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Knee Cartilage Repair With Your Own Bone Plugs

California rates for HCPCS 29866

A knee arthroscopy procedure that repairs a damaged patch of joint cartilage by transplanting small plugs of healthy bone and cartilage taken from a less weight-bearing area of the patient's own knee. The plugs are harvested and inserted through small camera-guided incisions in the same operation, filling the damaged area with living tissue rather than scar tissue. It is used for a focal area of cartilage damage rather than widespread arthritis.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Knee Cartilage Repair With Your Own Bone Plugs cost?

$9,120

Typical negotiated rate. In California, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $9,120 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $1,318 from a physician practice, and about $15,136 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 12 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$1,318$1,023 to $2,570
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$15,136$10,715 to $20,893

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $15,136 · 10th to 90th $3,981 to $28,840Professionalmedian $1,318 · 10th to 90th $851 to $5,754
$100.0$1.0K$10.0Kfacility $15,136professional $1,318

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3,019.95
Median
$7,762.47
Typical High
$19,054.61
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$912.01
Median
$1,148.15
Typical High
$6,456.54
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$9,772.37
Median
$16,218.10
Typical High
$28,840.32
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,230.27
Median
$1,659.59
Typical High
$3,162.28
Blue Shield
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$74.13
Median
$12,882.50
Typical High
$26,302.68
Blue Shield
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$100.00
Median
$100.00
Typical High
$2,238.72
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,148.15
Median
$2,691.53
Typical High
$8,511.38
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,000.00
Median
$1,318.26
Typical High
$2,818.38
Contra Costa Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$489.78
Median
$933.25
Typical High
$1,513.56
Kaiser Permanente
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$891.25
Median
$1,202.26
Typical High
$2,691.53
Lucent Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,238.72
Median
$20,892.96
Typical High
$33,884.42
Lucent Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7,762.47
Median
$9,120.11
Typical High
$9,120.11
Molina
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,513.56
Median
$1,513.56
Typical High
$1,513.56
Providence
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,023.29
Median
$1,348.96
Typical High
$2,137.96
Providence
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,000.00
Median
$1,348.96
Typical High
$2,754.23
Sutter Health Plus
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3,388.44
Median
$3,388.44
Typical High
$3,388.44
The Alliance
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$616.60
Median
$870.96
Typical High
$1,122.02
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7,762.47
Median
$14,125.38
Typical High
$28,840.32
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$812.83
Median
$1,096.48
Typical High
$2,398.83

Where California sits

The same service costs 8.7 times more in California than in Delaware. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

California $9,120 · 1st of 51
CA $9,120DE $1,047

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.