[asiachick]

I'm curious what makes them expensive. In Japan they are basically free (covered by national insurance for which the price is low). I believe at one point Japan had the most MRI machines per capita. I think the government just decided they were worth while and got a bunch where as in the USA they were seen as a money source and they generally charge $1k to $10k ?!?!?!

I'd love for the expensive ones to be disrupted. The dream is we get some attachment for our smart phones and turn them into Tricorders.

[morcheeba]

I worked for a medical company that did RF tumor ablation. In Japan we sold a machine that cooked small tumors as an out-patient procedure, because their easy MRIs would spot them early. In the US, we sell more complicated machines that work on bigger tumors because we find them later here - when they get too big, you have to be very careful not to damage surrounding tissue.

[akireu]

I live in a Russian city of 100k people and there are at least 3 medical MRI machines nearby that I visited, of a total 8 offers that maybe share the machines (though likely not), all of them of 1T field strength or above. I can get a brain MRI this week for some $70, or a full-body MRI (the most expensive as per the price list) for $400. If anything, these services got some 30%-50% cheaper in the past decade. Barring some African hellhole, the argument to scarcity or expense of these machines is complete and utter bullshit. It's just that HN is America-centric, and American healthcare is a cesspit of waste and corruption.

[dv_dt]

As with many other parts is US healthcare, we pay too much for the exact same products and services.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/03/15/why-a...

[jl2718]

They are $150k on Alibaba. A free market price for an MRI would be maybe $50.

Noninvasive diagnostics should not be regulated.