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Diagnostic Mammogram (one breast) 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

$334.03

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.

$417.53

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.

$35.36 with Aetna vs $131.55 with Aetna — 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 $35.36 ↓ -89%
Molina Medicare Advantage $36.07 ↓ -89%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $36.07 ↓ -89%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $37.13 ↓ -89%
Humana Medicare Advantage $37.13 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $37.13 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare HMO $51.86 ↓ -84%
United Healthcare PPO $51.86 ↓ -84%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $70.30 ↓ -79%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $70.30 ↓ -79%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $75.16 ↓ -77%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $82.57 ↓ -75%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $82.60 ↓ -75%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $109.39 ↓ -67%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $122.75 ↓ -63%
Aetna HMO $131.55 ↓ -61%
Aetna PPO $131.55 ↓ -61%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid not published by hospital
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Diagnostic Mammogram (one breast) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $354.90 $77.11 – $546.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $226.40 $35.36 – $139.33
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $364.00 $77.11 – $560.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $297.05 $112.74 – $477.66
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $211.80 $164.52 – $164.52
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $312.65 $77.11 – $481.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $297.05 $112.74 – $457.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $297.05 $112.74 – $514.40

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →