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 |  | With Health Insurance: 10%-50% Coinsurance |  | Without Health Insurance: $500-$17,000+ |
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A broken foot is a fracture of one or more of the 26 bones in the foot. Symptoms can include bruising, swelling and pain so severe that it prevents walking. Severity[1] and invasiveness of treatment vary, depending on the type of fracture.
Typical costs: | - Without health insurance, diagnosis and treatment for a broken foot typically includes the cost of the X-ray, a facility fee and a doctor fee for a typical total of $500 or less for a minor stress fracture treated with rest and ice at home up to $2,000 or more for non-surgical treatment of any other type of fracture, and $6,000 to $17,000 or more if surgery is required. A foot X-ray costs an average of $170, according to NewChoiceHealth.com[2] , but some providers charge $2,000 or more. Application of a foot and leg cast typically costs $250, not including the doctor fee and surgical treatment of a broken foot typically costs about $5,100 to $13,600, not including the doctor fee, according to Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center[3] in Lincoln, Nebraska. A typical doctor fee for non-surgical treatment of a fracture would include $90 to $200 for an office visit and could also include $250 to $950 for a procedure, such as realignment, or $2,000 or more for surgery, according to Carolina Orthopaedic Surgery Associates[4] .
- Treatment for a broken foot typically would be covered by health insurance. A patient with insurance would typically have to pay an X-ray copay, an office visit copay and coinsurance of 10% to 50% percent for the procedure. The cost could range from $100 for a minor stress fracture to the yearly out-of-pocket maximum for surgery.
Related articles: Cane, Wheelchair, First Aid Kits
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What should be included: | - For a stress fracture -- which can be caused by a sudden increase in exercise, such as walking or running -- about a month of rest is typically the only treatment needed.
- For other types of foot fractures, the doctor will realign the bones, then will apply a cast or brace or require the patient to wear a special shoe to keep the bones in place during the six to eight weeks of healing. In rare cases, surgery to insert hardware to hold the bones in place could be required.
- The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons[5] offers a primer on foot fractures.
Additional costs: | - Crutches typically cost $15 to $40 for basic crutches or up to $100 for deluxe forearm crutches. Crutches typically are covered by health insurance with a durable medical goods copay.
- A standard manual wheelchair costs an average of $500.
- Going to an emergency room for initial treatment could add a $500 or more emergency room visit fee to the final bill.
Discounts: | - Some hospitals and podiatric and orthopedic surgeons offer discounts for uninsured/cash paying patients. For example, Washington Hospital Healthcare System[6] in California offers a 35 percent discount for uninsured patients as well as a financial assistance program for qualifying uninsured patients. The Southern California Orthopedic Institute offers discounted services for cash-paying patients, as does For Your Feet Podiatric Medicine/Foot Surgery in Colorado.
- Some free clinics, such as the Community Health Free Clinic[7] in Chicago, offer orthopedic and podiatric specialty care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services[8] offers a directory of federally funded health centers. These centers are open to anyone and fees are charged on a sliding scale based on federal poverty guidelines; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends contacting clinics directly for specific information on their discount policies. If the nearest clinic doesn't offer orthopedic care, ask for a referral.
Shopping for a broken foot: | - A broken foot would be treated by an orthopedic surgeon or a podiatric surgeon. A sports-related injury also could be treated by a doctor who specializes in sports medicine, who could be either a family physician or an orthopedic surgeon.
- The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery[9] offers an orthopedic surgeon finder by city, state or zip code. The American Board of Podiatric Surgery[10] offers a doctor locator. And the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine[11] offers a doctor locator; it is important to check board certification.
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments |
| Posted by: JinjaKock in Ontario, CA. | Posted: January 24th, 2018 09:01AM |
| Insurance: OHIP |
Thank God I live in Canada and we have free health care. I couldn’t imaging having to pay $30,000 or more because of snowboarding accident |
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| Posted by: UnhappyPatient in Fort Wayne, IN. | Posted: November 7th, 2017 03:11PM |
| Type of Treatment: Boot | Medical Center: |
| Insurance: HSA |
Just got a medical bill for my daughter's broken foot. Initial visit: $339; Initial XRAY: $112; Boot (out-of-pocket): $90; Follow-up Visit with M.D. $222; Follow-up X-ray: $112; 2nd Follow-up with D.P.M. $573; Fee for each fracture!!!!! 2 x $755!!!!!! How bogus!!!!!! Insurance covered $2200; but its the doctors and hospitals that drive up health costs, not insurance companies! |
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| Posted by: ere s in san diego, CA. | Posted: October 11th, 2017 01:10PM |
| Type of Treatment: pin sin foot surgery | Medical Center: scripps |
| Insurance: geha |
2 broken metatarsels operate put pins align bones,cost so far 38,000 still have several more doc visits so going up.will top 40 thousand easy after all bills in.insurance pay 80 percent.no hospital stay recover at home.health cost 2017 no joke.300 dollars for routine office visit. |
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| Posted by: NYCfoot in Brooklyn, NY. | Posted: September 3rd, 2013 06:09PM |
| Insurance: Some |
Costs from a crush injury causing a broken foot, mostly covered by insurance but trying to give people a ballpark range: $600 local ambulance, $600 ER, $2000 podiatrist office visits, including X-rays and cast, $100 cam walker boot, $30 crutches, $5000 physical therapy twice a week for a year, $1800 MRI |
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External Resources: | - www.emedicinehealth.com/broken_foot/page10_em.htm
- www.newchoicehealth.com/Directory/Procedure/108/Foot%20X-Ray
- tp.chi.acelogicus.net/nese/Default.aspx
- www.c-osa.com/charges.htm
- orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00165
- www.whhs.com/about/washington-hospital-discount-policy-for-uninsured/
- www.communityhfc.org/referals.htm
- findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/Search_HCC.aspx
- www.abos.org/find-a-certified-orthopaedic-surgeon.aspx
- www.abps.org/content/resources/FindADoctor.aspx
- www.aoasm.org/find-a-do/
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