Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Nebraska

Prices at 39 hospitals in Nebraska, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $786 — 37% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 2.5× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Ogallala Community Hospital Ogallala, NE $190 $224 — 106 min —
Chase County Community Hospital Imperial, NE $256 $206 — 145 min —
Callaway District Hospital Callaway, NE $384 $84 — 126 min —
Merrick Medical Center Central City, NE $385 $616 — 127 min —
Crete Area Medical Center Crete, NE $385 $613 — 104 min —
Methodist Fremont Health Fremont, NE $522 $846 ★ 2/5 126 min —
Beatrice Community Hospital & Health Center, Inc Beatrice, NE $538 $252 ★ 4/5 92 min —
CHI Health St. Elizabeth Lincoln, NE $540 $669 ★ 4/5 158 min —
Pender Community Hospital Pender, NE $571 $635 — 128 min —
CHI Health Bergan Mercy Omaha, NE $601 $633 ★ 4/5 156 min —
CHI Health Immanuel Omaha, NE $601 $633 ★ 3/5 128 min —
CHI Health Midlands Papillion, NE $601 $633 ★ 4/5 137 min —
CHI Health Lakeside Omaha, NE $601 $633 ★ 4/5 179 min —
Howard County Medical Center St Paul, NE $653 $102 — 93 min —
Boone County Health Center Albion, NE $659 $633 ★ 4/5 111 min —
The Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE $671 $857 ★ 4/5 156 min —
Morrill County Community Hospital Bridgeport, NE $734 $286 — 146 min —
CHI Health Plainview Hospital Plainview, NE $771 $881 — 92 min —
CHI Health Schuyler Schuyler, NE $780 $833 — 104 min —
Avera St Anthony's Hospital O' Neill, NE $786 $675 ★ 4/5 115 min —
Garden County Health Services Oshkosh, NE $825 $1,019 — 147 min —
Bryan Medical Center Lincoln, NE $869 $653 ★ 3/5 112 min —
Chadron Hospital Chadron, NE $895 $1,227 ★ 3/5 110 min —
Grand Island Regional Medical Center Grand Island, NE $936 $1,037 ★ 2/5 103 min —
Cozad Community Hospital Cozad, NE $937 $947 — 95 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)
$1,385
Cash / self-pay
$786
Insurer-negotiated
$715
Medicare pays
$311
$385$1,622
Median cash $786  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $786 — about 2.5× the Medicare rate ($311). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,385 list price could save about $599 (43%).

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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.

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Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states

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