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Danilo Manimtim and his wife, Marilou, had identical cataract surgeries, but the charges were drastically different — even though the Fresno, California, couple were covered by the same health plan.
Heidi de Marco/KHN
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Heidi de Marco/KHN
Danilo Manimtim and his wife, Marilou, had identical cataract surgeries, but the charges were drastically different — even though the Fresno, California, couple were covered by the same health plan.
Heidi de Marco/KHN
Danilo Manimtim’s vision was cloudy and blurred — and it was growing worse.
The 73-year-old retired orthopedic surgeon in Fresno, Calif., knew it was time for cataract surgery. “It’s like car tires wearing out because you drive on them so much,” he said.
In December 2021, he went to the outpatient department of the local hospital to undergo the common procedure that usually replaces the natural eye lens with an artificial one and is designed to