Brace knee support neoprene padded open patella med 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

$176.49

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.

$271.52

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.

$15.32 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $59.85 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.32 ↓ -91%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.32 ↓ -91%
AETNA EAP AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
AETNA AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
COVENTRY AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
MERITAIN AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
WEBTPA AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $31.42 ↓ -82%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $35.91 ↓ -80%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $35.91 ↓ -80%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $38.90 ↓ -78%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $40.04 ↓ -77%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $41.90 ↓ -76%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $41.90 ↓ -76%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $41.90 ↓ -76%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $41.90 ↓ -76%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $41.90 ↓ -76%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $41.90 ↓ -76%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $47.88 ↓ -73%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $53.87 ↓ -69%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $59.85 ↓ -66%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $59.85 ↓ -66%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $59.85 ↓ -66%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brace knee support neoprene padded open patella med at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $31.20 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $176.49 $21.37 – $59.85
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $183.30 $18.96 – $47.88
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $176.49 $22.62 – $67.37
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $176.49 $16.94 – $59.85
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $176.49 $22.87 – $59.85
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $176.49 $14.06 – $59.85
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $176.49 $30.80 – $62.56

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →