Bunion surgery cost in Waterloo, IA — inpatient
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bunion correction with a bone cut near the head of the first metatarsal as an inpatient: from $2,090.00 to $2,269.60, with a median of $2,179.80. The lowest listed price is at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center — $89.80 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $2,269.60 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 28296, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center lowest Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 PR Correction Hallux Valgus With Distal Metatarsal Osteotomy Any Method | $2,090.00 | $2,090.00 | $154.43–$2,090.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 PR CORRJ HLX VLGS BNCTY SESMDC DSTL METAR OSTEOT | $2,269.60 | $2,837.00 | $475.52–$1,625.11 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $2,090.00, median $2,179.80, highest $2,269.60 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,877.97 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This bunion surgery corrects a big toe that points toward the other toes by cutting and shifting the end of the first metatarsal bone near the toe joint, usually fixing it with a screw or pin. It is done for a painful bunion that does not improve with shoe changes or padding.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the operating room and recovery; screws or plates may be listed as separate supplies. The surgeon, anesthesia and post-surgery shoe or boot are usually billed separately.