What cataract surgery costs: United States vs. other countries
Removing a cataract and putting in a new lens, with no hospital stay.
Typical price paid to hospitals and doctors for cataract surgery, from one report on the same basis: $2,224 in the United States, $2,149 in the United Kingdom, $823 in Germany, $2,660 in Australia. Source: International Health Care Cost Comparison Report 2024 (Report dated October 2024. Prices are for 2022.). These are not what one patient was charged; what patients pay is in the table.
| Country | Price paid to the hospital | What a patient usually pays | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $2,224 (iFHP) | With Medicare and no extra insurance: $343 at a surgery center or $563 at a hospital, on average (Medicare.gov) | 40% of adults who needed non-emergency surgery had it within a month of being told they needed it (all kinds of surgery, 2023 survey) (Commonwealth Fund) |
| Canada | $397.75 in Canadian dollars, not converted: the doctor’s fee in Ontario for cataract surgery with a new lens. Hospital costs not included (Ontario) | No charge for medically necessary hospital and doctor care (Commonwealth Fund) | Half of patients had surgery within 66 days of being ready for it (CIHI) |
| United Kingdom | $2,149 (iFHP) | No charge. NHS care is free when you use it (Commonwealth Fund) | Half of patients had cataract surgery within 34 days of the specialist deciding on it (OECD) |
| France | €1,510.79: the set payment to a public hospital, same-day care (ATIH) | National insurance pays 70% of an outpatient visit (Commonwealth Fund) | 35% of adults who needed non-emergency surgery had it within a month of being told they needed it (all kinds of surgery, 2023 survey) (Commonwealth Fund) |
| Germany | $823 (iFHP) | Co-payments are capped at 2% of gross income a year (Commonwealth Fund) | 50% of adults who needed non-emergency surgery had it within a month of being told they needed it (all kinds of surgery, 2023 survey) (Commonwealth Fund) |
| Japan | ¥121,000: the national fee for cataract surgery with a standard lens alone. The hospital stay, anaesthesia and materials are paid separately (MHLW Japan) | 30% of the bill for most adults, with a monthly cap (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| Australia | $2,660 (iFHP) | Not yet sourced | Half of patients waited 106 days or less in public hospitals (Productivity Commission) |
Where no sourced figure exists, the cell says so. We do not fill gaps with estimates.