Sodium chloride 0.9 % IV bolus 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

$22.50

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$22.50

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$9.01 with BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $18.29 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
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.01 ↓ -60%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.10 ↓ -60%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $9.19 ↓ -59%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.28 ↓ -59%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.45 ↓ -58%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.45 ↓ -58%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.65 ↓ -57%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $10.89 ↓ -52%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $11.05 ↓ -51%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $11.10 ↓ -51%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $12.10 ↓ -46%
COVENTRY AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
AETNA AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
MERITAIN AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
WEBTPA AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $12.88 ↓ -43%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $13.65 ↓ -39%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $14.00 ↓ -38%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $14.00 ↓ -38%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $15.29 ↓ -32%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $15.31 ↓ -32%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $15.31 ↓ -32%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $16.84 ↓ -25%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -24%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -24%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -24%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -24%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -24%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -24%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $17.50 ↓ -22%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $17.50 ↓ -22%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $18.29 ↓ -19%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $18.29 ↓ -19%

Visitor-reported prices

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Sodium chloride 0.9 % IV bolus at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $22.50 $6.25 – $17.50
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $22.50 $7.92 – $20.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $22.50 $6.62 – $19.70
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $22.50 $4.95 – $17.50
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $22.50 $7.64 – $20.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $22.50 $4.11 – $17.50
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $20.00 $3.52 – $17.50
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $20.00 $2.01 – $10.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →