X-ray ribs 2 views left 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

$169.26

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.

$403.00

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.

$49.39 with Medica vs $342.55 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 $49.39 ↓ -71%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $57.28 ↓ -66%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $60.45 ↓ -64%
United Commercial|All Plans $70.92 ↓ -58%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $71.03 ↓ -58%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $74.39 ↓ -56%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $83.59 ↓ -51%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $83.59 ↓ -51%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $85.23 ↓ -50%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $85.81 ↓ -49%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $85.81 ↓ -49%
United Medicare|All Plans $85.81 ↓ -49%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $85.81 ↓ -49%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $85.81 ↓ -49%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $85.97 ↓ -49%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $85.97 ↓ -49%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $85.97 ↓ -49%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $87.53 ↓ -48%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $88.38 ↓ -48%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $90.10 ↓ -47%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $90.10 ↓ -47%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $98.86 ↓ -42%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $98.86 ↓ -42%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $98.86 ↓ -42%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $98.86 ↓ -42%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $112.84 ↓ -33%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $185.38 ↑ +10%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $190.50 ↑ +13%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $209.56 ↑ +24%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $209.56 ↑ +24%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $241.80 ↑ +43%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $286.13 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $302.25 ↑ +79%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $342.55 ↑ +102%

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray ribs 2 views left at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $222.60 $84.28 – $118.00
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $314.60 $78.07 – $484.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $217.75 $132.63 – $335.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $217.75 $126.63 – $377.08
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $482.95 $80.14 – $743.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $217.75 $128.04 – $335.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $303.55 $81.99 – $467.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $636.00 $82.14 – $636.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →