Knee arthroscopy cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 19 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus trim: from $549.19 to $33,292.62, with a median of $8,410.39. The lowest listed price is at Humboldt Park Health — $7,861.20 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $7,008.48 at 21 hospitals.
- The median here, $8,410.39, is 49% above the US median of $5,652.32.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 19 facilities across 16 cities for code 29881, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 31, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 26, 2025 and Oct 27, 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humboldt Park Health lowest Chicago, IL · (773) 292-8200 Removal of knee cartilage using an endoscope File of Sep 29, 2026 · source file | $549.19 | $1,961.40 | $647.26–$2,059.47 | 72% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 PF-KNEE ARTHROSCOPY/SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,013.60 | $1,448.00 | $628.07–$1,158.40 | 30% |
| Morris Hospital Morris, IL · (815) 942-2932 Removal of knee cartilage using an endoscope File of Oct 27, 2026 · source file | $1,681.55 | $6,989.00 | $2,725.71–$7,198.67 | 76% |
| Saint Joseph Medical Center - Joliet Joliet, IL · (815) 725-7133 Knee arthroscopy/surgery - 29881 - OR36029881 File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,489.00 | $16,469.00 | $559.90–$16,469.00 | 79% |
| Mercy Medical Center Aurora, IL · (630) 859-2222 Knee arthroscopy/surgery - 29881 - OR36029881 File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,489.00 | $29,076.00 | $559.90–$29,076.00 | 88% |
| Saint Francis Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 316-4000 Knee arthroscopy/surgery - 29881 - OR36029881 File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,489.00 | $15,087.00 | $579.07–$12,522.21 | 77% |
| Franciscan Health Munster Munster, IN · (219) 922-4200 Arthrs Knee Surg W/Meniscectomy Med/Lat W/Shvg File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $5,257.74 | $24,684.23 | $2,273.62–$13,183.00 | 79% |
| Franciscan Health Crown Point Crown Point, IN · (219) 757-6100 Arthrs Knee Surg W/Meniscectomy Med/Lat W/Shvg File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $5,622.74 | $21,793.55 | $21,793.55–$21,937.72 | 74% |
| Jackson Park Hospital Foundation Chicago, IL · (773) 947-7500 ARTHROSCOPY KNEE SURG W/MENISCECTOMY M/L File of Dec 26, 2025 · source file | $7,164.44 | $8,955.55 | — | 20% |
| Franciscan Health Rensselaer Rensselaer, IN · (219) 866-5141 Arthrs Knee Surg W/Meniscectomy Med/Lat W/Shvg File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $8,410.39 | $23,492.72 | $2,273.62–$13,183.00 | 64% |
| Franciscan Health Dyer Dyer, IN · (219) 865-2141 Arthrs Knee Surg W/Meniscectomy Med/Lat W/Shvg File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $10,005.40 | $37,057.04 | $2,273.62–$24,449.60 | 73% |
| Northwest Health - Porter Valparaiso, IN · (219) 983-8300 KNEE ARTHROSCOPY/SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $19,687.85 | $72,917.96 | $474.14–$61,251.09 | 73% |
| Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital McHenry, IL · (815) 344-5000 HB Arthroscop Knee Med and Lat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $20,461.27 | $29,230.39 | $5,282.00–$9,102.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Lake Forest, IL · (847) 234-5600 HB Arthroscop Knee Med and Lat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $20,694.66 | $29,563.80 | $5,282.00–$5,868.00 | 30% |
| Palos Community Hospital Palos Heights, IL · (708) 923-4000 HB Arthroscop Knee Med and Lat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $22,318.87 | $31,884.10 | $5,282.00–$5,868.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital Geneva, IL · (630) 208-3000 HB Arthroscop Knee Med and Lat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $22,713.54 | $32,447.91 | $5,282.00–$5,868.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Winfield, IL · (630) 682-1600 HB Arthroscop Knee Med and Lat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $25,663.99 | $36,662.84 | — | 30% |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 926-2000 HB Arthroscop Knee Med and Lat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $25,663.99 | $36,662.84 | $5,944.00–$6,604.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital DeKalb, IL · (815) 756-1521 HB Arthroscop Knee Med and Lat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33,292.62 | $47,560.89 | — | 30% |
Outpatient: lowest $549.19, median $8,410.39, highest $33,292.62 — a 60.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $4,089.02. 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 11 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 it is 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 knee arthroscopy is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Knee arthroscopy explained.