Beta-2 microglobulin 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

$55.00

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.

$68.75

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.

$9.71 with United Healthcare vs $26.15 with Aetna — 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
United Healthcare HMO $9.71 ↓ -82%
United Healthcare PPO $9.71 ↓ -82%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $16.18 ↓ -71%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $16.18 ↓ -71%
Wellmark UHP Self-Funded Commercial $16.18 ↓ -71%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $16.50 ↓ -70%
Molina Medicare Advantage $16.50 ↓ -70%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $16.50 ↓ -70%
Humana Medicare Advantage $16.99 ↓ -69%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $16.99 ↓ -69%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $16.99 ↓ -69%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $21.03 ↓ -62%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $22.96 ↓ -58%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $25.15 ↓ -54%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $25.78 ↓ -53%
Aetna PPO $26.15 ↓ -52%
Aetna HMO $26.15 ↓ -52%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid not published by hospital
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Beta-2 microglobulin at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $123.00 $16.18 – $16.18
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $390.00 $15.68 – $600.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $96.20 $58.59 – $148.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $96.20 $55.94 – $166.59
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $390.00 $15.68 – $600.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $124.15 $15.68 – $191.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $96.20 $76.18 – $154.69
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $95.00 $15.68 – $95.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →