Mayo nickel 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

$97.50

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.

$150.00

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.

$24.02 with MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS vs $150.00 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — 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
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $24.02 ↓ -75%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $24.26 ↓ -75%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $24.51 ↓ -75%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $24.76 ↓ -75%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $25.00 ↓ -74%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $25.46 ↓ -74%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $25.98 ↓ -73%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $32.60 ↓ -67%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $36.77 ↓ -62%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $41.18 ↓ -58%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $49.27 ↓ -49%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $49.27 ↓ -49%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $93.33 ↓ -4%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $94.70 ↓ -3%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $95.16 ↓ -2%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
AETNA AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
COVENTRY AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
MERITAIN AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
WEBTPA AETNA $110.40 ↑ +13%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $112.50 ↑ +15%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $112.50 ↑ +15%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $120.00 ↑ +23%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $120.00 ↑ +23%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $144.30 ↑ +48%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $147.00 ↑ +51%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $147.00 ↑ +51%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $147.00 ↑ +51%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $147.00 ↑ +51%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $147.00 ↑ +51%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $147.00 ↑ +51%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $150.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $150.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Mayo nickel at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $61.20 $24.51 – $24.51
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $272.35 $23.75 – $419.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $97.50 $24.02 – $150.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $272.35 $23.75 – $419.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $300.30 $23.75 – $462.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $272.35 $23.75 – $419.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $97.50 $23.75 – $150.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $272.35 $23.75 – $419.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →