Mask full face lg af531 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

$47.34

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.

$72.83

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.

$14.28 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $71.04 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $14.28 ↓ -70%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $14.28 ↓ -70%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
AETNA AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
COVENTRY AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
MERITAIN AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
WEBTPA AETNA $24.65 ↓ -48%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $39.43 ↓ -17%
CIGNA CIGNA $42.62 ↓ -10%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $42.62 ↓ -10%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $42.62 ↓ -10%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $42.62 ↓ -10%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $45.11 ↓ -5%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.18 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.18 ↓ -2%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.18 ↓ -2%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.18 ↓ -2%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $58.96 ↑ +25%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $60.38 ↑ +28%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $71.04 ↑ +50%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $71.04 ↑ +50%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $71.04 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

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Mask full face lg af531 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines not published $68.19 – $440.78
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $47.34 $25.36 – $71.04
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $56.19 $33.38 – $84.32
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $47.34 $26.85 – $79.96
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $47.34 $20.10 – $71.04
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $47.34 $27.15 – $71.04
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $47.34 $16.69 – $71.04
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $47.34 $36.56 – $74.25

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →