Cataract surgery cost in Iowa

Prices at 27 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,912 — 6% below the US median ($3,102), roughly 5.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
St Lukes Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA $1,610 $1,483 ★ 4/5 168 min 15.1%
Finley Hospital Dubuque, IA $1,610 $1,565 ★ 3/5 114 min 16.0%
St Lukes Regional Medical Center Sioux City, IA $1,610 $1,483 ★ 2/5 180 min 15.6%
Trinity Muscatine Muscatine, IA $2,289 $1,458 ★ 4/5 135 min 13.9%
Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA $2,289 $1,638 ★ 3/5 159 min 15.6%
Trinity Regional Medical Center Fort Dodge, IA $2,541 $1,603 ★ 2/5 168 min 15.2%
Unitypoint Health-Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi Des Moines, IA $2,541 $1,569 ★ 3/5 188 min 13.5%
Trinity-Bettendorf Bettendorf, IA $2,541 $1,603 ★ 3/5 210 min 15.2%
Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell, IA $2,541 $1,395 ★ 2/5 104 min 14.9%
Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa, IA $2,541 $1,209 ★ 4/5 113 min 14.7%
University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down Iowa City, IA $2,868 $1,966 ★ 4/5 157 min 15.0%
University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics Iowa City, IA $2,868 $1,966 ★ 2/5 210 min 13.5%
Stewart Memorial Community Hospital Lake City, IA $2,957 129 min 15.0%
Montgomery County Memorial Hospital Red Oak, IA $2,960 $2,706 112 min 15.2%
Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown Marshalltown, IA $3,220 $1,398 ★ 3/5 154 min 15.2%
Regional Medical Center Manchester, IA $4,367 $870 ★ 4/5 147 min 14.3%
Mercyone Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville, IA $5,699 $3 103 min
Mercyone Newton Medical Center Newton, IA $7,930 $2,358 ★ 4/5 158 min 13.4%
Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque, IA $8,954 $3 ★ 3/5 212 min 15.6%
Mercyone Elkader Medical Center Elkader, IA $9,527 $2 102 min 15.5%
Mercyone Clinton Medical Center Clinton, IA $11,729 $2,358 ★ 4/5 121 min 14.5%
Mercyone Siouxland Medical Center Sioux City, IA $11,729 $2,358 ★ 2/5 198 min 15.1%
Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA $12,099 $2,358 ★ 4/5 226 min 13.9%
Sartori Memorial Hospital, Inc Cedar Falls, IA $15,223 $2,358 99 min 14.3%

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 July 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)
$3,177
Cash / self-pay
$2,912
Insurer-negotiated
$1,586
Medicare pays
$547
$1,814$11,729
Median cash $2,912  ·  Medicare $547  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,912 — about 5.3× the Medicare rate ($547). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($1,093).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,177 list price could save about $264 (8%).

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.

Cataract surgery cost in other states

All Cataract surgery prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →