CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$1,327

about 0.4× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $763–$2,349

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$799

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $528 under the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $1,327 This hospital $799 Cash price $989 Hospital's list price $3,298

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IL hospitals

Highest price of the 9 IL hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $520 Priciest $799

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 IL hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair is about $1,327 (about 0.4× the $3,343 Medicare rate). University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics charges insurers about $799, or about $989 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Chicago, IL.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$592 - $934	18%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$640 - $941	19%
Aetnamajor	$555 - $949	17%
Cignamajor	$943	28%
Health Net	$828	25%
HealthLink	$929	28%
HealthPartners	$936	28%
Meridian	$941	28%
Molina	$473 - $941	14%
WellCare	$621	19%
+ 31 smaller / regional plans	$592 - $4,137

Excludes 3 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 989), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 29881.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 29881.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other IL hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.