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Abdominal MRI (with contrast) at UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital

1026 A Avenue N.E, Cedar Rapids, IA · UnityPoint Health · · NPI 1083708226

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 28, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$3,472.84

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$4,341.04

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$75.45 with Aetna vs $1,627.89 with Medica Exchange Insure — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage $75.45 ↓ -98%
Molina Medicare Advantage $76.96 ↓ -98%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $76.96 ↓ -98%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $79.22 ↓ -98%
Humana Medicare Advantage $79.22 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $79.22 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare HMO $110.38 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare PPO $110.38 ↓ -97%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $159.45 ↓ -95%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $167.72 ↓ -95%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $180.90 ↓ -95%
Wellmark UHP Self-Funded Commercial $180.90 ↓ -95%
Aetna HMO $195.68 ↓ -94%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $212.80 ↓ -94%
Aetna PPO $225.16 ↓ -94%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $314.12 ↓ -91%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $314.12 ↓ -91%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $1,449.91 ↓ -58%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $1,627.89 ↓ -53%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal MRI (with contrast) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $3,728.94 $75.45 – $1,370.38
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,483.81 $75.45 – $977.46
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $971.40 $341.85 – $478.59
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $1,061.40 $341.85 – $478.59
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $1,061.40 $601.46 – $1,291.37
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $2,051.40 $328.68 – $3,156.00
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $1,066.40 $75.45 – $314.00
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $3,468.07 $75.45 – $1,747.04

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →