Biopsy, bone open deep 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

$1,187.34

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.

$2,827.00

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.

$424.05 with Centene vs $9,248.33 with Timpte — 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
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $424.05 ↓ -64%
Medica Commercial|ACO $636.30 ↓ -46%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $791.56 ↓ -33%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $1,300.42 ↑ +10%
United Commercial|All Plans $1,328.69 ↑ +12%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $1,470.04 ↑ +24%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $1,470.04 ↑ +24%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $1,696.20 ↑ +43%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $1,837.55 ↑ +55%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $2,007.17 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $2,120.25 ↑ +79%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,402.95 ↑ +102%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $2,717.32 ↑ +129%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $2,717.32 ↑ +129%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $2,770.60 ↑ +133%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $2,789.24 ↑ +135%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $2,789.24 ↑ +135%
United Medicare|All Plans $2,789.24 ↑ +135%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $2,789.24 ↑ +135%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $2,789.24 ↑ +135%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $2,845.02 ↑ +140%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $2,872.92 ↑ +142%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $2,928.70 ↑ +147%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $2,928.70 ↑ +147%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $3,725.00 ↑ +214%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $5,081.00 ↑ +328%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $6,192.11 ↑ +422%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $8,042.03 ↑ +577%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $8,042.03 ↑ +577%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $8,042.03 ↑ +577%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +679%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +679%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +679%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +679%

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy, bone open deep at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $1,598.00 $14.28 – $121.60
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $476.40 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $476.40 $579.62 – $2,679.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,104.80 $305.73 – $2,372.28
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $1,104.80 $305.73 – $2,516.40
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $1,104.80 $305.73 – $2,847.64
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $1,104.80 $305.73 – $2,757.44
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $1,104.80 $305.73 – $1,157.30

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →