Complex cataract surgery cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for complex cataract surgery with lens implant: from $1,159.60 to $11,714.29, with a median of $1,159.60. The lowest listed price is at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa and 2 other hospitals. Across California, the median is $5,209.61 at 48 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 cities for code 66982, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa lowest San Diego, CA XCAPSL CTRC RMVL INSJ IO LENS PROSTH CPLX WO ECP | $1,159.60 | $2,230.00 | $2,262.00–$6,729.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos lowest San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 XCAPSL CTRC RMVL INSJ IO LENS PROSTH CPLX WO ECP | $1,159.60 | $2,230.00 | $2,262.00–$6,729.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 XCAPSL CTRC RMVL INSJ IO LENS PROSTH CPLX WO ECP | $1,159.60 | $2,230.00 | $2,262.00–$6,729.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 Xcapsl ctrc rmvl cplx wo ecp | $2,953.00 | $16,216.20 | $1,008.93–$16,216.20 | 82% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Complex removal of cataract with insertion of lens | $11,714.29 | $21,298.70 | $140.00–$22,566.61 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,159.60, median $1,159.60, highest $11,714.29 — a 10.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,159.60. 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 5 of 5 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 it is
Complex cataract surgery removes a cloudy lens and implants an artificial one when extra devices or techniques are needed.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the operating room, recovery and supplies. The surgeon and anesthesia usually bill separately.