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Endoscopic Banding of Swollen Gullet Veins

California rates for HCPCS 43244

A flexible camera is passed through the mouth to find swollen veins in the food pipe or stomach, and small rubber bands are placed over them so they seal off and shrink away. These veins, called varices, form when pressure in the liver's blood supply rises and they can bleed heavily. Banding is used both to stop active bleeding and to prevent it happening again.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Endoscopic Banding of Swollen Gullet Veins cost?

$5,129

Typical facility fee. In California, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $5,129 for this service. Most negotiated rates run $2,692 to $7,762.

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 9 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $5,495 · 10th to 90th $603 to $13,490Professionalmedian $245 · 10th to 90th $200 to $575
$100$500$2K$10Kfacility $5,495professional $245

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
$1,258.93
Median
$6,025.60
Typical High
$15,135.61
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3,630.78
Median
$5,888.44
Typical High
$13,489.63
Blue Shield
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$75.86
Median
$4,073.80
Typical High
$8,511.38
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$467.74
Median
$891.25
Typical High
$2,238.72
Contra Costa Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$213.80
Median
$245.47
Typical High
$331.13
Kaiser Permanente
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$199.53
Median
$251.19
Typical High
$630.96
Lucent Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5,011.87
Median
$5,011.87
Typical High
$28,840.32
Providence
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$239.88
Median
$346.74
Typical High
$602.56
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,949.84
Median
$4,168.69
Typical High
$9,549.93

Where California sits

The same service costs 20.9 times more in New Jersey than in Delaware. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

California· 3rd of 50

$5,129

NJ $5,370DE $257

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.