Prices at 20 hospitals in Chicago, IL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $103 — 22% above the US median ($85), roughly 7.2× the Medicare rate.
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)
Chargemaster (list price)
$174
Cash / self-pay
$103
Insurer-negotiated
$17
Medicare pays
$14
$25$316
Median cash $103 · Medicare $14 · bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+
Typical cash price here is $103 — about 7.2× the Medicare rate ($14). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($29).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $174 list price could save about $70 (40%).
Estimate what you’ll pay
Quick fill:
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
