Cataract Surgery (with Lens Implant): what it covers and what it costs
What does a Cataract Surgery (with Lens Implant) cost? Across 31 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a Cataract Surgery (CPT 66984) runs from about $999 in Detroit, MI to $14,111 in Virginia Beach, VA, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 5 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What a Cataract Surgery price actually covers
Cataract surgery removes the eye's clouded natural lens and replaces it with an intraocular lens implant. It is among the most frequently performed operations in the country and is almost always done as a same-day outpatient procedure, one eye at a time.
Code scope. 66984 = cataract removal with intraocular lens insertion, standard one-stage. Complex cataract is 66982; 66989 is the newer complex-plus-device (e.g., iStent) code. Billed per eye.
What is — and isn't — in the price
The facility fee covers the operating suite and staff; the surgeon and the anaesthesia provider bill separately. A standard monofocal lens implant is generally included in the facility charge. Premium implants — multifocal, extended-depth-of-focus or toric lenses used to correct astigmatism — are commonly charged to the patient as an upgrade above the covered amount.
Why Cataract Surgery prices differ so much between hospitals
Setting is the main driver: ambulatory surgery centres typically price below hospital outpatient departments. The lens choice is the other, and it is where unexpected out-of-pocket cost most often arises, because the upgrade portion is frequently not covered regardless of insurance. Femtosecond laser assistance is a further optional add-on.
What else usually lands on the bill
Pre-operative biometry and optical coherence tomography are separate imaging charges. Post-operative eye drops are a pharmacy cost. Surgery on the second eye is a separate procedure on a separate day, billed again in full.
What to ask before you book
Ask what the price assumes about the lens implant, what a premium lens would add, and whether laser assistance is included or offered as an upgrade. Confirm the quote is per eye.
Where the money actually moves
Ambulatory surgery centres are typically cheaper than hospital outpatient departments. The larger decision is the lens: a standard monofocal implant is generally covered, while a premium lens is an out-of-pocket upgrade rather than a requirement.
What the Cataract Surgery numbers show nationally
A Cataract Surgery costs 14.1× as much in Virginia Beach as in Detroit
Across the 31 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $999 in Detroit, MI to $14,111 in Virginia Beach, VA — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1312% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Cataract Surgery prices
Lowest: HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $10; ST ANTHONY NORTH HEALTH CAMPUS (Denver, CO) at $524; VIRGINIA MASON MEDICAL CENTER (Seattle, WA) at $623. Highest: CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER (Los Angeles, CA) at $39,248; HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN (Los Angeles, CA) at $17,653; HAZEL HAWKINS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (San Jose, CA) at $14,719. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
5 of 31 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Cataract Surgery price
Cheapest published cash price: $1,909 (Detroit). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 75% below the list price for a Cataract Surgery
Across the 4 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 75% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Sacramento: $15,400 list against $2,896 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a Cataract Surgery price
170 hospital price-file entries across 31 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 66984 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Cataract Surgery price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Cataract Surgery, by metro — lowest first. 5 of these 31 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 4 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI | $999 | $10–$2,289 | $1,909 | 6 |
| Raleigh, NC | $1,599 | $1,599–$1,749 | — | 3 |
| Cleveland, OH | $2,183 | $2,114–$2,183 | — | 8 |
| Birmingham, AL | $2,260 | $2,232–$3,148 | — | 3 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $2,306 | $2,238–$3,914 | — | 9 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $2,337 | $941–$2,392 | — | 4 |
| Tampa, FL | $2,555 | $2,531–$3,205 | — | 5 |
| St. Louis, MO | $2,644 | $1,944–$3,234 | $5,615 | 3 |
| Riverside, CA | $2,771 | $1,005–$5,713 | — | 4 |
| Sacramento, CA | $2,896 | $2,896 | $8,624 | 3 |
| San Francisco, CA | $2,896 | $2,896 | $8,624 | 6 |
| San Diego, CA | $2,968 | $1,322–$13,306 | — | 3 |
| San Jose, CA | $3,441 | $2,896–$14,719 | — | 3 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $3,585 | $3,585–$6,791 | — | 3 |
| New York, NY | $3,814 | $3,605–$5,880 | $4,595 | 7 |
| Houston, TX | $4,010 | $3,488–$4,185 | — | 6 |
| Dallas, TX | $4,170 | $774–$4,589 | — | 6 |
| Washington, DC | $4,637 | $4,637–$8,265 | — | 5 |
| Seattle, WA | $4,796 | $623–$6,207 | — | 7 |
| Nashville, TN | $5,111 | $3,374–$5,399 | — | 9 |
| Austin, TX | $5,414 | $1,456–$12,483 | — | 9 |
| Atlanta, GA | $5,730 | $785–$6,760 | — | 7 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $5,743 | $2,771–$39,248 | — | 5 |
| Miami, FL | $6,368 | $4,996–$13,360 | — | 3 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $6,370 | $2,661–$8,226 | — | 8 |
| Kansas City, MO | $6,700 | $5,620–$7,262 | — | 6 |
| Denver, CO | $7,174 | $524–$9,611 | — | 10 |
| Hartford, CT | $7,723 | $2,727–$8,861 | — | 4 |
| Chicago, IL | $7,905 | $7,905 | — | 3 |
| Portland, OR | $8,545 | $2,947–$8,545 | — | 5 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $14,111 | $9,956–$14,111 | — | 6 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Cataract Surgery cost?
- Across 31 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $4,010, ranging from $999 in Detroit to $14,111 in Virginia Beach. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 66984.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- The facility fee covers the operating suite and staff; the surgeon and the anaesthesia provider bill separately. A standard monofocal lens implant is generally included in the facility charge. Premium implants — multifocal, extended-depth-of-focus or toric lenses used to correct astigmatism — are commonly charged to the patient as an upgrade above the covered amount.
- Why do Cataract Surgery prices differ so much between hospitals?
- Setting is the main driver: ambulatory surgery centres typically price below hospital outpatient departments. The lens choice is the other, and it is where unexpected out-of-pocket cost most often arises, because the upgrade portion is frequently not covered regardless of insurance. Femtosecond laser assistance is a further optional add-on.