Urine pregnancy test 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

$51.35

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.

$79.00

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.

$8.34 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $79.00 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 $8.34 ↓ -84%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $8.43 ↓ -84%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.44 ↓ -84%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.44 ↓ -84%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.44 ↓ -84%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $8.46 ↓ -84%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.52 ↓ -83%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $8.61 ↓ -83%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.61 ↓ -83%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.61 ↓ -83%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.61 ↓ -83%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.78 ↓ -83%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $11.45 ↓ -78%
OSCAR OSCAR $12.23 ↓ -76%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $12.42 ↓ -76%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $14.46 ↓ -72%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.88 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.88 ↓ -69%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $17.31 ↓ -66%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $17.31 ↓ -66%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $27.41 ↓ -47%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $47.40 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $47.40 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $50.17 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $51.35 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $51.35 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $51.35 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $51.35 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $65.57 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $67.15 ↑ +31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $79.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $79.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $79.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Urine pregnancy test at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $25.72 $8.42 – $12.05
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $60.60 $8.61 – $8.61
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $36.40 $8.34 – $56.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $42.25 $6.03 – $65.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $42.25 $24.57 – $73.16
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $36.40 $8.34 – $56.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $85.15 $8.34 – $131.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $42.25 $6.03 – $67.94

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →