Cataract Surgery Cost in Washington (2026)
Moderately higher pricing · Regional price parity: 107.2 · WA
What Drives Pricing Here
Three factors explain most of why cataract surgery costs what it does in Washington.
Regional Price Parity
Washington's cost-of-living index sits at 107.2 — above the national benchmark (100). This directly scales facility and staffing overhead, which flow through to every procedure price.
Specialist Availability
28 facilities perform this procedure in Washington — competition keeps pricing honest and gives you real leverage to shop quotes.
Vs. National Benchmark
At +7.2% above the national average ($5,000), Washington sits in premium territory. Likely drivers: high demand, metro concentration, or tier-one facility networks.
Cataract Surgery in Washington: What to Know
Cataract surgery in Washington offers diverse options. Confluence Health Hospital in Wenatchee performs an average of 1286 surgeries annually, while Evergreenhealth Medical Center in Kirkland completes around 556 procedures each year. Notably, Yakima experienced one of the longest median wait times for surgery nationwide at 367 days. Bellevue Precision Vision and Evergreen Eye Center in Federal Way (the state's first to offer bladeless LenSx laser procedures) are leaders in advanced vision correction.
For potentially lower costs, consider Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) in Washington, which provide a cost-effective alternative to hospital outpatient departments. While the state's average cost is slightly higher than the national average, exploring options in cities like Seattle, with facilities like Harborview Medical Center, might reveal more affordable choices. Verify current pricing directly with providers.
Estimated Cost Breakdown in Washington
Expect to pay moderately more for cataract surgery in Washington. These are the cost components driving the total.
Facility Fee
OR time and hospital staffing
Most significant cost
Surgeon Fee
Expertise and experience level
Implants & Supplies
Post-Op Care
Recovery and aftercare
Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist or CRNA fee
Total Estimated Cost
Washington all-in range
Financing Options
Many Washington clinics partner with CareCredit or Alphaeon. A typical 24-month, 0% APR term on $5,360 looks like:
- Soft credit check — no hard pull
- Instant approval decisions
- HSA/FSA eligible for qualifying cases
Prices reflect regional cost-of-living adjustments. How we calculate these numbers →
Ranges adjusted for Washington's regional price parity (107.2). See the national percentage breakdown →
Facility Costs in Washington
Here are the highest-volume cataract surgery providers in Washington. All rates come from CMS Medicare claims data — actual payments, not list prices.
| Facility | City | Negotiated Rate | Medicare | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confluence Health Hospital | Wenatchee | $2,436 | $1,934 | 1,286 |
| Evergreenhealth Medical Center | Kirkland | $2,306 | $1,834 | 556 |
| Harborview Medical Center | Seattle | $2,263 | $1,798 | 524 |
| Confluence Health- Wenatchee Valley Hosp & Clinics | Wenatchee | $2,131 | $1,688 | 384 |
| Samaritan Hospital | Moses Lake | $2,330 | $1,854 | 335 |
| Providence St Mary Medical Center | Walla Walla | $2,332 | $1,857 | 328 |
| Providence Holy Family Hospital | Spokane | $2,159 | $1,711 | 310 |
| Grays Harbor Community Hospital | Aberdeen | $2,358 | $1,875 | 285 |
| Peacehealth St John Medical Center | Longview | $2,499 | $1,985 | 280 |
| Peacehealth Southwest Medical Cente | Vancouver | $2,322 | $1,838 | 235 |
Cataract Surgery Cost in Nearby States
See how Washington's cataract surgery costs compare to neighboring states. Prices can vary significantly even across state lines.
Expert Answers for Washington Patients
Local regulations, insurance nuance, and surgical standards specific to Washington.
Compare Washington with any other state
See national pricing, all 50 state comparisons, and detailed cost factors in the main cataract surgery cost guide.
View full cataract surgery guideWhat is the average price of cataract surgery in Washington?
Does insurance cover cataract surgery?
How do I compare cataract surgery facilities in Washington?
Should I consider cataract surgery outside Washington?
What's the downtime after cataract surgery?
Does Washington Medicaid cover cataract surgery?
Can I pay for cataract surgery with pre-tax health savings?
How we calculate cataract surgery costs in Washington
Cost estimates combine procedure-specific pricing data with regional cost-of-living and provider-supply adjustments. Primary sources:
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Hospital pricing transparency files — CMS-required machine-readable data published by hospitals under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency rule (effective January 2021). Provides actual negotiated rates between hospitals and insurers.
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HCUP (Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project) — AHRQ's HCUP databases provide nationally-representative procedure cost data by state, payer, and patient demographics.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics — Healthcare Practitioner Occupational Wages — BLS OEWS data on surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgical staff wages by state, used to model regional labor-cost differences in procedure pricing.
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BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis state-level price-level indices, used to adjust national procedure averages for Washington's cost-of-living relative to the national mean.
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FAIR Health Consumer Cost Lookup — the FAIR Health database aggregates billed and allowed amounts from over 36 billion claim records, providing a check on procedure-cost ranges by ZIP code.
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Medicare Provider Utilization & Payment Data — CMS public-use files on Medicare-allowed amounts and submitted charges by HCPCS/CPT code and state, used as a baseline for procedure-cost ranges.
Estimates are illustrative and reflect typical pricing ranges; actual costs depend on insurance coverage, surgical complexity, anesthesia type, hospital vs. ambulatory setting, and individual patient factors. Always confirm pricing directly with providers and your insurance carrier. See our methodology page for full calculation details.