Hospitals Mark Up This One Common Medicine by 31,400% (and You’re Paying It!)

What you expect to pay in a hospital is rarely the same as what appears on your billing statement, and itemized breakdowns are not shared unless you ask. Here are 14 of the most insane prices hospitals charge. We pulled up the 2024 hospital price list for NorthOaks Health System and chose items that we found most shocking. Our breakdown includes what you pay out of pocket without insurance and then the rates three major insurers pay. The rates fluctuate if you're inpatient rather than outpatient. Items are sorted from lowest to highest. (For more about high prices, read "The 9 Most Expensive Hotels in Louisiana Will Leave You Stunned.")

Most people know sodium bicarbonate better as baking soda. However, it's also a medicine that soothes heartburn and indigestion. Purchase a 1,000-count bottle of generic sodium bicarbonate at Walmart for less than $25 or about 2.4 cents per pill. One of those 650 mg pills at the hospital costs far more.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $4.40
• Aetna: 1 cent
• BCBS: 1 cent to $4.40
• Medicare: 1 cent

Ammonia inhalants are better known as smelling salts. A 100-pack of smelling salts costs $55.41 at Grainger Industrial Supply. Head to a hospital and pay these ridiculous fees.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $5.50
• Aetna: $7.15
• BCBS: $5.50
• Medicare: $11

Advil and Motrin are the best-known over-the-counter ibuprofen manufacturers. The NSAID comes in varying doses with the most common of 200 mg. Walmart sells 500 pills for $8. Get one pill at a hospital for this much.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $5.04
• Aetna: 1 cent
• BCBS: $5.04
• Medicare: N/A

Because breast milk is donated by mothers who have an ample supply of milk, it's tough to see hospitals billing new parents for it.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $9.83
• Aetna: $5.74
• BCBS: $4.42 to $9.83
• Medicare: $5.74

Sometimes, the high price of hospital care is buffered by insurance coverage. An ear syringe used to remove ear wax is a good example. Insurance costs are minimal compared to a self-pay patient.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $43.26
• Aetna: N/A
• BCBS: $43.26
• Medicare: N/A

If your treatment or procedure requires the use of 1 ¼ inch cotton balls, the cost is astounding. While there's not always going to be a charge if you have insurance, self-pay customers should expect a hefty fee. No note is made as to how many cotton balls are included at this price.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $49.95
• Aetna: N/A
• BCBS: $49.95
• Medicare: N/A

Saline solution for wound irrigation is just over $4 per 250 mL bottle at Online Medical Supply. Head to the hospital and just 10 mL costs almost 20 times more as a self-pay patient.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $79
• Aetna: $102.70
• BCBS: $79
• Medicare: $158

The cost of a pregnancy test as a self-pay customer didn't shock us. Most retailers sell them for $7 to $15. It's what insurance companies cover that did.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $15.71
• Aetna: $163.80
• BCBS: $15.50 to $15.71
• Medicare: $7.53

This is another serious overcharge you might find on a hospital bill. If you don't have insurance and have to be shaved for a surgery with a disposable razor, the price is shocking. We recommend shaving at home if possible. There's no charge if you have insurance.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $167.29
• Aetna: N/A
• BCBS: $167.29
• Medicare: N/A

Blood and tissue samples go into specimen bags to prevent contamination or leakage. The cost of each 10 mm bag may appear on your medical bill.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $289.70
• Aetna: $298.82
• BCBS: $229.86 to $289.70
• Medicare: $459.72

When someone has low blood volume or low blood pressure, doctors order an IV of Ringer's lactate. It's a simple bag of electrolytes that can save your life, but the outrageous cost drives up your hospital bill.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $545.06
• Aetna: $41.22
• BCBS: $31.71 to $545.06
• Medicare: N/A

After a baby is born, it's important to avoid unnecessary heat loss. That's why newborns immediately have a cap placed on their heads once they're cleaned up. Grayline Medical sells 100 packs of these caps in pink for less than $100. Our jaws dropped when we saw what new moms are charged if they're self-pay patients.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $627.22
• Aetna: N/A
• BCBS: $627.22
• Medicare: N/A

We admit this one shocked us because we didn't realize U.S. hospitals still use leeches in some surgeries. The price tag with one insurer's outpatient HMO plan is equally stunning.

• Self-Pay/Cash: 29 cents
• Aetna: N/A
• BCBS: 29 cents to $795.30
• Medicare: N/A

After childbirth or to ease hemorrhoid pain, a donut pillow is often advised. Purchase this type of pillow for less than $30 at a store like Target. Otherwise, the price tag at a hospital is absurd.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $863.01
• Aetna: N/A
• BCBS: $863.01
• Medicare: $310.75

Hospitals are sterile environments, and it's important to keep germs from spreading between patients, in ICUs or infant care areas, and surgical wards. Air filters are another exaggerated charge some patients find on their itemized hospital invoices.

• Self-Pay/Cash: $896.22
• Aetna: $109.93
• BCBS: $84.56 to $896.22
• Medicare: $383.10