Where Indianapolis Women Can Get a Free or Low-Cost Mammogram This October
An independent guide to no-cost, sliding-scale, and insurance-covered screening options across Marion County, organized by where you live.
An independent guide to no-cost, sliding-scale, and insurance-covered screening options across Marion County, organized by where you live.
Editor’s note: Phone numbers, income thresholds, event dates, and program eligibility figures reflect the best available information at time of writing. Verify everything directly with each provider before your appointment. Programs change. October slot availability changes fast.
If you’ve been meaning to schedule a mammogram, stop meaning to and actually call. Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins October 1, and every major Indianapolis hospital system runs some version of an October outreach campaign. That sounds helpful until you realize every other woman in Marion County is being reminded to book at the same time — all calling the same scheduling lines you are.
IU Health mammography appointments during October have historically required three to six weeks of advance scheduling at high-volume locations. Community Health Network has run four to six weeks at popular campuses. Eskenazi compresses to shorter windows in October too. If you’re reading this in mid-September, you’re already competing for slots.
This guide is for women who need real information: which programs pay for your mammogram if you’re uninsured, what your insurance is actually required to cover and at what age, which site is closest to where you live, what documents to bring, and how much lead time to expect. It doesn’t repeat hospital marketing copy. It’s organized by quadrant of the city because a woman in Irvington has different options than a woman in Lawrence, and the walk-in financial screening at Eskenazi is not the same process as the charity care application at IU Health.
What Your Insurance Is Actually Required to Cover
Start here. A surprising number of insured women pay for mammograms they were legally entitled to receive at no charge, or skip them entirely because they assume there’ll be a bill.
Under the Affordable Care Act, non-grandfathered health plans — meaning most employer plans and all marketplace plans created after March 23, 2010 — must cover preventive screening mammograms with zero cost-sharing. No copay, no deductible, no coinsurance. The key word is “preventive.” In 2024, the USPSTF updated its recommendation to lower the starting age for routine screening from 50 to 40 for women at average risk. But insurers have a compliance window after guideline updates, and some Indiana employer plans may still be using 50 as their threshold. If you’re between 40 and 49, call your insurer before you book. Ask specifically whether they’ve adopted the 2024 USPSTF update. Get the answer in writing if you can.
There’s a second trap that catches a lot of women off guard. If the radiologist sees something on your initial screening and calls you back for additional imaging — a second look, a spot-compression view, an ultrasound — that follow-up is typically coded as diagnostic, not preventive. Cost-sharing applies to diagnostic imaging the same as it would to any other outpatient procedure. Women who had a “free” mammogram have received bills in the hundreds of dollars for the callback imaging. This is legal. It’s also not something most women are warned about when they schedule.
Before your appointment, ask your insurer: if I’m called back for additional views, how will that visit be billed, and what will my out-of-pocket be? Slightly awkward question. Worth asking anyway.
Indiana Medicaid and Hoosier Healthwise both cover screening mammograms for eligible women. Hoosier Healthwise is accepted at Eskenazi Health, Community Health Network, and most HealthNet locations. If you’re on Hoosier Healthwise, confirm with your managed care organization that your chosen imaging location is in-network before you go.
If You’re Uninsured: The Programs That Will Pay for Your Mammogram
The most important program most uninsured Indianapolis women have never heard of is the Indiana Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP), the state’s version of the federal National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. It provides free mammograms — and follow-up diagnostic services if needed — to women who meet these general criteria: ages 40 to 64, uninsured or underinsured (meaning your insurance doesn’t cover mammograms), and household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
Income thresholds shift annually. Verify current figures with IDOH before assuming eligibility. To access the program in Marion County, call the IDOH BCCP line and ask for enrollment or a list of Marion County participating providers. Indiana 211 (dial 2-1-1) can also navigate you into the program and is often the faster first call if you don’t know where to start.
Federally Qualified Health Centers — primarily the HealthNet system in Indianapolis — operate on a legally mandated sliding-fee scale. If you’re uninsured, HealthNet must offer you care scaled to your income, potentially at no cost. Whether a specific HealthNet location performs mammograms on-site or refers patients through the BCCP to an external imaging center varies by location. Call and ask.
Susan G. Komen Indiana operates a patient navigation helpline and has historically funded screening vouchers and referrals for women in the coverage gap — those who don’t qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford out-of-pocket imaging. Komen’s Indiana office is worth calling because navigators track which local programs have current funding and open slots, even when Komen itself isn’t the one writing the check. Don’t count on a voucher without confirming it first, but don’t skip the call either.
For an uninsured woman, the sequence is this: Call 211 first — one call, full picture of your options. Then call the IDOH BCCP line to begin enrollment if you’re income-eligible. If you don’t qualify on income, call Komen Indiana and ask what they’re actively funding this month. If you’re still without a pathway, call Eskenazi Health’s financial counseling office directly. Eskenazi is Marion County’s public safety-net hospital and has the most flexible self-pay structure of any full-service hospital in the city. For a broader picture of how Indianapolis’s major health systems compare on financial assistance and patient access, our coverage of [Indianapolis health system options](/ health-wellness/indianapolis-health-system-comparison-iu-health-community-franciscan-eskenazi/) lays out the differences in plain terms.
Downtown and Near-West Side: Eskenazi Health and IU Health
Eskenazi Health (720 Eskenazi Ave., near the IUPUI corridor) is the clearest starting point for uninsured and underinsured women in central Indianapolis. The county’s public safety-net hospital, Eskenazi accepts Hoosier Healthwise, traditional Medicaid, and Medicare, and operates a sliding-scale fee structure for self-pay patients based on income and family size. Financial counseling is available on-site and can often be completed the same day as your appointment — which matters if you can’t make multiple trips. Current income thresholds for the sliding scale and charity care program should be confirmed directly.
Eskenazi also coordinates mobile mammography through IDOH, with neighborhood stops that bring screening to women who can’t easily reach the main campus. Past stops have included Haughville and other near-west side neighborhoods. The 2026 fall mobile schedule is released on a rolling basis and isn’t always easy to find online. Call Eskenazi’s community health team and ask directly. The main campus is served by the Purple Line BRT, Route 8, and Route 17.
IU Health has imaging at multiple Marion County locations, with University Hospital (550 N. University Blvd.) as the flagship. October scheduling has historically run three to six weeks — if you’re calling in mid-September and want a first-half-of-October appointment, you may already be late for your preferred site. Don’t limit yourself to University Hospital. Ask the scheduler about all Marion County imaging locations. Lead times vary, and a less convenient site may have earlier availability. IU Health’s financial assistance program covers patients at or below 200% FPL at no charge, with a sliding scale to 400% FPL. Applications can be completed in advance or on-site, though same-day processing during October is not a given.
East Side: Community East and HealthNet East 10th Street
Community East Hospital (1500 N. Ritter Ave., near Irvington) serves one of the more underserved corridors in Marion County. The east side has significant Burmese and Latino populations, and Community East has invested in interpreter services. If you need language assistance, say so when you call to schedule — not when you arrive.
Community East is part of Community Health Network, which operates a charity care program with thresholds to verify directly with their financial counseling office. Community Health Network accepts Hoosier Healthwise; confirm the billing pathway for imaging specifically, because it can differ from primary care billing.
Route 8 provides an IndyGo connection to the Ritter Ave. area.
HealthNet East 10th Street is a Federally Qualified Health Center, which means the sliding-fee scale is federal law, not a policy that changes with budget cycles. Whether this location offers on-site mammography or routes patients through an NBCCEDP referral to an external imaging provider is the critical question to ask when you call. If it’s a referral pathway, allow more lead time for enrollment and authorization — it’s a different process than booking your own appointment. Bring proof of income and Indiana residency to your first visit.
The Martindale-Brightwood corridor — north of 10th Street, east of downtown — doesn’t have dedicated on-site mammography within easy walking distance. Women in that neighborhood are best served by calling HealthNet first for a referral pathway, or by checking whether an Eskenazi mobile stop is scheduled nearby.
North Side: Community North and HealthNet Barrington
Community North (7150 Clearvista Dr., Castleton) is Community Health Network’s north campus. Same financial assistance structure as Community East: verify current income thresholds, confirm Hoosier Healthwise billing for imaging, and ask about October scheduling lead times directly. Four to six weeks has been typical across Community Health Network campuses in October.
Women in Lawrence and Castleton often assume Community North is the obvious choice. It may be for driving distance. But if you’re uninsured and income-eligible, the NBCCEDP pathway through HealthNet Barrington may get you into an appointment faster than waiting for a charity care application to process during October’s crunch. Worth knowing before you commit to one path.
HealthNet Barrington, on the northeast side near Lawrence, operates on the same FQHC sliding-fee structure as other HealthNet locations. Call to confirm whether on-site imaging is available or whether you’ll be referred through the NBCCEDP to an external imaging center. Documents to bring: photo ID, proof of income, proof of Indiana residency, and documentation showing your insurance doesn’t cover mammograms if that applies.
South Side: Community South and HealthNet Bethel Park
Community South Hospital (1402 E. County Line Rd.) is the primary hospital option for Garfield Park, Fountain Square, Beech Grove, and south Indianapolis. Financial assistance eligibility, Hoosier Healthwise billing status, and October scheduling lead times follow the Community Health Network structure — verify all three directly. Ask specifically whether a mobile mammography stop is scheduled at any south-side community location for fall 2026.
HealthNet Bethel Park covers the Fountain Square and south-central Indianapolis corridor on the FQHC model. Same call-first approach: confirm on-site imaging versus referral pathway, what to bring, and whether same-day financial screening is available.
Mobile Mammography Units and Community Events, September–October 2026
For women who can’t — or don’t want to — navigate a full hospital campus, mobile units are a real access point, not a consolation prize. That said: confirm scheduling and arrival requirements when you call. Showing up without an appointment doesn’t always work.
The IU Health Mammo Van makes neighborhood stops across Marion County throughout the year. Past stops have included Haughville, Warren Township, and Pike Township. The 2026 fall schedule should be confirmed with IU Health’s community health outreach team — specific dates and addresses are published on a rolling basis and often don’t surface easily on the main IU Health website. Call and ask.
Eskenazi Health and IDOH coordinate mobile mammography stops through the BCCP program. Request the fall 2026 schedule from Eskenazi’s community health team or from IDOH directly.
Susan G. Komen Indiana’s More Than Pink Walk has historically been held at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis. Whether the 2026 event includes on-site referrals or voucher distribution for uninsured women is worth confirming before you make a trip expecting a specific service.
The Indianapolis Colts have partnered with local health systems for screening events during October as part of the NFL’s Crucial Catch campaign in past years. Whether 2026 events include screening vouchers or referrals should be confirmed with the team’s community relations office.
Several churches and community organizations in Martindale-Brightwood have coordinated screening events in past Octobers, often in partnership with Eskenazi or HealthNet. There’s no consolidated calendar for these — which is genuinely a problem, and worth saying plainly. Indiana 211 is the most reliable way to find out what’s active in a specific neighborhood in a given month. For context on how Indianapolis compares to peer cities on community health access, this is one of the topics we track in our health & wellness coverage.
What to Bring: A Document Checklist by Provider Type
Showing up without the right documents can cost you the appointment. The list differs by where you go.
Safety-net hospitals and FQHCs (Eskenazi, HealthNet): Government-issued photo ID. Proof of income — pay stubs, tax return, employer letter, or self-attestation form (ask whether self-attestation is accepted when you call). Proof of Marion County residency — utility bill, lease, or similar. Your insurance card, or a statement that you’re uninsured. Any prior mammogram images or disc from your previous imaging center. Bring that last one — prior imaging is clinically relevant, and a radiologist comparing your current scan to a baseline from two years ago is doing a better read than one who’s working blind.
Hospital systems with charity care applications (IU Health, Community Health Network): Everything above, plus your Social Security number or ITIN and a completed financial assistance application, or plan to complete it same-day. Same-day processing is not guaranteed in October.
NBCCEDP-funded appointments (Indiana BCCP): Proof of age (birth certificate, passport, or driver’s license). Proof of income at or below 250% FPL. Proof of no insurance coverage for mammograms. Indiana residency documentation.
One more question to ask when booking an NBCCEDP-funded appointment: does the program cover 3D mammography (tomosynthesis), or only 2D? 3D is standard at most Indianapolis imaging centers now, but program reimbursement coverage varies. If your funded appointment covers 2D only and you want 3D, you may be able to pay the difference out of pocket. Find out before you arrive.
Reference Block: Phone Numbers, Addresses, and Booking Notes
Call this week. Not next week.
Indiana 211 Dial 2-1-1 | Statewide
Call here first if you don’t know where to start. Navigators connect you with BCCP enrollment, local FQHC referrals, and community event schedules. Free, multilingual.
Indiana Department of Health — Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) (800) 433-0746 [Verify current number before publication]
For uninsured and underinsured women ages 40–64 at or below 250% FPL. Call to confirm current eligibility thresholds and Marion County participating providers.
Susan G. Komen Indiana — Patient Navigation Helpline [Verify current helpline number before publication]
For women in the coverage gap. Ask specifically what Komen Indiana is funding in fall 2026 — vouchers, referrals, or navigation only. The answer may determine how useful this call is, but make it anyway.
Eskenazi Health — Imaging / Mammography 720 Eskenazi Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202 Scheduling: (317) 880-8493 [Verify direct imaging line]
Accepts Hoosier Healthwise, Medicaid, Medicare, and self-pay with sliding scale. Walk-in financial counseling available. October lead time runs shorter than the big hospital systems — historically one to three weeks, though it compresses during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. When you call: “I need to schedule a screening mammogram and would like to speak with financial counseling before my appointment.”
IU Health — Imaging (University Hospital) 550 N. University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202 Scheduling: (317) 944-0000 [Verify direct imaging line]
Charity care at or below 200% FPL; sliding scale to 400% FPL. October lead time has run three to six weeks. When you call: “I’m looking for the earliest available screening mammogram across all your Marion County imaging locations.” Don’t let them default you to University Hospital if another site has earlier availability.
Community East Hospital — Imaging 1500 N. Ritter Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46219 Scheduling: (800) 777-7775 [Verify direct imaging line]
Community Health Network charity care. Accepts Hoosier Healthwise. Request an interpreter when scheduling, not when you arrive. Verify imaging billing pathway and October lead time directly.
Community North Hospital — Imaging 7150 Clearvista Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46256 Scheduling: (800) 777-7775 [Verify direct imaging line]
Same financial assistance structure as Community East. Verify current income thresholds and October lead time.
Community South Hospital — Imaging 1402 E. County Line Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46227 Scheduling: (800) 777-7775 [Verify direct imaging line]
Primary hospital option for Garfield Park, Fountain Square, Beech Grove. Same charity care structure. Ask about mobile mammography stops for fall 2026.
HealthNet — All Locations (FQHC sliding-fee scale) East 10th Street, Barrington, Bethel Park, and additional sites Central scheduling: (317) 692-5000 [Verify]
Federally mandated sliding-fee scale. Ask whether your nearest location offers on-site mammography or an NBCCEDP referral pathway — the process and the timeline are different. Bring photo ID, proof of income, and proof of Indiana residency.
IU Health Mammo Van — Community Stops Contact IU Health community outreach for 2026 fall schedule: (317) 944-0000 [Ask specifically for community mammography van schedule]
Marion County neighborhood stops in Haughville, Warren Township, and Pike Township have been offered in prior years. Call to confirm 2026 dates and whether advance scheduling is required.
Here’s the short version: if you have insurance, call your insurer this week and confirm your mammogram is covered with no cost-sharing. If you’re uninsured, call 211 today. If you’re somewhere in between — underinsured, on a high-deductible plan, or genuinely not sure — call the BCCP line and let them tell you whether you qualify.
The worst-case outcome of those calls is two minutes of your time and a no. The actual worst outcome is going another year without a screening because you weren’t sure where to start. You now have enough information that “not sure where to start” is no longer the reason.
