 | With Health Insurance: Copay + 10-50% of Procedure Cost |
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 | Without Health Insurance: $800-$3,000+ |
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| Circumcision is surgery to remove the foreskin, which is loose skin that hangs down over the tip of the penis. Risks can include pain, bleeding, infection, damage to the urethra, scarring, and, rarely, accidental partial amputation. | | |
| Typical costs: | - For patients covered by health insurance, out-of-pocket costs for circumcision typically would consist of a copay ranging from nothing to $50, depending on the plan, or coinsurance of 10%-50%. Routine circumcision for infants often is covered by insurance companies, though some consider it cosmetic. For example, Kaiser Permanente covers routine circumcision for newborns, but covers the procedure only when medically necessary -- such as for recurring infections or cancer -- for older children and adults. On a forum at BabyCenter.com, members discuss their experiences with insurance coverage of circumcision.
- For patients not covered by health insurance, circumcision for a newborn infant typically costs $150 -$400 for the doctor fee, and possibly an additional facility fee, which can increase the total to $800 or more. For example, Gentle Circumcision in California charges $150 to circumcise babies up to seven weeks old. Pediatrics Northwest, in Washington state, charges $170. Pediatric Associates in Iowa charges $250. Premier Pediatrics, in North Carolina, charges $300 to circumcise newborns up to two weeks old. And Canyon View Medical Group, in Utah, charges $343. If the procedure is performed in a hospital after birth -- instead of in the physician's office -- a hospital facility fee can add $100 -$400 or more to the total cost. For example, Community Memorial Hospital in Ohio charges a $138 facility fee for a circumcision. And Knox Community Hospital in Ohio charges a $227 facility fee. And University of North Carolina Hospitals charge a $400 facility fee.
- For patients not covered by health insurance, circumcision for an older child or adult male typically costs $800 -$3,000 or more. For example, Gentle Circumcision charges $850 for children 1 to 17 years, $1,500 for adults if local anesthesia is used and $3,000 for adults if general anesthesia is used. Harold Reed, M.D. charges $250 for an initial consultation and $1,750 for the surgery, including doctor fee, anesthesia and facility fee, for a total of $2,000. And The Circumcision Center in Georgia charges $2,500 if the foreskin is retractable and $3,000 if the foreskin is not retractable.
What should be included: | - For infants, circumcision typically is done within two weeks of birth. Usually, a numbing cream is placed on the penis more than a half hour before the procedure. Then, the doctor cleans the penis and injects local anesthetic around the base. Typically, a special clamp is placed on the penis to allow the doctor to pull the excess foreskin up and cut it off with a scalpel or scissors. Alternatively, a disposable plastic device can be placed on the end of the penis, and a string tied tightly around it; after about a week, the excess foreskin and the device fall off. The procedure typically takes about 10 minutes to a half hour. It takes about 10 days to heal.
- For an older child or adult, circumcision might be done for cosmetic, social or medical reasons such as a tight foreskin, inability to retract the foreskin or frequent infections. In these cases, local or general anesthesia can be used. The patient usually must take at least three days off from work, and full recovery takes about a month.
- WebMD Children's Health has an overview of circumcision.
Additional costs: | - Gauze and petroleum jelly or ointment are needed for home care of the wound.
Discounts: | - Many doctors and hospitals offer discounts to cash-paying patients or for prompt payment.
- By having the procedure performed in a doctor's office, it is possible to save $100 -$400 or more because there is no facility fee.
Shopping for circumcision: | - For infant circumcision, an obstetrician/gynecologist or pediatrician typically performs the procedure, but a pediatric urologist probably is most qualified to do the operation. For an older child, a pediatric urologist, and for an adult, a urologist, should perform circumcision. The American Urological Association offers a urologist locator with the option to search for a pediatric urologist. Jewish families circumcising an infant for religious reasons typically use a mohel -- a person, sometimes a rabbi and/or a doctor, who has been trained in ritual circumcision. MohelUSA.com offers a mohel locator by state.
- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are not enough potential medical benefits to justify recommending routine circumcision for newborns.
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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Article updated June 2011 |
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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments |
| What I payed for circumcision |
| Amount: $7,000.00 |
| Posted by: Lynn Leilani in Honolulu, HI. | Posted: November 13th, 2012 01:11PM |
| Practitioner: Various | Age of Patient: Newborn to 16 months |
My second son's circumcision cost far more than initial $259 the doc said it would. My son had the plastibell circumcision thing where the foreskin is supposed to fall off after a few days. They put the ring on incorrectly and it ended up degloving his shaft. So, here we are now and my son is 16 months old and he's had to undergo skin grafts to replace the skin on his penis. Doctors do not expect him to have a normal sex life. He needs more surgery and counseling in the future. My husband had to quit his job to stay at home with our son after the surgeries. If the doctor had told us we'd be going through all this, we would have never had him circumcised. What even worse is that the lawyer I spoke to says we can't sue the hospital or the doctor because my husband gave "informed consent" for the circumcision. |
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| What I payed for my son's circumcision |
| Amount: $7,000.00 |
| Posted by: Lynn Leilani in Honolulu, HI. | Posted: November 13th, 2012 01:11PM |
| Practitioner: Various | Age of Patient: Newborn to 16 months |
On my first post, I meant "My son is 46 months." I said 16 months by mistake because that was when he had his last surgery. Sorry for the confusion. |
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| Adult Circumcision |
| Amount: $18,000.00 |
| Posted by: a user in Venice, FL. | Posted: January 10th, 2013 04:01PM |
| Practitioner: Urologist | Age of Patient: 72 |
Phimosis problem, not a big deal, I was lead to believe it would not be a problem and it would only take a few minutes in an out patient visit. OK, I felt "0" pain, and didn't lose any sleep afterwards. I was knocked out for the operation and about 25 minutes later I was awake and done. I expected the costs would be in the area of $800 to $1100. It was done in a surgery center. Medicare paid for it, BUT!!! the doctor's fee for the "operation" was $12,000 of the $18000+ total bill. Is it any wonder why they want to raise the cost of Medicare. |
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| Lack of Informed Consent |
| Amount: $0.00 |
| Posted by: Mare54 in San Diego, CA. | Posted: February 15th, 2013 06:02PM |
| Practitioner: various | Age of Patient: 2 days |
Lack of informed consent is a huge problem. No one informed me that my son's foreskin was normal and natural and had functions designed by nature. No one informed me that it would be done without anesthesia. I was told that it was no big deal and that was a lie! No one told me that foreskin is sold to research and cosmetic companies for big money. Why are hospitals not required to fully inform parents about foreskin and what is actually being cut off of a normal healthy newborn boy? |
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