Tonsillectomy, child cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 13 hospitals list a cash price for tonsil and adenoid removal, child under 12: from $504.00 to $19,108.96, with a median of $10,067.40. The lowest listed price is at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital — $9,563.40 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $7,118.75 at 18 hospitals.
- The median here, $10,067.40, is 80% above the US median of $5,589.78.
- 1 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 11 cities for code 42820, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital lowest Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 PF-REMOVE TONSILS AND ADENOIDS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $504.00 | $720.00 | $328.02–$587.60 | 30% |
| Franciscan Health Crown Point Crown Point, IN · (219) 757-6100 Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $4,032.90 | $15,631.39 | $15,631.39 | 74% |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 926-2000 HB Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,326.30 | $7,609.00 | $1,780.51–$6,481.75 | 30% |
| Franciscan Health Dyer Dyer, IN · (219) 865-2141 Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $5,630.52 | $20,853.77 | $3,121.64–$19,946.70 | 73% |
| Mercy Medical Center Aurora, IL · (630) 859-2222 Remove tonsils and adenoids - 42820 - OR36042820 File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,312.00 | $18,188.00 | $279.84–$18,188.00 | 65% |
| Saint Joseph Medical Center - Joliet Joliet, IL · (815) 725-7133 Remove tonsils and adenoids - 42820 - OR36042820 File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,312.00 | $9,749.00 | $279.84–$9,749.00 | 35% |
| Shriners Childrens - Chicago Chicago, IL · (773) 622-5400 REMOVAL OF TONSILS AND ADENOID GLANDS (YOUNGER THAN 12 YEARS) File of Mar 19, 2026 · source file | $10,067.40 | $10,067.40 | $252.39–$8,881.32 | — |
| Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Winfield, IL · (630) 682-1600 HB Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $12,729.41 | $18,184.87 | — | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital Geneva, IL · (630) 208-3000 HB Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $12,898.04 | $18,425.77 | $3,577.00–$3,975.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Lake Forest, IL · (847) 234-5600 HB Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $13,630.24 | $19,471.77 | $3,577.00–$3,975.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital DeKalb, IL · (815) 756-1521 HB Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $13,740.14 | $19,628.77 | — | 30% |
| Palos Community Hospital Palos Heights, IL · (708) 923-4000 HB Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $15,524.16 | $22,177.37 | $3,577.00–$3,975.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital McHenry, IL · (815) 344-5000 HB Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy <Age 12 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $19,108.96 | $27,298.51 | $3,577.00–$9,102.00 | 30% |
Outpatient: lowest $504.00, median $10,067.40, highest $19,108.96 — a 37.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $504.00. 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 6 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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 tonsillectomy, child is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Tonsillectomy, child explained.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 42820 ($4,321.20). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Humboldt Park Health Chicago, ILRemoval of tonsils and adenoid glands (younger than 12 years) | $290.77 | file |