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Breast Biopsy (ultrasound-guided, percutaneous) 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

$5,456.63

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.

$6,820.78

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.

$138.08 with Aetna vs $1,425.10 with Iowa Total Care — 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 $138.08 ↓ -97%
Molina Medicare Advantage $140.84 ↓ -97%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $140.84 ↓ -97%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $144.98 ↓ -97%
Humana Medicare Advantage $144.98 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $144.98 ↓ -97%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $268.60 ↓ -95%
Wellmark UHP Self-Funded Commercial $268.60 ↓ -95%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $316.00 ↓ -94%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $324.44 ↓ -94%
Aetna HMO $368.58 ↓ -93%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $369.22 ↓ -93%
Aetna PPO $448.99 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare HMO $501.61 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare PPO $501.61 ↓ -91%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $1,139.07 ↓ -79%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $1,278.90 ↓ -77%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $1,425.10 ↓ -74%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $1,425.10 ↓ -74%

Visitor-reported prices

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Breast Biopsy (ultrasound-guided, percutaneous) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $8,975.60 $138.08 – $1,649.27
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $3,995.30 $138.08 – $1,342.97
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $2,764.80 $1,550.93 – $1,996.80
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $3,117.40 $138.08 – $3,300.04
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $4,037.80 $138.08 – $4,141.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $8,098.00 $138.08 – $5,398.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $8,434.93 $41.64 – $5,398.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $5,356.00 $138.08 – $5,493.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →