ER Visit (level 4) 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

$1,038.24

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.

$2,472.00

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.

$229.78 with Medica vs $3,872.00 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
Medica Commercial|ACO $229.78 ↓ -78%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $370.80 ↓ -64%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $404.29 ↓ -61%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $404.29 ↓ -61%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $412.21 ↓ -60%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $414.99 ↓ -60%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $414.99 ↓ -60%
United Medicare|All Plans $414.99 ↓ -60%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $414.99 ↓ -60%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $414.99 ↓ -60%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $423.29 ↓ -59%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $427.44 ↓ -59%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $435.74 ↓ -58%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $435.74 ↓ -58%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $692.16 ↓ -33%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $768.00 ↓ -26%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $921.28 ↓ -11%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $1,047.00 ↑ +1%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $1,137.12 ↑ +10%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $1,285.44 ↑ +24%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $1,285.44 ↑ +24%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $1,483.20 ↑ +43%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $1,755.12 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $1,854.00 ↑ +79%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,101.20 ↑ +102%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $2,753.00 ↑ +165%
United Commercial|All Plans $3,337.00 ↑ +221%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $3,367.00 ↑ +224%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $3,367.00 ↑ +224%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $3,367.00 ↑ +224%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $3,872.00 ↑ +273%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $3,872.00 ↑ +273%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $3,872.00 ↑ +273%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $3,872.00 ↑ +273%

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 4) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $595.20 $407.60 – $570.64
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $3,524.95 $4.56 – $1,436.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $2,448.55 $1.92 – $284.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $1,987.05 $0.35 – $319.67
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,785.31 $9.09 – $1,558.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $3,125.00 $51.31 – $284.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $3,491.30 $9.09 – $1,656.53
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $3,580.10 $1.92 – $296.84

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →