Alpha-fetoprotein tumor marker at CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs

800 Mercy Drive, Council Bluffs, IA · Chihealth · · NPI 1265517759

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$103.74

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.

$247.00

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.

$16.25 with Amerigroup vs $191.25 with MultiPlan — 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
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $16.25 ↓ -84%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $16.25 ↓ -84%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $16.57 ↓ -84%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $16.77 ↓ -84%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $16.77 ↓ -84%
United Medicare|All Plans $16.77 ↓ -84%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $16.77 ↓ -84%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $16.77 ↓ -84%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $17.11 ↓ -84%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $17.27 ↓ -83%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $17.61 ↓ -83%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $17.61 ↓ -83%
Medica Commercial|ACO $32.15 ↓ -69%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $33.75 ↓ -67%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $34.48 ↓ -67%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $36.11 ↓ -65%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $37.23 ↓ -64%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $54.07 ↓ -48%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $63.00 ↓ -39%
United Commercial|All Plans $70.55 ↓ -32%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $103.50 ↓ -0%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $114.77 ↑ +11%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $114.77 ↑ +11%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $114.77 ↑ +11%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $117.00 ↑ +13%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $117.00 ↑ +13%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $131.99 ↑ +27%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $131.99 ↑ +27%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $131.99 ↑ +27%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $131.99 ↑ +27%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $135.00 ↑ +30%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $159.75 ↑ +54%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $168.75 ↑ +63%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $191.25 ↑ +84%

Visitor-reported prices

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Alpha-fetoprotein tumor marker at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $132.60 $16.77 – $16.77
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $261.30 $16.25 – $184.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $129.35 $78.78 – $199.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $129.35 $75.22 – $223.99
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $155.35 $16.25 – $184.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $129.35 $76.06 – $199.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $198.90 $16.25 – $306.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $206.00 $16.25 – $206.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →