Prices at 14 hospitals in Chicago, IL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $536 — 60% below the US median ($1,349), roughly 3.1× 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)
$1,589
Cash / self-pay
$536
Insurer-negotiated
$589
Medicare pays
$172
$312$2,448
Median cash $536 · Medicare $172 · bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+
Typical cash price here is $536 — about 3.1× the Medicare rate ($172). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($345).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,589 list price could save about $1,053 (66%).
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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.
