Cataract surgery cost in Iowa
In Iowa, 13 hospitals publish a cash price for cataract surgery with lens implant: from $1,271.10 to $11,667.47, with a median of $4,570.40. The lowest price is at Veterans Memorial Hospital City of Waukon Ia (Waukon). The highest price is 9.2× the lowest.
- The median here, $4,570.40, is 18% above the US median of $3,876.10.
- Iowa ranks 26th of 36 states by median, cheapest first.
- 1 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 66984. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Oct 30, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$1,271.10Veterans Memorial Hospital City of Waukon Ia
Median$4,570.40half of hospitals charge less
Highest$11,667.47in Iowa
Lowest saves$3,299.30vs the median
Hospitals in Iowa, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Hospital City of Waukon Ia lowest Waukon · Waukon, IA Removal of cataract with insertion of prosthetic lens | $1,271.10 | $2,230.00 | Oct 8, 2026 source file |
| Broadlawns Medical Center Des Moines · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Cataract Surg W/Iol 1 Stage E | $1,882.00 | $1,882.00 | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Stewart Memorial Community Hospital Lake City · Lake City, IA CATARACT SURG W/IOL 1 STAGE EXTRACAPSULAR | $2,409.00 | $3,012.00 | Oct 8, 2024 source file |
| WinnMed Decorah · Decorah, IA Removal of cataract with insertion of prosthetic lens | $3,551.80 | $5,074.00 | Oct 13, 2026 source file |
| Hancock County Health System Britt · Britt, IA Removal of cataract with insertion of prosthetic lens | $4,125.00 | $5,500.00 | Oct 20, 2026 source file |
| Regional Medical Center one side Manchester · Manchester, IA REMOVAL OF CATARACT WITH INSERTION OF PROSTHETIC LENS | $4,367.20 | $5,459.00 | Feb 20, 2026 source file |
| Kossuth Regional Health Center Algona · Algona, IA Removal of cataract with insertion of prosthetic lens | $4,570.40 | $5,713.00 | Jul 16, 2026 source file |
| University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down Iowa City · Iowa City, IA HB CATARACT REMOVAL INSERTION OF LENS | $4,571.70 | $6,531.00 | Mar 11, 2026 source file |
| University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics Iowa City · Iowa City, IA HB CATARACT REMOVAL INSERTION OF LENS | $4,571.70 | $6,531.00 | Mar 11, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville · Dubuque, IA PR Rem Cataract Extracapsular Insert Intraocular Lens Prosth Man/Mech Tech | $5,699.46 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Dallas County Hospital Perry · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA OR-CAT W/IOL 1 STAGES EXTRACAPSULAR REM | $5,714.00 | $8,790.00 | May 29, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader · Elkader, IA PR Rem Cataract Extracapsular Insert Intraocular Lens Prosth Man/Mech Tech | $9,136.24 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton · Clinton, IA PR Rem Cataract Extracapsular Insert Intraocular Lens Prosth Man/Mech Tech | $11,667.47 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Check the item The description in the hospital file looks like a supply or device (a catheter, a brace, an implant), not this procedure. The hospital may have filed it under the wrong code: ask before relying on this price.
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 2 | $1,882.00 | $3,798.00 |
| Iowa City, IA | 2 | $4,571.70 | $4,571.70 |
| Algona, IA | 1 | $4,570.40 | $4,570.40 |
| Britt, IA | 1 | $4,125.00 | $4,125.00 |
| Clinton, IA | 1 | $11,667.47 | $11,667.47 |
| Decorah, IA | 1 | $3,551.80 | $3,551.80 |
| Dubuque, IA | 1 | $5,699.46 | $5,699.46 |
| Elkader, IA | 1 | $9,136.24 | $9,136.24 |
| Lake City, IA | 1 | $2,409.00 | $2,409.00 |
| Manchester, IA | 1 | $4,367.20 | $4,367.20 |
| Waukon, IA | 1 | $1,271.10 | $1,271.10 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What cataract surgery is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Cataract surgery explained.
Cataract surgery with lens implant in other states
- Alabama$2,377.70
- Alaska$5,374.00, 1 hospital
- Arizona$2,362.30
- Arkansas$2,385.65
- California$5,044.00
- Colorado$5,804.80
- Connecticut$6,898.50, 3 hospitals
- Delaware$2,812.63, 2 hospitals
- Florida$4,592.37
- Georgia$10,558.00
- Hawaii$4,096.40, 4 hospitals
- Idaho$4,309.38
- Illinois$5,765.89
- Indiana$5,261.29
- Kansas$2,831.10
- Kentucky$4,459.21
- Louisiana$2,141.91
- Maine$1,778.70, 3 hospitals
- Massachusetts$9,170.17
- Michigan$2,786.53
- Minnesota$3,244.01
- Mississippi$3,215.10
- Missouri$4,458.95
- Montana$1,824.71
- Nebraska$3,621.00
- New Hampshire$1,347.34, 1 hospital
- New Jersey$3,043.33
- New Mexico$2,717.00, 1 hospital
- New York$2,698.92
- North Carolina$3,380.05
- North Dakota$3,496.52
- Ohio$7,459.54
- Oklahoma$3,433.23
- Oregon$5,314.97
- Pennsylvania$3,698.84
- Puerto Rico$937.50, 2 hospitals
- South Carolina$2,565.00
- South Dakota$4,389.08, 4 hospitals
- Tennessee$2,985.73
- Texas$4,003.33
- Utah$3,153.97, 4 hospitals
- Vermont$3,650.00, 3 hospitals
- Virginia$6,522.66
- Washington$3,637.30
- West Virginia$2,755.00
- Wisconsin$4,048.18
- Wyoming$2,310.21, 3 hospitals
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.