Repair achilles tendon 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

$3,459.12

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.

$8,236.00

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.

$701.00 with Creighton University Employees vs $15,455.62 with AMPS — 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
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $701.00 ↓ -80%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $1,235.40 ↓ -64%
Medica Commercial|ACO $1,249.61 ↓ -64%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $2,306.08 ↓ -33%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $3,788.56 ↑ +10%
United Commercial|All Plans $3,870.92 ↑ +12%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $4,282.72 ↑ +24%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $4,282.72 ↑ +24%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $4,941.60 ↑ +43%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $5,847.56 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $6,177.00 ↑ +79%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $6,209.00 ↑ +79%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $6,782.49 ↑ +96%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $6,782.49 ↑ +96%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $6,915.48 ↑ +100%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $6,961.99 ↑ +101%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $6,961.99 ↑ +101%
United Medicare|All Plans $6,961.99 ↑ +101%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $6,961.99 ↑ +101%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $6,961.99 ↑ +101%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $7,000.60 ↑ +102%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $7,101.23 ↑ +105%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $7,170.85 ↑ +107%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $7,310.09 ↑ +111%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $7,310.09 ↑ +111%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $8,042.03 ↑ +132%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $8,042.03 ↑ +132%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $8,042.03 ↑ +132%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $8,467.00 ↑ +145%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +167%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +167%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +167%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $9,248.33 ↑ +167%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $15,455.62 ↑ +347%

Visitor-reported prices

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Repair achilles tendon at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $34,236.41 $1.92 – $14,498.57
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $27,420.84 $0.96 – $14,087.30
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $27,415.85 $1.92 – $14,087.30
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $33,813.01 $2.88 – $235.52
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $49,423.32 $1.92 – $14,021.15
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $3,264.00 $600.35 – $5,921.26
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $3,264.00 $600.35 – $6,280.98
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $5,383.10 $600.35 – $7,107.76

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →