Bundled special stain group 1 microorganisms 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

$212.00

Cash price

?

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.

$265.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$24.11 with Aetna vs $69.70 with Aetna — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $24.11 ↓ -89%
Molina Medicare Advantage $24.59 ↓ -88%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $24.59 ↓ -88%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $25.32 ↓ -88%
Humana Medicare Advantage $25.32 ↓ -88%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $25.32 ↓ -88%
United Healthcare HMO $26.84 ↓ -87%
United Healthcare PPO $26.84 ↓ -87%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $31.73 ↓ -85%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $41.15 ↓ -81%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $43.70 ↓ -79%
Wellmark UHP Self-Funded Commercial $43.70 ↓ -79%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $46.20 ↓ -78%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $47.00 ↓ -78%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $47.00 ↓ -78%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $51.40 ↓ -76%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $53.01 ↓ -75%
Aetna HMO $62.99 ↓ -70%
Aetna PPO $69.70 ↓ -67%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Bundled special stain group 1 microorganisms at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $91.20 $36.40 – $51.14
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $222.30 $135.40 – $342.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $222.30 $129.28 – $384.96
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $161.20 $47.99 – $219.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $162.50 $49.09 – $284.73
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $222.30 $176.03 – $357.46
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $364.00 $49.19 – $364.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $236.60 $49.19 – $364.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →