Lead capillary 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

$89.70

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.

$138.00

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.

$11.73 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $109.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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 $11.73 ↓ -87%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $11.85 ↓ -87%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.87 ↓ -87%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.87 ↓ -87%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.87 ↓ -87%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $11.89 ↓ -87%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.99 ↓ -87%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $12.11 ↓ -86%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $12.11 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.11 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $12.11 ↓ -86%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.35 ↓ -86%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $16.11 ↓ -82%
OSCAR OSCAR $17.21 ↓ -81%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $17.47 ↓ -81%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $20.34 ↓ -77%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $21.91 ↓ -76%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $21.91 ↓ -76%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $24.34 ↓ -73%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $24.34 ↓ -73%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
AETNA AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
COVENTRY AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
MERITAIN AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
WEBTPA AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $37.82 ↓ -58%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $65.40 ↓ -27%
CIGNA CIGNA $65.40 ↓ -27%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $69.22 ↓ -23%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $70.85 ↓ -21%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $70.85 ↓ -21%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $70.85 ↓ -21%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $70.85 ↓ -21%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $90.47 ↑ +1%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $92.65 ↑ +3%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $109.00 ↑ +22%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $109.00 ↑ +22%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $109.00 ↑ +22%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lead capillary at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $32.15 $7.27 – $18.83
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $77.40 $12.11 – $12.11
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $90.35 $11.73 – $75.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $90.35 $9.20 – $139.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $90.35 $52.54 – $156.46
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $67.60 $11.73 – $104.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $90.35 $53.13 – $139.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $111.15 $11.73 – $171.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →