MRA without fol w/cont, abd 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

$3,305.90

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.

$5,086.00

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.

$307.19 with AMISH HOSPITAL AID vs $5,086.00 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
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $307.19 ↓ -91%
OSCAR OSCAR $328.21 ↓ -90%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $329.29 ↓ -90%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $330.23 ↓ -90%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $330.23 ↓ -90%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $330.23 ↓ -90%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $332.52 ↓ -90%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $333.29 ↓ -90%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $333.53 ↓ -90%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $333.81 ↓ -90%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $336.83 ↓ -90%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $343.71 ↓ -90%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $388.03 ↓ -88%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $464.25 ↓ -86%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $464.25 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $611.51 ↓ -82%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $611.51 ↓ -82%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $611.51 ↓ -82%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $1,022.29 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $1,022.29 ↓ -69%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $1,764.84 ↓ -47%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $3,051.60 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $3,051.60 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $3,229.61 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,305.90 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,305.90 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,305.90 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,305.90 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $4,221.38 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $4,323.10 ↑ +31%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $5,086.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $5,086.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $5,086.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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MRA without fol w/cont, abd at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $2,378.29 $339.99 – $1,287.25
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $5,086.00 $307.19 – $5,086.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $1,807.65 $284.09 – $2,781.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $3,039.40 $307.19 – $4,676.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $2,005.20 $296.02 – $1,621.70
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $1,729.29 $314.00 – $1,729.29
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $733.60 $339.99 – $355.33
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $4,463.89 $2,025.49 – $4,949.34

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →