Chest tube insertion cost in Houston, TX

Prices at 10 hospitals in Houston, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,703 — 28% above the US median ($1,335), roughly 11.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Houston, TX $1,335 ★ 4/5 252 min 14.6%
Memorial Hermann Hospital System Houston, TX $1,335 ★ 3/5 229 min 14.8%
St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage Houston, TX $2,070 $2,646 ★ 4/5 214 min 15.0%
St Joseph Medical Center Houston, TX $2,396 $1,509 ★ 3/5 189 min 15.2%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$4,173
Cash / self-pay
$1,703
Insurer-negotiated
$2,428
Medicare pays
$143
$1,335$2,299
Median cash $1,703  ·  Medicare $143  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,703 — about 11.9× the Medicare rate ($143). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($286).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $4,173 list price could save about $2,470 (59%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

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