Procedure cost estimator: what hospitals near you charge and what Medicare pays

Popular procedures

Major hip and knee joint replacement or reattachment of lower extremity Heart failure and shock Septicemia or severe sepsis without ventilator >96 hours Simple pneumonia and pleurisy Chest pain Kidney and urinary tract infections Cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disorders

What these numbers mean

List price is what the hospital billed (its "charges"). Almost nobody pays it: Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers pay negotiated or fixed amounts that are usually far lower.

Total paid (hospital stays) is the average amount actually paid, by Medicare, the patient and any other insurer. Medicare-allowed (outpatient services) is the average amount Medicare allows, including the patient's share. It is a good guide to which hospitals cost more or less, but your own bill depends on your insurance, deductible and the care you receive.

For your own price, ask the hospital or your insurer for an estimate. If you are uninsured or paying yourself, federal law entitles you to a written good-faith estimate before a scheduled service. Each hospital's price list (above, where we found one) shows its negotiated rates by insurer.

All procedure costs Hospital price lists Hospitals near me

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Inpatient Hospitals and Outpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service; hospital price-transparency files (cms-hpt.txt). Distances are straight-line.