How much does cataract surgery with lens implant cost in California?
CPT 66984 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
66984 Cataract surgery with lens implant
Ask to pay
$4,561
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$5,044
Medicare $2,281
Ask $4,561
$285 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $37,599
What Medicare paysⓘ
$2,281
Typical price near you
$5,044
Cash / self-pay price
$5,044
Prices near you — 80 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $285cash | 0.1× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $937cash | 0.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $1,005negotiated | 0.4× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $1,005negotiated | 0.4× | — |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $1,665negotiated | 0.7× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,680negotiated | 0.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $1,944cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $1,944cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $1,944cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $1,944cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $1,944cash | 0.9× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,783negotiated | 1.2× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $2,898negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $2,953cash | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $2,997negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $3,158negotiated | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $3,236negotiated | 1.4× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $3,345negotiated | 1.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $3,375negotiated | 1.5× | ★★★★★ |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) | Hospital | $3,532negotiated | 1.5× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $3,578negotiated | 1.6× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $4,019cash | 1.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $4,164negotiated | 1.8× | — |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $4,304negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $4,304negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $4,304negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $4,304negotiated | 1.9× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $4,304negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $4,304negotiated | 1.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,044cash | 2.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $5,044cash | 2.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $5,044cash | 2.2× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $5,320negotiated | 2.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $5,491negotiated | 2.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $5,675negotiated | 2.5× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $5,698negotiated | 2.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) | Hospital | $5,713negotiated | 2.5× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $5,743negotiated | 2.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $5,986negotiated | 2.6× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $6,066negotiated | 2.7× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) | Hospital | $6,080cash | 2.7× | — |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $6,131negotiated | 2.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $6,138negotiated | 2.7× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $6,138negotiated | 2.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $6,194negotiated | 2.7× | — |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $6,319negotiated | 2.8× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $6,319negotiated | 2.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $6,361negotiated | 2.8× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $6,446negotiated | 2.8× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $6,446negotiated | 2.8× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $6,446negotiated | 2.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $6,573negotiated | 2.9× | — |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $6,604cash | 2.9× | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $6,604cash | 2.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $6,604cash | 2.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $6,604cash | 2.9× | ★★★★★ |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $6,752negotiated | 3.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $7,318negotiated | 3.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $7,774cash | 3.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $7,934negotiated | 3.5× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $8,217negotiated | 3.6× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $8,624cash | 3.8× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $8,624cash | 3.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $8,624cash | 3.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $8,881negotiated | 3.9× | — |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $9,165negotiated | 4.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) | Hospital | $9,386negotiated | 4.1× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $11,636negotiated | 5.1× | — |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) gross charge | Hospital | $12,820negotiated | 5.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) gross charge | Hospital | $13,814negotiated | 6.1× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $16,330negotiated | 7.2× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) gross charge | Hospital | $36,608negotiated | 16.1× | ★★★★★ |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) gross charge | Hospital | $37,599cash | 16.5× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 6 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 66984 (Cataract surgery with lens implant), Medicare's benchmark rate is $2,280.73. A fair self-pay target for this line is $4,561.46. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 66984 is $5,044.00, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $2,911.68–$6,604.16. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
See cataract surgery with lens implant prices in another area
What should 66984 cost in California?
For cataract surgery with lens implant (CPT 66984) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $5,044, with hospitals ranging from $2,912 to $6,604 across 80 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $2,281, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does cataract surgery with lens implant cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for cataract surgery with lens implant (CPT 66984) in California is around $5,044, with hospital prices ranging from $2,912 to $6,604 across 80 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 66984?
Medicare pays about $2,281 for cataract surgery with lens implant (CPT 66984). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of cataract surgery with lens implant?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
Compare other procedures in California
Screening mammogram, bilateralDiagnostic mammogram, unilateralDiagnostic mammogram, bilateralDEXA bone density scanColonoscopy, diagnosticScreening colonoscopy (average risk)Chest X-ray, 2 viewsChest X-ray, 1 view
Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.