Mlh1 gene 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

$283.40

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.

$436.00

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.

$87.64 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $436.00 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $87.64 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $87.64 ↓ -69%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $151.29 ↓ -47%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $186.35 ↓ -34%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $188.18 ↓ -34%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $188.47 ↓ -33%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $188.47 ↓ -33%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $188.47 ↓ -33%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $188.91 ↓ -33%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $190.36 ↓ -33%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $192.24 ↓ -32%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $192.32 ↓ -32%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $192.32 ↓ -32%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $192.32 ↓ -32%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $196.17 ↓ -31%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $255.79 ↓ -10%
CIGNA CIGNA $261.60 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $261.60 ↓ -8%
OSCAR OSCAR $273.29 ↓ -4%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $276.86 ↓ -2%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $277.52 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $283.40 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $283.40 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $283.40 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $283.40 ↑ +0%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $323.10 ↑ +14%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $361.88 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $370.60 ↑ +31%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $386.56 ↑ +36%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $386.56 ↑ +36%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $436.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $436.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $436.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Mlh1 gene at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $384.80 $60.46 – $269.27
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $576.00 $115.78 – $576.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $375.05 $186.35 – $577.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $283.40 $111.62 – $436.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $384.80 $108.70 – $269.27
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $384.80 $3.50 – $269.27
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $384.80 $72.93 – $201.94
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $384.80 $91.80 – $204.70

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →