Mark Cuban Asks Why Insurance Pays $2,500 for an MRI When a Center Down the Street Charges $350

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Mark Cuban Asks Why Insurance Pays $2,500 for an MRI When a Center Down the Street Charges $350

Jeannine Mancini

Tue, January 13, 2026 at 9:50 AM EST

3 min read

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Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban isn't letting the absurdity of America's healthcare costs slide—not when a scan can cost more than some used cars.

On Saturday, Cuban reignited his crusade for healthcare reform by highlighting what he sees as a glaring pricing failure. "Explain to me why the insurance company will pay $2500 for an MRI when there is a center down the street that will do it for $350?" he wrote on X.

The question wasn't random. It came during a thread where Cuban had already been venting about pharmacy benefit managers and the oversized influence of big insurance companies.

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"I'm all for PBM reform," he wrote earlier in the day. "But realize that the biggest PBMs are owned by the biggest insurance companies… They are TOO BIG TO CARE… Employer, patient, state, hospital, physician—if they can charge you, they will."

That's when a user pushed back, arguing that insurers simply pay the bills submitted by providers and aren't the ones setting sky-high prices. Cuban's response—his rhetorical MRI question—cut through the complexity with a blunt price comparison.

The message was clear: insurance companies have no incentive to control costs when they benefit from a bloated system. And to Cuban, it's not just inefficient—it's exploitative.

"They aren't required to be," Cuban added in a follow-up. "And that is the point. They increase prices."

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Others quickly chimed in with real-world examples. One said their MRI was quoted at over $1,500 with insurance but cost just $275 when paid in cash. Another said their scan was listed between $1,200 and $3,200 with insurance—but only $212 at a local imaging center.

Cuban, who co-founded low-cost pharmacy platform Cost Plus Drugs, has spent the past few years attacking middlemen and opacity in the healthcare system. His strategy has focused on cutting out layers of bureaucracy that pad prices without delivering value. That same frustration is now squarely aimed at insurers who, in his view, continue to reward inflated charges rather than steer patients toward affordable alternatives.

He's also been vocal about pushing Congress to force PBMs and insurers to divest their overlapping interests, calling for greater transparency and more consumer leverage.

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While his critics might argue that providers set the list prices, Cuban's not buying that excuse. To him, if insurers are reimbursing ten times the cost of a service when lower-cost options exist, they're part of the problem—not just bystanders.

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And with healthcare premiums continuing to rise across the country, the disconnect Cuban exposed isn't just a rhetorical gotcha—it's a snapshot of why Americans are paying more for less.

Even if you're not the one footing the full bill for that overpriced scan, you're still paying for it—through bloated premiums, rising deductibles, and out-of-pocket caps that just keep climbing. For high earners trying to build real financial stability, it helps to see how those hidden costs ripple through everything else.

Domain Money pairs you with certified financial planners who model real-world scenarios—from surprise medical costs to long-term tax strategy—based on your actual income and spending. It's a smarter way to navigate rising expenses without getting blindsided later.

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