Whole blood for transfusion 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

$421.26

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.

$1,003.00

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.

$80.70 with Medica vs $852.55 with MultiPlan — 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 $80.70 ↓ -81%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $81.42 ↓ -81%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $85.26 ↓ -80%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $150.45 ↓ -64%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $213.73 ↓ -49%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $213.73 ↓ -49%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $217.92 ↓ -48%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $219.39 ↓ -48%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $219.39 ↓ -48%
United Medicare|All Plans $219.39 ↓ -48%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $219.39 ↓ -48%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $219.39 ↓ -48%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $223.78 ↓ -47%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $225.97 ↓ -46%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $230.36 ↓ -45%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $230.36 ↓ -45%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $280.84 ↓ -33%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $461.38 ↑ +10%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $487.05 ↑ +16%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $601.80 ↑ +43%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $651.95 ↑ +55%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $712.13 ↑ +69%
United Commercial|All Plans $742.22 ↑ +76%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $752.25 ↑ +79%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $752.25 ↑ +79%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $752.25 ↑ +79%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $852.55 ↑ +102%

Visitor-reported prices

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Whole blood for transfusion at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $1,100.00 $221.10 – $1,100.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $715.00 $221.10 – $1,100.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $715.00 $258.50 – $1,100.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $302.84 $99.50 – $236.38
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $302.84 $99.50 – $302.84
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $302.84 $99.50 – $236.38
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $302.84 $99.18 – $236.38
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $302.84 $99.50 – $335.77

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →