Bra surgical elizabeth pink sm at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center

1000 4th St. SW, Mason City, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1467537886

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

$161.28

Cash price

?

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.

$248.13

Gross charge

?

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.

$18.74 with AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $93.69 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $18.74 ↓ -88%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $22.94 ↓ -86%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $23.16 ↓ -86%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $23.25 ↓ -86%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $23.98 ↓ -85%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $23.98 ↓ -85%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $29.70 ↓ -82%
OSCAR OSCAR $30.92 ↓ -81%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
COVENTRY AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
MERITAIN AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
AETNA AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
WEBTPA AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
AETNA EAP AETNA $49.19 ↓ -70%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $56.21 ↓ -65%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $56.21 ↓ -65%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $56.21 ↓ -65%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $56.21 ↓ -65%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $60.90 ↓ -62%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $62.68 ↓ -61%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $65.58 ↓ -59%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $65.58 ↓ -59%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $65.58 ↓ -59%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $65.58 ↓ -59%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $65.58 ↓ -59%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $65.58 ↓ -59%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $74.95 ↓ -54%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $84.32 ↓ -48%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $93.69 ↓ -42%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $93.69 ↓ -42%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $93.69 ↓ -42%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Bra surgical elizabeth pink sm at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $110.40 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $161.28 $18.16 – $93.69
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $167.51 $44.02 – $111.20
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $161.28 $35.41 – $105.46
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $161.28 $18.16 – $93.69
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $64.27 $35.81 – $93.69
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $161.28 $16.25 – $93.69
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $161.28 $48.22 – $97.92

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →