Puncture aspiration abscess/hematoma/bulla/cyst 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

$827.68

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.

$1,034.59

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.

$87.69 with Aetna vs $387.97 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 $87.69 ↓ -89%
Molina Medicare Advantage $89.44 ↓ -89%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $89.44 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $92.07 ↓ -89%
Humana Medicare Advantage $92.07 ↓ -89%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $92.07 ↓ -89%
Wellmark UHP Self-Funded Commercial $173.70 ↓ -79%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $173.70 ↓ -79%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $177.65 ↓ -79%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $204.40 ↓ -75%
Aetna HMO $211.78 ↓ -74%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $233.65 ↓ -72%
Aetna PPO $257.34 ↓ -69%
United Healthcare HMO $293.92 ↓ -64%
United Healthcare PPO $293.92 ↓ -64%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $345.55 ↓ -58%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $351.41 ↓ -58%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $351.41 ↓ -58%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $387.97 ↓ -53%

Visitor-reported prices

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Puncture aspiration abscess/hematoma/bulla/cyst at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $232.20 $128.70 – $382.44
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $885.30 $364.70 – $1,362.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $382.85 $18.97 – $430.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $566.15 $18.97 – $871.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $2,038.00 $383.70 – $2,038.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $430.00 $18.97 – $215.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $746.20 $18.97 – $1,148.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $243.60 $250.90 – $382.44

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →