Ear tubes, local anesthesia cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 15 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) with local anesthesia, one ear: from $204.33 to $11,083.72, with a median of $550.00. The lowest listed price is at Humboldt Park Health — $345.67 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $550.00 at 25 hospitals.
- The median here, $550.00, is 26% below the US median of $741.60.
- That is about the same as Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($551.01).
- 5 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 69433, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 6, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humboldt Park Health lowest Chicago, IL · (773) 292-8200 Incision of eardrum with insertion of eardrum tube under local or topical anesthesia File of Sep 29, 2026 · source file | $204.33 | $729.75 | $240.82–$766.24 | 72% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 PF-CREATE EARDRUM OPENING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $226.80 | $324.00 | $64.84–$259.20 | 30% |
| MacNeal Hospital Berwyn, IL · (708) 783-9100 Tympanostomy W/Tube File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $288.80 | $1,520.00 | $91.31–$697.22 | 81% |
| Gottlieb Memorial Hospital Melrose Park, IL · (708) 681-3200 Tympanostomy W/Tube File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $288.80 | $1,520.00 | $182.30–$4,278.00 | 81% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Skokie Hospital Skokie, IL Create Eardrum Opening Local Anesth File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $309.40 | $476.00 | $64.26–$259.90 | 35% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Glenbrook Hospital Glenview, IL Create Eardrum Opening Local Anesth File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $309.40 | $476.00 | $64.26–$259.90 | 35% |
| Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, IL · (708) 216-9000 Tympanostomy W/Tube File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $349.60 | $1,520.00 | $263.99–$780.35 | 77% |
| Endeavor Health Highland Park Hospital Highland Park, IL CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,LOCAL ANESTH File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $550.00 | $550.00 | — | — |
| Advocate Childrens Hospital Oak Lawn Oak Lawn, IL TYMPANOSTOMY & TUBE INSERT File of Nov 3, 2026 · source file | $550.00 | $1,100.00 | $433.40–$4,270.00 | 50% |
| Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn, IL · (708) 684-8000 TYMPANOSTOMY & TUBE INSERT File of Nov 3, 2026 · source file | $550.00 | $1,100.00 | $433.40–$4,270.00 | 50% |
| Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 570-2000 CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,LOCAL ANESTH File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $550.00 | $550.00 | — | — |
| Swedish Covenant Health Chicago, IL · (773) 878-8200 CREATE EARDRUM OPENING,LOCAL ANESTH File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $550.00 | $550.00 | — | — |
| Northwest Community Hospital Arlington Heights, IL · (847) 618-1000 Hb Create Eardrum Opening File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $597.00 | $597.00 | — | — |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 C-CREATE EARDRUM OPENING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $964.60 | $1,378.00 | $107.80–$1,102.40 | 30% |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL · (773) 702-9785 Hc Tympanostomy, Local Or Topical Anesthesia-Pbb File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,762.00 | $5,762.00 | — | — |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL · (773) 702-9785 Hc Tympanostomy, Local Or Topical Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $7,942.00 | $7,942.00 | — | — |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 926-2000 Tympanostomy Local/Topical Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $11,083.72 | $15,833.89 | $1,459.50–$1,621.50 | 30% |
Outpatient: lowest $204.33, median $550.00, highest $11,083.72 — a 54.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $550.00. 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 7 of 10 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 ear tubes, local anesthesia is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Ear tubes, local anesthesia explained.