YAG laser capsulotomy cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 14 hospitals list a cash price for laser treatment of clouding after cataract surgery (YAG): from $1,102.55 to $3,867.00, with a median of $2,704.80. The lowest listed price is at Sequoia Hospital — $1,602.25 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $1,620.67 at 74 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,704.80, is 137% above the US median of $1,138.95.
- That is 4.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($561.91).
- San Francisco, CA ranks 3rd of 3 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 3 of 14 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 10 cities for code 66821, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 30, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoia Hospital lowest Redwood City, CA · (650) 369-5811 DISCISS SEC CAT LSR SURG File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $1,102.55 | $3,232.00 | $213.61–$15,260.00 | 66% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Fnd Hospital - Richmond Campus Richmond, CA · (510) 752-1000 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 POST-CATARACT LASER SURGERY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,704.80 | $4,830.00 | $663.00–$2,076.00 | 44% |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus one side San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG DISCISSN 2ND MEM CAT LASR LT+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,867.00 | $3,867.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CATARACT LASER CAPSULOTOMY YAG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,867.00 | $3,867.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital one side San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG DISCISSN 2ND MEM CAT LASR LT+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,867.00 | $3,867.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CATARACT LASER CAPSULOTOMY YAG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,867.00 | $3,867.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch, CA · (925) 779-7200 HCHG CATARACT LASER CAPSULOTOMY YAG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,867.00 | $3,867.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $1,102.55, median $2,704.80, highest $3,867.00 — a 3.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $2,704.80. 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 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 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 YAG laser capsulotomy is, what the price covers and why prices differ: YAG laser capsulotomy explained.