Incision of urethra 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

$244.80

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.

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

$306.00

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.

$87.23 with Aetna vs $1,801.80 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 $87.23 ↓ -64%
Molina Medicare Advantage $88.97 ↓ -64%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $88.97 ↓ -64%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $91.59 ↓ -63%
Humana Medicare Advantage $91.59 ↓ -63%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $91.59 ↓ -63%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $182.56 ↓ -25%
Wellmark UHP Self-Funded Commercial $185.50 ↓ -24%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $185.50 ↓ -24%
Aetna HMO $214.44 ↓ -12%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $218.20 ↓ -11%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $232.03 ↓ -5%
Aetna PPO $261.36 ↑ +7%
United Healthcare HMO $305.77 ↑ +25%
United Healthcare PPO $305.77 ↑ +25%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $1,801.80 ↑ +636%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $1,801.80 ↑ +636%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial not published by hospital
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Incision of urethra at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $3,804.92 $87.23 – $2,506.49
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $244.80 $87.23 – $1,801.11
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $244.80 $87.23 – $2,038.19
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $3,198.58 $87.23 – $1,973.64
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $244.80 $87.23 – $232.03
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $3,804.92 $87.23 – $2,282.95
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $244.80 $79.56 – $1,814.20
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $244.80 $87.23 – $1,762.74

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →