MRI fetal ea addl gestation 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

$219.66

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.

$523.00

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.

$78.45 with Centene vs $456.97 with United — 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 $78.45 ↓ -64%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $146.44 ↓ -33%
Medica Commercial|ACO $221.53 ↑ +1%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $240.58 ↑ +10%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $271.96 ↑ +24%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $271.96 ↑ +24%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $313.80 ↑ +43%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $369.07 ↑ +68%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $371.33 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $392.25 ↑ +79%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $401.93 ↑ +83%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $420.89 ↑ +92%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $444.55 ↑ +102%
United Commercial|All Plans $456.97 ↑ +108%

Visitor-reported prices

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MRI fetal ea addl gestation at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $420.00 $81.40 – $195.80
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $420.00 $81.40 – $205.16
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $420.00 $81.40 – $195.80
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $3,856.15 $81.40 – $1,417.13
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $420.00 $81.40 – $195.80
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $420.00 $81.40 – $195.80
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $420.00 $57.98 – $195.80
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $1,820.53 $81.40 – $892.06

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →