Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Hawaii

Prices at 5 hospitals in Hawaii, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,296 — 5% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 4.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital Waimea, HI $1,057 $375 — 79 min —
Kau Hospital Pahala, HI $1,251 — — 79 min —
Kona Community Hospital Kealakekua, HI $1,296 $786 ★ 2/5 179 min —
Kohala Hospital Kapaau, HI $1,692 — — 82 min —
North Hawaii Community Hospital, Inc Kamuela, HI $1,887 $790 ★ 3/5 135 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,085
Cash / self-pay
$1,296
Insurer-negotiated
$786
Medicare pays
$311
$1,135$1,809
Median cash $1,296  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,296 — about 4.2× the Medicare rate ($311). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,085 list price could save about $789 (38%).

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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.

Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states

All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Hawaii →