YAG laser capsulotomy cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 15 hospitals list a cash price for laser treatment of clouding after cataract surgery (YAG): from $316.92 to $5,356.00, with a median of $503.30. The lowest listed price is at MacNeal Hospital and 1 other hospital — $186.38 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $671.50 at 26 hospitals.
- The median here, $503.30, is 56% below the US median of $1,138.95.
- That is 0.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($561.91).
- 4 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 10 cities for code 66821, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 5, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2025 and Nov 3, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacNeal Hospital lowest Berwyn, IL · (708) 783-9100 Yag Capsulotomy File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $316.92 | $1,668.00 | $98.36–$1,637.54 | 81% |
| Gottlieb Memorial Hospital lowest Melrose Park, IL · (708) 681-3200 Yag Capsulotomy File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $316.92 | $1,668.00 | $531.84–$3,266.00 | 81% |
| Humboldt Park Health Chicago, IL · (773) 292-8200 Removal of recurring cataract in lens capsule using a laser File of Sep 29, 2026 · source file | $333.98 | $1,192.80 | $393.62–$1,252.44 | 72% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Skokie Hospital Skokie, IL Yag-Laser Capsulotomy 1+Stg File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $343.85 | $529.00 | $71.42–$288.83 | 35% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Glenbrook Hospital Glenview, IL Yag-Laser Capsulotomy 1+Stg File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $343.85 | $529.00 | $71.42–$288.83 | 35% |
| Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, IL · (708) 216-9000 Yag Capsulotomy File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $383.64 | $1,668.00 | $592.14–$1,758.07 | 77% |
| Presence Saint Joseph Hospital - Chicago Chicago, IL · (773) 665-3000 HC OPD YAG LASER File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $394.68 | $1,196.00 | $562.12 | 67% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 PF-DISCIS CATARACT SEC LAS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $503.30 | $719.00 | $241.13–$578.35 | 30% |
| Swedish Covenant Health Chicago, IL · (773) 878-8200 YAG-LASER CAPSULOTOMY 1+STG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $665.00 | $665.00 | — | — |
| Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 570-2000 YAG-LASER CAPSULOTOMY 1+STG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $665.00 | $665.00 | — | — |
| Endeavor Health Highland Park Hospital Highland Park, IL YAG-LASER CAPSULOTOMY 1+STG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $665.00 | $665.00 | — | — |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 926-2000 HB Post-Cataract Laser Surgery File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $893.90 | $1,277.00 | $298.82–$702.35 | 30% |
| Advocate South Suburban Hospital Hazel Crest, IL CAPSULOTOMY W/LASER (YAG) File of Nov 3, 2026 · source file | $950.00 | $1,900.00 | $748.60–$4,490.00 | 50% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 DISCIS CATARACT SEC LASER File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $983.50 | $1,405.00 | $241.13–$1,124.00 | 30% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Skokie Hospital Skokie, IL Yag-Capsulotomy File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $1,703.00 | $2,620.00 | $353.70–$1,430.52 | 35% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Glenbrook Hospital Glenview, IL Yag-Capsulotomy File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $1,703.00 | $2,620.00 | $353.70–$1,430.52 | 35% |
| Northwest Health - Porter Valparaiso, IN · (219) 983-8300 AFTER CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,082.87 | $7,714.33 | $259.57–$6,480.04 | 73% |
| Swedish Covenant Health Chicago, IL · (773) 878-8200 HB YAG-CAPSULOTOMY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,620.00 | $2,620.00 | — | — |
| Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 570-2000 HB YAG-CAPSULOTOMY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,620.00 | $2,620.00 | — | — |
| Endeavor Health Highland Park Hospital Highland Park, IL HB YAG-CAPSULOTOMY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,620.00 | $2,620.00 | — | — |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL · (773) 702-9785 Hc Discission Of Secondary Membranous Cataract; Laser Surgery File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,356.00 | $5,356.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $316.92, median $503.30, highest $5,356.00 — a 16.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $665.00. 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 8 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 4 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 YAG laser capsulotomy is, what the price covers and why prices differ: YAG laser capsulotomy explained.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 66821 ($849.08). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Methodist Hospitals Gary, INAfter cataract laser surgery | $0.01 | file |
| Methodist Hospital-Southlake Merrillville, INAfter cataract laser surgery | $0.01 | file |