Boot j walker l at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center

1111 6th Ave, Des Moines, IA · MercyOne · Nonprofit · NPI 1234567893

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$347.24

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.

$534.21

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.

$10.15 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $62.18 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $10.15 ↓ -97%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $10.25 ↓ -97%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $10.29 ↓ -97%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.44 ↓ -96%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $12.50 ↓ -96%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $12.50 ↓ -96%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $16.42 ↓ -95%
OSCAR OSCAR $16.79 ↓ -95%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
AETNA AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
WEBTPA AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
COVENTRY AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
MERITAIN AETNA $21.58 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $34.51 ↓ -90%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $37.31 ↓ -89%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $37.31 ↓ -89%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $37.31 ↓ -89%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $37.31 ↓ -89%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $37.31 ↓ -89%
CIGNA CIGNA $37.31 ↓ -89%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $39.48 ↓ -89%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $40.42 ↓ -88%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $40.42 ↓ -88%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $40.42 ↓ -88%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $40.42 ↓ -88%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $51.61 ↓ -85%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $52.85 ↓ -85%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $62.18 ↓ -82%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $62.18 ↓ -82%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $62.18 ↓ -82%

Visitor-reported prices

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Boot j walker l at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $380.80 $94.84 – $241.35
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $84.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $347.24 $12.05 – $62.18
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $432.50 $30.06 – $75.92
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $347.24 $24.18 – $71.99
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $347.24 $12.40 – $63.66
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $347.24 $23.77 – $62.18
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $347.24 $10.78 – $62.18

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →