedure code, same programme.
These are Medicare figures. The billed column is what providers asked for. The allowed column is what Medicare agreed to pay. Neither is what an uninsured patient gets charged, and neither is what a private insurer negotiates.
The gap between the two columns is the point. A hospital billing three times what Medicare allows tells you the billed number was never a price. It was an opening position.
| State | Billed | Medicare allowed | Gap | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces Europe | $68.09 | $34.65 | 2.0x | 192 |
| Foreign Country | $64.44 | $32.93 | 2.0x | 61 |
| Idaho | $56.48 | $32.87 | 1.7x | 576,010 |
| Unknown | $50.00 | $33.21 | 1.5x | 80 |
| Massachusetts | $49.53 | $31.38 | 1.6x | 394,329 |
| Florida | $49.42 | $28.17 | 1.8x | 946,246 |
| Arkansas | $48.83 | $26.40 | 1.8x | 115,948 |
| New York | $47.46 | $32.03 | 1.5x | 639,259 |
| Virgin Islands | $45.93 | $26.76 | 1.7x | 783 |
| New Jersey | $45.37 | $32.20 | 1.4x | 404,020 |
| Alaska | $44.74 | $31.08 | 1.4x | 20,383 |
| Washington | $43.69 | $28.88 | 1.5x | 195,750 |
| District of Columbia | $43.19 | $32.70 | 1.3x | 17,164 |
| Pennsylvania | $42.74 | $30.26 | 1.4x | 558,647 |
| Kentucky | $42.47 | $25.86 | 1.6x | 138,620 |
| Maryland | $42.29 | $31.50 | 1.3x | 310,748 |
| California | $41.89 | $31.68 | 1.3x | 960,480 |
| Maine | $41.76 | $29.03 | 1.4x | 35,517 |
| Connecticut | $41.38 | $31.68 | 1.3x | 132,474 |
| Wisconsin | $40.32 | $27.28 | 1.5x | 223,861 |
| Armed Forces Pacific | $39.79 | $30.02 | 1.3x | 174 |
| Illinois | $39.72 | $29.80 | 1.3x | 423,365 |
| North Carolina | $39.49 | $27.69 | 1.4x | 363,369 |
| Guam | $39.36 | $30.83 | 1.3x | 2,718 |
| North Dakota | $38.97 | $29.65 | 1.3x | 31,049 |
| West Virginia | $38.47 | $26.26 | 1.5x | 41,101 |
| Louisiana | $38.28 | $28.17 | 1.4x | 98,595 |
| Rhode Island | $37.92 | $30.59 | 1.2x | 36,659 |
| Georgia | $37.74 | $26.81 | 1.4x | 274,889 |
| Delaware | $37.67 | $30.41 | 1.2x | 59,428 |
| Virginia | $37.38 | $28.44 | 1.3x | 379,622 |
| Oklahoma | $36.62 | $27.50 | 1.3x | 128,125 |
| Minnesota | $36.11 | $27.93 | 1.3x | 181,834 |
| Missouri | $36.10 | $27.83 | 1.3x | 197,929 |
| South Dakota | $35.98 | $27.27 | 1.3x | 39,082 |
| Texas | $35.41 | $28.01 | 1.3x | 619,847 |
| New Hampshire | $35.19 | $30.02 | 1.2x | 76,710 |
| Montana | $35.08 | $27.76 | 1.3x | 39,831 |
| Nebraska | $35.03 | $26.98 | 1.3x | 96,874 |
| Michigan | $34.64 | $28.70 | 1.2x | 246,899 |
| Arizona | $34.50 | $27.63 | 1.2x | 197,588 |
| Oregon | $34.48 | $26.58 | 1.3x | 95,322 |
| Iowa | $34.46 | $26.35 | 1.3x | 181,696 |
| Indiana | $34.20 | $27.65 | 1.2x | 262,111 |
| Nevada | $34.09 | $27.29 | 1.2x | 69,228 |
| Alabama | $33.70 | $26.89 | 1.3x | 116,771 |
| Hawaii | $33.63 | $30.38 | 1.1x | 41,344 |
| Tennessee | $33.62 | $26.51 | 1.3x | 250,419 |
| Ohio | $33.61 | $27.09 | 1.2x | 399,626 |
| New Mexico | $33.37 | $26.59 | 1.3x | 50,676 |
| Colorado | $33.37 | $28.16 | 1.2x | 314,044 |
| South Carolina | $33.24 | $27.12 | 1.2x | 244,608 |
| Wyoming | $32.71 | $25.43 | 1.3x | 24,548 |
| Puerto Rico | $32.28 | $29.72 | 1.1x | 4,403 |
| Kansas | $32.04 | $24.98 | 1.3x | 145,719 |
| Mississippi | $31.46 | $25.59 | 1.2x | 105,334 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | $31.26 | $30.63 | 1.0x | 106 |
| Utah | $30.61 | $24.88 | 1.2x | 73,603 |
| Vermont | $29.28 | $24.53 | 1.2x | 30,754 |
Source: CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, by Geography and Service. Weighted by service volume across places of service.