Cataract surgery with lens implant
Facility: Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital
Billing Code: 66984 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 66984
- Insurance Median: $3,612
- Cash Discount Price: Unavailable
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 1.53x Medicare
Average discount available for prompt cash payment at this facility.
Median negotiated contract rate across all mapped commercial carriers.
Standard federal government reimbursement rate for this code.
Visual Cost Comparison vs. Medicare
Understanding this gauge: We use the federal Medicare rate of $2,357.81 as the cost baseline. Rates below the baseline represent excellent value. In-network commercial rates commonly hover around 150% - 250% of Medicare, while rates exceeding 300% are elevated. Hover over the green and blue markers to view detailed calculations.
Out-of-Pocket Cost Estimator
Estimate whether it is more economical to use your insurance or pay the upfront self-pay cash rate.
Commercial Insurance Negotiated Rates
Negotiated contract ranges established by major commercial carriers at this facility.
| Carrier / Plan Group | Contract Rate Range | vs. Medicare Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $3,612 | 153% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For cataract surgery with lens implant at Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital in Ulysses, Kansas, the negotiated rate for Blue Cross Blue Shield is $3,612, which is 1.5 times higher than the Medicare benchmark of $2,357.81. This facility, a voluntary non-profit Critical Access Hospital, has no available cash or median paid data in the current dataset. While commercial negotiated rates often include administrative overhead that can inflate the baseline price by 20% to 40%, patients with high-deductible plans may find that paying the cash price directly is more cost-effective if the insurance negotiated rate exceeds the cash price. Since cash and median paid figures are not listed for this service, it is important to contact the hospital directly to confirm if a self-pay or prompt-pay discount is available before scheduling, as these upfront incentives can significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Patients should be aware that while the No Surprises Act protects against balance billing for emergency care and non-emergency services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, unexpected charges can still occur if ancillary services like emergency physicians or lab work are billed separately. If you receive a bill that seems unusually high, request a full itemized CPT-coded statement to identify any errors, double-billing, or unbundled codes, as over 80% of hospital bills contain mistakes. Do not accept summary bills that only show broad category totals; instead, demand a detailed breakdown before negotiating or paying. If you believe you have been overcharged, send a formal written audit dispute via certified mail to the billing supervisor rather than settling verbally, and refuse to sign out-of-network cost waivers for services that were not necessary or