Assay of urine sulfate at MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center

250 Mercy Drive, Dubuque, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1659348506

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$22.75

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.

$35.00

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.

$5.32 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $35.00 with STEPHENSON CTY 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 $5.32 ↓ -77%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.38 ↓ -76%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $5.38 ↓ -76%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.38 ↓ -76%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.38 ↓ -76%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $5.40 ↓ -76%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.43 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.49 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.49 ↓ -76%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.49 ↓ -76%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $5.54 ↓ -76%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.60 ↓ -75%
PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICE PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICES $5.76 ↓ -75%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $7.30 ↓ -68%
OSCAR OSCAR $7.49 ↓ -67%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $8.60 ↓ -62%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $9.22 ↓ -59%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $11.03 ↓ -52%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $11.03 ↓ -52%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $12.81 ↓ -44%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE EAGLE WINDOW AND DOOR $20.30 ↓ -11%
WPS WISCONSIN PHYSICIAN SERVICES $20.97 ↓ -8%
THE ALLIANCE THE ALLIANCE $21.14 ↓ -7%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $28.00 ↑ +23%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $29.05 ↑ +28%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
COVENTRY AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
MERITAIN AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
AETNA AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
WEBTPA AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
AETNA EAP AETNA $29.23 ↑ +28%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.50 ↑ +38%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.50 ↑ +38%
UNITY UNITY HMO $31.50 ↑ +38%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $31.50 ↑ +38%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.50 ↑ +38%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.50 ↑ +38%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.50 ↑ +38%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.50 ↑ +38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $35.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $35.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $35.00 ↑ +54%
STEPHENSON CTY HEALTH STEPHENSON COUNTY HEALTH $35.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of urine sulfate at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $25.72 $3.29 – $25.71
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $22.75 $5.32 – $35.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $22.75 $5.32 – $35.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $40.30 $5.32 – $62.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $25.72 $3.29 – $16.94
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $25.72 $3.29 – $12.95
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $25.72 $3.29 – $9.45
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $25.72 $3.29 – $28.51

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →