Bile acids cholylglycine 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

$53.60

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.

$67.00

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.

$5.36 with Aetna vs $41.34 with Health Partners Open Network — 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 HMO $5.36 ↓ -90%
Aetna PPO $5.36 ↓ -90%
United Healthcare HMO $15.95 ↓ -70%
United Healthcare PPO $15.95 ↓ -70%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $26.58 ↓ -50%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $26.58 ↓ -50%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $26.58 ↓ -50%
Molina Medicare Advantage $27.11 ↓ -49%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $27.11 ↓ -49%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $27.11 ↓ -49%
Humana Medicare Advantage $27.91 ↓ -48%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $27.91 ↓ -48%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $27.91 ↓ -48%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $34.55 ↓ -36%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $41.34 ↓ -23%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial not published by hospital —
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Bile acids cholylglycine at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $53.60 $5.36 – $41.34
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $53.60 $3.50 – $61.64
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $53.60 $5.36 – $41.34
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $53.60 $5.36 – $41.34
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $53.60 $5.36 – $41.34
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $53.60 $5.36 – $41.34
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $53.60 $5.36 – $42.53
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Muscatine Muscatine $53.60 $3.50 – $42.53

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →