Tonsillectomy, age 12+ cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 16 hospitals list a cash price for tonsil removal (tonsillectomy) only, age 12 or older: from $443.80 to $34,192.09, with a median of $4,936.99. The lowest listed price is at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital — $4,493.19 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $3,535.00 at 22 hospitals.
- The median here, $4,936.99, is 15% above the US median of $4,277.65.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 15 cities for code 42826, 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-REMOVAL TONSILS > 12 YRS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $443.80 | $634.00 | $292.91–$507.20 | 30% |
| MacNeal Hospital Berwyn, IL · (708) 783-9100 Tonsilectmy Prim/Secnd > Age 11 File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $667.85 | $3,515.00 | $581.47–$4,225.80 | 81% |
| Gottlieb Memorial Hospital Melrose Park, IL · (708) 681-3200 Tonsilectmy Prim/Secnd > Age 11 File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $667.85 | $3,515.00 | $933.43–$4,842.00 | 81% |
| Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, IL · (708) 216-9000 Tonsilectmy Prim/Secnd > Age 11 File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $808.45 | $3,515.00 | $933.43–$4,969.54 | 77% |
| Mercy Medical Center Aurora, IL · (630) 859-2222 Removal of tonsils File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,535.00 | $18,918.00 | $247.42–$18,918.00 | 81% |
| Saint Joseph Medical Center - Joliet Joliet, IL · (815) 725-7133 Removal of tonsils - 42826 - OR36042826 File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,535.00 | $8,974.00 | $247.42–$8,974.00 | 61% |
| Saint Francis Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 316-4000 Removal of tonsils File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,535.00 | $15,041.00 | $253.53–$12,484.03 | 76% |
| Franciscan Health Crown Point Crown Point, IN · (219) 757-6100 Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $4,016.24 | $15,566.84 | $15,566.84 | 74% |
| Franciscan Health Dyer Dyer, IN · (219) 865-2141 Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $5,857.73 | $21,695.28 | $2,273.62–$11,171.35 | 73% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 REMOVALOFTONSILS>12YRS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,928.30 | $8,469.00 | $228.39–$6,775.20 | 30% |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 926-2000 HB Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $13,550.22 | $19,357.46 | $4,026.00–$4,474.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Lake Forest, IL · (847) 234-5600 HB Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $13,550.22 | $19,357.46 | $3,577.00–$3,975.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Winfield, IL · (630) 682-1600 HB Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $15,244.60 | $21,778.00 | — | 30% |
| Palos Community Hospital Palos Heights, IL · (708) 923-4000 HB Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $15,702.91 | $22,432.73 | $3,577.00–$3,975.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital DeKalb, IL · (815) 756-1521 HB Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $16,390.31 | $23,414.73 | — | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital Geneva, IL · (630) 208-3000 HB Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $16,746.95 | $23,924.21 | $3,577.00–$3,975.00 | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital McHenry, IL · (815) 344-5000 HB Tonsillectomy Primary/Secondary Age 12/> File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $34,192.09 | $48,845.84 | $3,577.00–$4,551.00 | 30% |
Outpatient: lowest $443.80, median $4,936.99, highest $34,192.09 — a 77.0× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 9 of 14 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 tonsillectomy, age 12+ is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Tonsillectomy, age 12+ explained.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 42826 ($3,014.03). 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 (12 years or older) | $252.55 | file |