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ER Visit (level 1, minor) at MercyOne Elkader Medical Center

901 Davidson St. NW, Elkader, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1184645434

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

$341.25

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.

$525.00

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.

$10.28 with AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $56.44 with CLAIMDOC — 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 AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $10.28 ↓ -97%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $27.79 ↓ -92%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $28.36 ↓ -92%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $28.64 ↓ -92%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $29.16 ↓ -91%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $29.17 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $29.76 ↓ -91%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $33.60 ↓ -90%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $34.09 ↓ -90%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $34.26 ↓ -90%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $37.35 ↓ -89%
WEBTPA AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
COVENTRY AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
AETNA AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
MERITAIN AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $39.74 ↓ -88%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $42.12 ↓ -88%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $43.20 ↓ -87%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $43.20 ↓ -87%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $47.17 ↓ -86%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $47.25 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $47.25 ↓ -86%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $51.95 ↓ -85%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $52.92 ↓ -84%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $52.92 ↓ -84%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $52.92 ↓ -84%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $52.92 ↓ -84%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $52.92 ↓ -84%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $52.92 ↓ -84%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $54.00 ↓ -84%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $54.00 ↓ -84%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $56.44 ↓ -83%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $56.44 ↓ -83%

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 1, minor) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $351.86 $10.30 – $35.89
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $156.92 $10.30 – $35.89
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $202.80 $43.55 – $84.28
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $253.50 $5.86 – $636.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $341.25 $10.28 – $54.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $341.25 $20.41 – $60.78
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $273.00 $5.86 – $1,453.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $341.25 $11.82 – $54.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →