Physical Therapy Costs Vary Widely In U.S., Study Finds

Key TakeawaysPhysical therapy can cost patients differently depending on where they livePeople paying cash tended to pay more than insurers’ negotiated ratesTherapy cost less for rural residents rather than urban dwellers.WEDNESDAY, March 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Physical therapy (PT) is important in helping people heal after surgery, manage chronic pain and recover from injuries.But PT is likely to take a bigger bite out of your wallet depending on where you live, preventing some from partaking in its benefits, researchers recently reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.Getting evaluated for physical therapy can cost insurers between $151 and $215 depending on where a person resides, potentially increasing the amount patients fork over in cost sharing, researchers found.“If you are a patient that is referred to PT, the cost of your care can differ substantially based on your location, your insurance plan and whether you pay cash for your health care services,” said senior researcher Dr. Joshua Skydel, a clinical fellow at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.“This may influence how patients engage with longitudinal PT for many medical conditions and has potential implications for downstream health outcomes,” Skydel said in a news release.Doctors often refer patients to PT for injuries, after surgery or to manage conditions like arthritis, researchers said in background notes.Prior research has indicated that PT can be a cost-effective way to improve a patient’s health and function, while reducing the risk of complications, researchers said.However, PT might be unaffordable for many Americans, given that they are either uninsured or underinsured, researchers found.For the new study, researchers compared more than 147,000 insurer-negotiated rates for 10 different types of PT services provided at 1,666 U.S. hospitals, representing some of the offerings most often billed to Medicare.Results showed that prices varied greatly between hospitals and that insurers tend to pay lower prices for PT than patients paying cash. About 60% of rates negotiated with insurers were lower than cash prices.Researchers also found that prices tend to be lower in rural areas than urban centers in the U.S.The team concluded more research is needed to figure out how these fluctuating costs directly affect patients.“Physical therapy plays a key role in the management and treatment of many diseases,” researcher Joseph Ross, a professor at Yale School of Public Health, said in a news release. “Our hope is that characterizing the widespread variation in prices for these services can help to ensure that care is affordable and fair for patients.”More informationHarvard Medical School has more on physical therapy.SOURCE: Yale School of Medicine, news release, March 6, 2026 .What This Means For YouYour ability to afford physical therapy might depend on where you live..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Physical Therapy Costs Vary Widely In U.S., Study Finds

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