Prices at 16 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,504 — 26% below the US median ($4,760), roughly 3.3× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Muscatine | Muscatine, IA | $3,094 | $2,681 | ★ 4/5 | 136 min | — |
| Trinity Regional Medical Center | Fort Dodge, IA | $3,094 | $2,751 | ★ 2/5 | 167 min | — |
| Unitypoint Health-Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi | Des Moines, IA | $3,094 | $2,748 | ★ 3/5 | 182 min | — |
| Trinity-Bettendorf | Bettendorf, IA | $3,094 | $2,751 | ★ 3/5 | 205 min | — |
| Grinnell Regional Medical Center | Grinnell, IA | $3,094 | $2,681 | ★ 2/5 | 112 min | — |
| University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down | Iowa City, IA | $3,504 | $3,176 | ★ 4/5 | 149 min | — |
| University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics | Iowa City, IA | $3,504 | $3,176 | ★ 2/5 | 210 min | — |
| Allen Hospital | Waterloo, IA | $4,639 | $2,754 | ★ 3/5 | 163 min | — |
| Jones Regional Medical Center | Anamosa, IA | $4,639 | $2,336 | ★ 4/5 | 116 min | — |
| St Lukes Hospital | Cedar Rapids, IA | $4,642 | $2,714 | ★ 4/5 | 166 min | — |
| St Lukes Regional Medical Center | Sioux City, IA | $4,642 | $2,714 | ★ 2/5 | 174 min | — |
| Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown | Marshalltown, IA | $6,187 | $2,681 | ★ 3/5 | 162 min | — |
| Finley Hospital | Dubuque, IA | $6,187 | $2,748 | ★ 3/5 | 114 min | — |
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 October 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)
Typical cash price here is $3,504 — about 3.3× the Medicare rate ($1,066). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($2,133).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,006 list price could save about $1,502 (30%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Corneal transplant cost in other states
All Corneal transplant prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →