Knee arthroscopy (both menisci) cost in Waterloo, IA
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with removal of both torn meniscus parts: from $1,264.00 to $1,380.80, with a median of $1,264.00. The lowest listed price is at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center and 1 other hospital. Across Iowa, the median is $1,380.80 at 20 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 29880, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. 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 Arthroscopy Knee Surg W/Meniscectomy Incl Debr/Shv Articular Cartilage | $1,264.00 | $1,264.00 | $169.98–$1,264.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital lowest Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 PR Arthroscopy Knee Surg W/Meniscectomy Incl Debr/Shv Articular Cartilage | $1,264.00 | $1,264.00 | $169.98–$1,264.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 PR ARTHRS KNEE W/MENISCECTOMY MED&LAT W/SHAVING | $1,380.80 | $1,726.00 | $508.84–$1,725.31 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital one side Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC Arthro Knee W/Mnsc Med and Lat Incl/Chndrplsty Same/Sep Compart Rt (Rest Method II CAH) | $26,502.57 | — | $2.28–$6,322.47 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center one side Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC Arthro Knee W/Mnsc Med and Lat Incl/Chndrplsty Same/Sep Compart Rt (Rest Method II CAH) | $30,954.89 | — | $0.96–$6,322.47 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,264.00, median $1,264.00, highest $1,380.80 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,941.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 3 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 knee arthroscopy trims torn parts of both the inner and outer meniscus through small incisions.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the operating room, recovery and supplies. The surgeon and anesthesia usually bill separately.