How Much Does Meniscus Tear Surgery Cost?

Updated on July 12, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 8 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Meniscus tear surgery commonly costs $5,000 to $12,000 as a self-pay outpatient procedure in the United States. Current prepaid prices for knee arthroscopy with or without meniscectomy span roughly $2,386 to $12,100, while hospital billed charges can exceed $30,000 without representing what an insurer or cash-paying patient actually pays.

With health insurance, a patient may owe from several hundred dollars to $7,000 or more, depending on the remaining deductible, coinsurance, network status, and annual out-of-pocket maximum. Physical therapy, MRI imaging, braces, prescriptions, and time away from work can add another $500 to $5,000+ to the full episode of care.

Meniscus surgery may involve trimming damaged tissue, repairing the tear with sutures or fixation devices, or repairing a torn meniscus root. These procedures do not carry the same operating-room cost, recovery schedule, or rehabilitation bill.

Article Highlights

• Self-pay knee arthroscopy with or without meniscectomy currently ranges from about $2,386 to $12,100 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 2 to 10.1 full-time workweeks, before taxes).
• Many outpatient cash packages fall between $5,000 and $9,000.
• Meniscus repair may cost more than partial meniscectomy because it can require fixation devices and more operating time.
• An insured patient’s bill depends on the allowed amount, not the hospital’s full billed charge.
• Physical therapy can add $42 to $179 per visit for self-pay patients.
• A knee MRI without contrast can cost about $293 to $1,980 through current cash-price marketplaces.
• Recovery after a repair may last several months and can create more lost-income and transportation costs than a simple trimming procedure.

How Much Does Meniscus Tear Surgery Cost?

Cost category	Common price	What the amount means
Prepaid knee arthroscopy package	$2,386 to $12,100 (about 2 to 10.1 full-time workweeks at $30 per hour)	Cash package for arthroscopy with or without meniscectomy, depending on location and provider
Common self-pay planning range	$5,000 to $12,000	Outpatient surgery with surgeon, facility, and anesthesia where bundled
Partial meniscectomy	$5,000 to $10,000	Arthroscopic trimming of damaged meniscal tissue
Meniscus repair	$7,500 to $15,000+	Arthroscopic repair using sutures, anchors, or other fixation devices
Insured patient responsibility	$500 to $7,000+	Remaining deductible, copay or coinsurance, and uncovered charges
Knee MRI without contrast	$293 to $1,980	Self-pay imaging before treatment, depending on facility and region
Physical therapy	$42 to $179 per visit	Self-pay session price before insurance adjustments
Brace, crutches, and medications	$75 to $600+	Postoperative equipment and prescriptions

MDsave currently lists knee arthroscopy with or without meniscectomy from $2,386 to $12,100 nationally. Its prepaid arthroscopy price listings are intended for self-pay patients and people with high-deductible plans.

Regional prices show how much location and provider choice matter. Current packages range from $6,821 to $7,674 in Florida, while listings in the Chicago area range from $6,716 to $10,890. These are purchasable cash prices rather than hospital chargemaster amounts.

What the operation includes

The meniscus is a C-shaped pad of cartilage that helps distribute load between the thighbone and shinbone. Each knee contains a medial and lateral meniscus. Tears can develop during a twisting injury or as the tissue becomes more worn with age.

Meniscus surgery is usually performed through arthroscopy. The surgeon inserts a small camera and instruments through small incisions, examines the joint, and treats the damaged tissue. The patient usually returns home the same day.

The advertised surgical price may include the surgeon, operating room, routine supplies, nursing, and anesthesia. It may exclude the initial orthopedic visit, MRI, preoperative testing, implant devices, postoperative brace, medication, physical therapy, and treatment of another problem found during arthroscopy.

Ask whether the price is a complete package or only one provider’s fee. A surgeon’s estimate does not automatically include the surgery center and anesthesia group.

Trimming versus repair

A partial meniscectomy removes the unstable portion of a torn meniscus while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. It is commonly called trimming or cleaning up the tear.

A meniscus repair attempts to join the torn tissue so it can heal. The surgeon may use sutures, anchors, or specialized fixation devices. A root repair reconnects the meniscus near the point where it attaches to bone and can require additional fixation work.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons states that repair can improve outcomes compared with partial meniscectomy in selected acute tears that have healing potential. Its acute meniscal pathology guideline also stresses preserving functional meniscal tissue when surgery is performed.

Repair often costs more because the procedure can take longer and use disposable repair devices. The larger financial difference may appear after surgery. Repair patients may use crutches longer, wear a brace, attend more rehabilitation sessions, and face greater work restrictions than patients undergoing a limited meniscectomy.

Why charges reach $60,000

A hospital may generate billed charges of $30,000 to $60,000+ (about 5.8 to 11.5 months of full-time work at $30 per hour) for an outpatient arthroscopy even when the insurer’s negotiated payment or the facility’s cash package is far lower.

These amounts should not be compared as though they were the same price:

• Billed charge: the hospital’s pre-discount sticker amount
• Negotiated rate: the amount agreed between the insurer and provider
• Allowed amount: the figure used to calculate insurance payment and patient cost sharing
• Self-pay package: a cash price offered to uninsured or high-deductible patients
• Patient responsibility: the deductible, copay, coinsurance, and uncovered services the patient owes

A study reporting an average hospital charge of $61,004 does not prove that the average patient wrote a check for that amount. Charges can be useful for comparing hospital billing patterns, but they are poor estimates of an individual patient’s final bill.

CMS requires hospitals to publish standard charges and consumer-friendly prices for shoppable services. Its hospital price transparency guidance explains how patients can search for discounted cash prices and insurer-negotiated rates.

What insurance may leave you owing

Commercial insurance does not apply one universal deductible or coinsurance rate to meniscus surgery. The patient’s cost depends on the plan and how much of the annual deductible and out-of-pocket maximum has already been met.

Consider an in-network surgery with an allowed amount of $9,000. The patient has $2,000 left on the deductible and then owes 20% coinsurance:

• Remaining deductible: $2,000
• Balance after deductible: $7,000
• 20% coinsurance on that balance: $1,400

The patient responsibility is $3,400, provided the surgeon, facility, anesthesia, and other billed services are covered in-network and no lower out-of-pocket maximum changes the calculation.

A hospital may display charges of $35,000 for the same episode. The coinsurance is normally calculated from the insurer’s allowed amount, not the full sticker charge.

Prior authorization is not a guarantee of full payment. Confirm the surgeon, facility, anesthesiologist, assistant surgeon, imaging provider, brace supplier, and physical therapy clinic separately.

Medicare outpatient cost

Original Medicare Part B covers approved facility fees for eligible procedures performed at ambulatory surgical centers. After the Part B deductible, the patient generally pays 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, according to Medicare’s ambulatory surgery center coverage rules.

Hospital outpatient care can involve a separate hospital copayment in addition to the amount owed for the physician’s services. Medicare notes that a patient may pay more for a procedure in a hospital outpatient department than for the same covered service at an ambulatory surgery center.

The official Medicare Procedure Price Lookup allows patients to compare estimated Medicare payments and patient costs between hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers.

Medicare Advantage plans use their own network, copay, coinsurance, and authorization structures. A Medigap policy may cover some Original Medicare cost sharing, depending on the policy.

Hospital or surgery center

Most isolated meniscus procedures are outpatient operations. They may be performed in a hospital outpatient department or a freestanding ambulatory surgery center.

An ambulatory surgery center can have lower overhead and a lower facility payment. A hospital may be appropriate when the patient has medical risks, needs access to additional hospital resources, or is having other procedures during the same operation.

Current prepaid knee arthroscopy examples include:

• Colorado: $5,782 to $8,579
• Las Vegas area: $5,892 to $7,109
• California listing: $6,603
• Chicago area: $6,716 to $10,890

Do not choose a facility from price alone. Compare accreditation, surgeon privileges, anesthesia coverage, infection procedures, emergency transfer arrangements, and whether the quoted package covers the same CPT code and services.

The full recovery bill

The surgical package may be only one part of the expense. A patient can encounter costs before and after the operation:

• Orthopedic consultation: $150 to $500+
• Knee MRI without contrast: $293 to $1,980
• Preoperative testing or medical clearance: $100 to $600+
• Crutches or walker: $25 to $200+
• Postoperative knee brace: $50 to $500+
• Prescription and over-the-counter medications: $20 to $150+
• Physical therapy: $42 to $179 per visit

MDsave lists MRI without contrast from $293 to $1,980 through its current cash MRI marketplace. Hospital imaging may have a higher billed charge, while an independent imaging center may offer a lower prepaid rate.

Physical therapy visits currently range from $42 to $179 on MDsave’s therapy price listings. Six self-pay visits at $100 each add $600. Twelve visits at $150 each add $1,800.

Repair costs more after surgery

A partial meniscectomy often permits weight bearing and a faster return to ordinary activity, subject to the surgeon’s instructions. A repair needs time for the tissue to heal and may require limits on weight bearing and knee bending.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons describes meniscus tear symptoms, treatment choices, and recovery considerations in its patient guidance on meniscus tears. The correct rehabilitation plan depends on the tear, repair method, associated injuries, and patient.

Consider two simplified recovery budgets:

Partial meniscectomy scenario:

• Cash surgical package: $6,500
• MRI: $500
• Six therapy visits at $100: $600
• Crutches and medication: $100

The medical total is $7,700, before lost income and transportation.

Meniscus repair scenario:

• Cash surgical package: $10,000
• MRI: $500
• Brace and crutches: $350
• Twenty therapy visits at $125: $2,500
• Medication and follow-up expenses: $150

The medical total reaches $13,500. The repair scenario costs $5,800 more, driven by both the procedure and extended rehabilitation.

When surgery may be discussed

Not every meniscus tear requires an operation. Treatment can depend on the patient’s age, symptoms, activity level, tear pattern, tear location, knee stability, arthritis, associated ligament injury, and response to nonsurgical care.

Physical therapy, activity changes, pain management, and time may be considered for some tears. Surgery may be discussed when symptoms persist, the knee remains mechanically blocked or locked, an acute repairable tear is present, or another knee injury requires operative treatment.

A Grade 3 MRI signal does not dictate one treatment by itself. It usually means the signal reaches a meniscal surface, but the surgeon must interpret the images alongside symptoms, physical examination, tear stability, and the rest of the knee.

Repair is not suitable for every tear. Blood supply is better near the outer edge of the meniscus, while some inner-zone tears have limited healing potential. Arthritis and tissue quality can also affect whether repair is appropriate.

When paying for surgery makes sense

May make sense if:

• The surgeon identifies a repairable traumatic tear with healing potential.
• The knee is mechanically locked or cannot move through its normal range.
• Symptoms remain limiting after an appropriate nonsurgical plan.
• The tear is being treated during surgery for another documented knee injury.
• The patient understands the different recovery demands of repair and meniscectomy.

More information may be needed if:

• The recommendation is based only on an MRI report without matching symptoms.
• The knee has substantial arthritis that may be the main pain source.
• The estimate does not say whether the plan is repair or meniscectomy.
• The surgeon, facility, and anesthesia costs have not been separated.
• The patient has not received a rehabilitation and work-restriction plan.

Patients comparing orthopedic procedures may also find wide gaps between cash prices and billed charges for bunion surgery. Smaller foot procedures such as surgical corn removal have a different facility and recovery profile, while brachymetatarsia surgery can involve a much longer treatment period.

What to check before scheduling

• Checked whether the estimate is for partial meniscectomy, repair, root repair, or another arthroscopic procedure.
• Confirmed whether surgeon, facility, anesthesia, implants, and routine follow-up care are included.
• Cross-referenced the negotiated insurance rate or cash package rather than relying on the hospital’s billed charge.
• Verified the surgeon, facility, anesthesiologist, therapy clinic, and equipment supplier are in-network.
• Checked the number and expected price of physical therapy visits after the specific procedure.
• Confirmed whether prior authorization, a referral, MRI documentation, or nonsurgical treatment is required by the health plan.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does meniscus surgery cost without insurance?
Many self-pay outpatient procedures cost $5,000 to $12,000. Current prepaid arthroscopy prices range from approximately $2,386 to $12,100, depending on location and provider.

How much does meniscus surgery cost with insurance?
The patient may owe from several hundred dollars to $7,000+. The amount depends on the remaining deductible, coinsurance, network status, and out-of-pocket maximum.

Is meniscus repair more expensive than trimming?
It often is. Repair may use fixation devices and require more operating time, bracing, and physical therapy. It can also produce a longer period away from physical work.

Does the surgery price include physical therapy?
Usually not. Therapy is commonly billed separately and can cost $42 to $179 per self-pay visit.

Does every Grade 3 meniscus tear need surgery?
No. MRI grade alone does not determine treatment. Symptoms, tear type, stability, location, arthritis, examination findings, and response to nonsurgical care all matter.