Ear tubes surgery cost in Houston, TX
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 3 hospitals list a cash price for ear tube placement (tympanostomy) under general anesthesia, one ear: from $1,421.38 to $1,533.71, with a median of $1,421.38. The lowest listed price is at Harris Health and 1 other hospital. Across Texas, the median is $3,340.97 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 69436, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Health lowest Taub Loop Houston, TX · (713) 873-2000 ECHG PROC TYMPANOSTOMY GEN ANESTHESIA | $1,421.38 | $2,093.00 | $40.00–$1,674.40 | 32% | — source file |
| Harris Health lowest Houston, TX ECHG PROC TYMPANOSTOMY GEN ANESTHESIA | $1,421.38 | $2,093.00 | $40.00–$1,674.40 | 32% | — source file |
| Hsa St. Joseph Houston, TX · (713) 757-1000 CREATE EARDRUM OPENING | $1,533.71 | — | $1,480.03–$2,182.11 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,421.38, median $1,421.38, highest $1,533.71 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 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 it is
This procedure makes a tiny opening in the eardrum and places a small tube to let air in and fluid drain out of the middle ear. It is most often done in children with repeated ear infections or lasting fluid behind the eardrum.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the operating room and recovery. The surgeon and anesthesia are usually billed separately, and the code is for one ear.