Consultation/report referred slides prepared elsewhere 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

$115.50

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.

$275.00

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.

$37.27 with Amerigroup vs $264.00 with One World — 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 $37.27 ↓ -68%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $37.27 ↓ -68%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $38.00 ↓ -67%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $38.25 ↓ -67%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $38.25 ↓ -67%
United Medicare|All Plans $38.25 ↓ -67%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $38.25 ↓ -67%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $38.25 ↓ -67%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $39.02 ↓ -66%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $39.40 ↓ -66%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $39.60 ↓ -66%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $40.16 ↓ -65%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $40.16 ↓ -65%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $73.92 ↓ -36%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $84.92 ↓ -26%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $121.44 ↑ +5%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $137.28 ↑ +19%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $137.28 ↑ +19%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $158.40 ↑ +37%
Medica Commercial|ACO $159.79 ↑ +38%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $169.79 ↑ +47%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $171.60 ↑ +49%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $187.44 ↑ +62%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $188.84 ↑ +63%
United Commercial|All Plans $198.00 ↑ +71%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $198.00 ↑ +71%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $224.40 ↑ +94%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $264.00 ↑ +129%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $264.00 ↑ +129%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $264.00 ↑ +129%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $264.00 ↑ +129%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $264.00 ↑ +129%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $264.00 ↑ +129%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $264.00 ↑ +129%

Visitor-reported prices

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Consultation/report referred slides prepared elsewhere at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $416.65 $33.51 – $641.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $213.85 $33.96 – $329.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $300.00 $33.96 – $300.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $195.00 $33.96 – $300.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $410.00 $112.50 – $410.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $266.50 $35.35 – $410.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $266.50 $33.96 – $410.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $213.85 $33.96 – $329.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →