healthcosts.net

Bx perianal mass 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

$962.96

Cash price

?

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.

$1,203.70

Gross charge

?

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.

$315.37 with Medica Exchange Inspire vs $2,218.72 with United Healthcare — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $315.37 ↓ -67%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $353.89 ↓ -63%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $521.20 ↓ -46%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $867.95 ↓ -10%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $867.95 ↓ -10%
Molina Medicare Advantage $867.95 ↓ -10%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $878.39 ↓ -9%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $878.39 ↓ -9%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $893.48 ↓ -7%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $893.48 ↓ -7%
Humana Medicare Advantage $893.48 ↓ -7%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $1,178.48 ↑ +22%
Aetna HMO $1,830.19 ↑ +90%
Aetna PPO $2,096.02 ↑ +118%
United Healthcare HMO $2,218.72 ↑ +130%
United Healthcare PPO $2,218.72 ↑ +130%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO not published by hospital
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO not published by hospital
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Bx perianal mass at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,415.32 $755.69 – $1,304.34
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $572.00 $387.32 – $1,664.86
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $572.00 $867.95 – $907.12
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $572.00 not published
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $1,415.32 $619.20 – $1,411.78
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $572.00 $109.46 – $1,361.19
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $1,478.94 $647.03 – $1,344.95
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Muscatine Muscatine $1,478.94 $425.19 – $3,072.30

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →