Ear tubes surgery cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 17 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) under general anesthesia, one ear: from $160.52 to $12,324.82, with a median of $5,735.80. The lowest listed price is at Humboldt Park Health — $5,575.28 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $1,677.85 at 20 hospitals.
- The median here, $5,735.80, is 108% above the US median of $2,762.69.
- 1 of 17 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 13 cities for code 69436, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 26, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 26, 2025 and Sep 29, 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 placement of eardrum tube under general anesthesia File of Sep 29, 2026 · source file | $160.52 | $573.30 | $189.19–$601.97 | 72% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 PF-CREATE EARDRUM OPENING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $275.80 | $394.00 | $180.20–$460.88 | 30% |
| Saint Joseph Medical Center - Joliet Joliet, IL · (815) 725-7133 Create eardrum opening File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,654.00 | $7,568.00 | $154.19–$7,568.00 | 78% |
| Saint Francis Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 316-4000 Create eardrum opening File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,654.00 | $5,474.00 | $157.54–$4,816.03 | 70% |
| Mercy Medical Center Aurora, IL · (630) 859-2222 Create eardrum opening File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,654.00 | $7,606.00 | $154.19–$7,606.00 | 78% |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 926-2000 HB Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,701.70 | $2,431.00 | $568.85–$3,506.25 | 30% |
| Franciscan Health Crown Point Crown Point, IN · (219) 757-6100 Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $2,539.47 | $9,842.89 | $9,215.81–$9,842.89 | 74% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 CREATEEARDRUMOPENING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,774.10 | $3,963.00 | $136.86–$3,170.40 | 30% |
| Northwest Health - Porter Valparaiso, IN · (219) 983-8300 CREATE EARDRUM OPENING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,530.69 | $13,076.63 | $134.72–$10,984.37 | 73% |
| Franciscan Health Dyer Dyer, IN · (219) 865-2141 Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $5,735.80 | $21,243.72 | $1,641.59–$19,946.70 | 73% |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL · (773) 702-9785 Hc Tympanostomy, General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6,083.00 | $6,083.00 | — | — |
| Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital DeKalb, IL · (815) 756-1521 HB Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6,100.86 | $8,715.51 | — | 30% |
| Jackson Park Hospital Foundation Chicago, IL · (773) 947-7500 TYPANOSTOMY File of Dec 26, 2025 · source file | $6,623.22 | $8,279.02 | — | 20% |
| Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital Geneva, IL · (630) 208-3000 HB Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $7,307.77 | $10,439.67 | — | 30% |
| Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Lake Forest, IL · (847) 234-5600 HB Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $7,317.06 | $10,452.94 | $1,068.50–$1,798.50 | 30% |
| Palos Community Hospital Palos Heights, IL · (708) 923-4000 HB Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $10,431.38 | $14,901.97 | — | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Winfield, IL · (630) 682-1600 HB Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $10,652.35 | $15,217.64 | — | 30% |
| Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital McHenry, IL · (815) 344-5000 HB Tympanostomy General Anesthesia File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $12,324.82 | $17,606.89 | $1,068.50–$4,551.00 | 30% |
Outpatient: lowest $160.52, median $5,735.80, highest $12,324.82 — a 76.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $6,083.00. 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 9 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 2 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 surgery is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Ear tubes surgery explained.