Last Thursday, I had the privilege of meeting briefly with Gov. John Lynch shortly before he gave his State of the State address. He was speaking to the Leadership Greater Manchester Class of 2010, of which I am a part, regarding the challenges facing the state. And as one might expect, heath care is right up there near the top of the list.

Gov. Lynch, whose wife Susan is a pediatrician in Concord, NH, told us that one of the reasons health care costs are so high is that consumers often have no idea how much the same procedure might cost at different medical facilities. But even if we did, and even if the outcomes for a given procedure are pretty much the same everywhere (they generally are, the gov said) there’s really no incentive for those of us with insurance to opt to have that procedure done at the facility with the lowest cost.

Curious to know how Manchester, NH, hospitals and medical facilities compare cost-wise, I researched the cost of several procedures at NHHealthCost.org, a medical cost comparison website run by the New Hampshire Insurance Department and the Commissioner's Advisory Committee on Health Insurance. In doing my research, I chose to look at costs for the uninsured (who often pay more for the same procedure than those of us with insurance) as a general guide.

(I chose not to look at the costs for those who are insured as the many variables involved - insurance company, annual deductible, plan type, etc. - make it difficult to determine an “average” procedure cost.)

On the preventative health side, I found that a basic office visit in Manchester for an 18-49 year old costs between $58 (Manchester Community Health Center) and $168 (Manchester Internal Medicine Associates). Likewise, you can get a colonoscopy for as little as $2,956 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock or as much as $4,235 at Elliot Hospital.

Should you require a visit to the emergency room, your most affordable option is Catholic Medical Center (CMC), where the median cost for such a visit is $921. At the Elliot you’ll pay $1,166.

With regard to your radiology needs, a mammogram will set you back $395 at CMC, $478 at the Elliot and $582 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. But CMC charges the most to conduct an MRI of your brain ($5,038), followed by Dartmouth-Hitchcock ($4,223) and the Elliot ($3,901).

The Elliot is also your best choice for kidney stone removal, a procedure they will conduct for a mere $9,258. CMC would charge $11,382 to remove the same kidney stone.

Manchester, NH, mothers-to-be will want to know that Dartmouth-Hitchcock is the least expensive place in town to get an ultrasound, at $573. Elliot is next, at $605, while CMC charges $646 for the same procedure.

To deliver your young’un, prices are surprisingly comparable. At, $11,877, the Ellliot has a slight advantage over CMC for a natural birth, which charges $12,793.