Skip to main content
PricedCare

Tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) in Houston, TX costs $458 to $8,920. Here's every hospital's price.

2 hospitals in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area publish a cash price for tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) (CPT 42820). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, 2 hospitals list a cash price for tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12) (CPT 42820). The lowest is $458 at University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, the median is $458 and the highest is $8,920 at Legent North Houston Surgical Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 19 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Houston, TX median of $458 is 89% below the national median of $4,321 across 446 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

18 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $130 to $23,787. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between March 2023 and April 2026. 42 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$458
lowest cash price in Houston, TX
University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston · 48 mi
$458
median cash price
2 hospitals
19×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
2/60
hospitals with a cash price
42 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston

Galveston · 48 mi · Older file Mar 2023

$458
list $1,118 · lowest of 3 lines
2
Legent North Houston Surgical Hospital

Bellaire · 10 mi · File Mar 2026

$8,920
list $23,639
3
Chi St Luke's Health Brazosport

Lake Jackson · 54 mi · File Feb 2026

—
4
Baylor St Lukes Medical Center

Houston · 7 mi · File Feb 2026

—
5
Harris Health

Houston · 7 mi · File Mar 2026

—
6
Houston Methodist Hospital

Houston · 7 mi · File Apr 2026

—
7
Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital

Baytown · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

—
8
Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital

Nassau Bay · 23 mi · File Apr 2026

—
9
Houston Methodist Sugarland Hospital

Sugar Land · 24 mi · File Apr 2026

—
10
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital

Houston · 17 mi · File Apr 2026

—
11
St Luke's the Woodlands Hospital

The Woodlands · 29 mi · File Feb 2026

—
12
St Luke's Patients Medical Center

Pasadena · 16 mi · File Feb 2026

—
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 42820. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 42820, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About tonsils and adenoids removal (under age 12)

CPT 42820 is removal of the tonsils and adenoids in a child under 12, done for repeated throat infections or, more often today, for sleep-disordered breathing. It is an outpatient operation under general anesthesia, about 30 to 45 minutes, with one to two weeks of sore throat afterward.

What the price covers

The hospital's price is the facility fee for the operating room, anesthesia equipment, nursing, supplies and recovery. The ENT surgeon and the anesthesiologist bill separately. Children with sleep apnea or under three are sometimes kept overnight, which adds an observation charge.

Why prices vary

Children's hospitals and academic centers list the highest prices for this operation; community hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers list lower. The spread within a metro area is commonly three to five times for the facility fee alone.

Questions to ask

  • What is the self-pay price for 42820, and what do surgeon and anesthesia add?
  • Will my child need to stay overnight, and what does that cost?
  • Can it be done at an ambulatory surgery center?

Hospitals in Houston, TX without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask