Kit montgmry thyrplasty impl f 5 implants 1meas dev inst set 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

$1,391.79

Cash price

?

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.

$2,141.22

Gross charge

?

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.

$403.84 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $2,009.15 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $403.84 ↓ -71%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $403.84 ↓ -71%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
AETNA AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
COVENTRY AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
MERITAIN AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
WEBTPA AETNA $697.18 ↓ -50%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $803.66 ↓ -42%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $803.66 ↓ -42%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $803.66 ↓ -42%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $1,205.49 ↓ -13%
CIGNA CIGNA $1,205.49 ↓ -13%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $1,275.81 ↓ -8%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,305.95 ↓ -6%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,305.95 ↓ -6%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,305.95 ↓ -6%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,305.95 ↓ -6%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $1,667.59 ↑ +20%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $1,707.78 ↑ +23%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $2,009.15 ↑ +44%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $2,009.15 ↑ +44%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $2,009.15 ↑ +44%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Kit montgmry thyrplasty impl f 5 implants 1meas dev inst set at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $2,532.40 $645.76 – $1,551.10
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $1,391.79 $733.80 – $2,055.46
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $1,238.25 $723.98 – $1,828.70
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $1,391.79 $776.96 – $2,313.63
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,391.79 $576.54 – $2,037.25
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $1,391.79 $786.10 – $2,056.78
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $1,391.79 $478.75 – $2,037.25
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $1,391.79 $1,058.48 – $2,149.45

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →