Access thoracic lymph duct at UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital

1200 Pleasant St, Des Moines, IA · UnityPoint Health · · NPI 1356433049

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 28, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$4,212.62

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.

$5,265.77

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.

$256.06 with Aetna vs $1,548.14 with Medica Exchange Insure — 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
Aetna Medicare Advantage $256.06 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicare Advantage $261.18 ↓ -94%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $261.18 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $268.86 ↓ -94%
Humana Medicare Advantage $268.86 ↓ -94%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $268.86 ↓ -94%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $534.60 ↓ -87%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $534.60 ↓ -87%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $567.27 ↓ -87%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $629.00 ↓ -85%
Aetna HMO $671.49 ↓ -84%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $677.39 ↓ -84%
Aetna PPO $817.58 ↓ -81%
United Healthcare PPO $937.33 ↓ -78%
United Healthcare HMO $937.33 ↓ -78%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $1,379.63 ↓ -67%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $1,548.14 ↓ -63%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid not published by hospital
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Access thoracic lymph duct at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $750.40 $256.06 – $677.39
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $750.40 $256.06 – $862.96
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $750.40 $256.06 – $677.39
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $750.40 $256.06 – $677.39
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $750.40 $256.06 – $677.39
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $750.40 $243.88 – $677.39
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $750.40 $256.06 – $677.39
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Muscatine Muscatine $750.40 $256.06 – $677.39

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →