If you don’t have health insurance or you plan to pay for health care bills yourself, generally, health care providers and facilities must give you an estimate of expected charges when you schedule an appointment for a health care item or service, or if you ask for an estimate. 

This is called a “good faith estimate.” A good faith estimate isn’t a bill The good faith estimate shows the list of expected charges for items or services from your provider or facility. Because the good faith estimate is based on information known at the time your provider or facility creates the estimate, it won’t include any unknown or unexpected costs that may be added during your treatment. The estimate might not include every item or service you get from another provider or facility, even if some items or services may seem connected to the same service.

Generally, the good faith estimate must include expected charges for:

1. The primary item or service

2. Any other items or services you’re reasonably expected to get as part of the primary item or service for that period of care. 

cms.org