CMS Price Transparency Data

Cataract surgery with lens implant

Facility: Valley Regional Medical Center

Billing Code: 66984 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$2,760

about 1.2× the $2,358 Medicare rate · typically $2,394–$5,016

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$5,014

Well above the fair price

about $2,254 over the fair price · 2.1× Medicare

Medicare pays $2,358 Fair price $2,760 This hospital $5,014

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other TX hospitals

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

Cheapest $545 Priciest $5,014

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

A fair price for a Cataract surgery with lens implant is about $2,760 (about 1.2× the $2,358 Medicare rate). Valley Regional Medical Center charges insurers about $5,014 — well above the fair price. Located in Brownsville, TX.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $2,760. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser 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	$912 - $13,940	39%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$3,437 - $5,317	146%
Aetnamajor	$1,073 - $7,514	46%
Cignamajor	$7,684 - $10,274	326%
Humanamajor	$12,814	543%
Health Net	$841	36%
Healthcare Highways	$3,041	129%
Molina	$935	40%
Oscar Health	$5,830	247%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$850 - $7,227

Government programs also on file: Medicaid.

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, 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: 66984.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Valley Regional Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 66984.
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 Valley Regional Medical Center

Compare: Cataract surgery with lens implant at other TX hospitals

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