It always confused me. A hospital has an MRI or some other machine, and you hear they try to use it as little as possible to cut costs, because it costs them this or that amount per usage. But why would that be if they own it?
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Other people have mentioned operating costs of the hospital machinery and such, but one aspect specific to MRI machines that makes their upkeep *astronomically* high compared to other devices – it requires continous cooling using liquid helium.
The ELI5 version is that the very strong magnets in an MRI can’t function properly without the extreme cooling – cooling it below a certain temperature alters the magnets in a way that allow the field to be contained. Without the liquid helium supply, you’re just setting off a massive EMP inside a hospital.
So aside from the massive electricity usage, you need a steady supply of liquid helium, which isn’t cheap or easy to get hold of and keep stored.
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