healthcosts.net

Diagnostic Mammogram (both breasts) 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

$421.20

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.

$648.00

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.

$98.79 with MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS vs $648.00 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — 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
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $98.79 ↓ -77%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $98.79 ↓ -77%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $98.79 ↓ -77%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $99.78 ↓ -76%
SOUTH COUNTRY HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICARE SOUTH COUNTRY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $100.77 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $100.77 ↓ -76%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $101.82 ↓ -76%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $102.83 ↓ -76%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $124.00 ↓ -71%
OSCAR OSCAR $132.88 ↓ -68%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $134.08 ↓ -68%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $142.21 ↓ -66%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $143.64 ↓ -66%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $145.04 ↓ -66%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $145.61 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $165.89 ↓ -61%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $165.89 ↓ -61%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $169.36 ↓ -60%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $202.63 ↓ -52%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $202.63 ↓ -52%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $254.66 ↓ -40%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $254.66 ↓ -40%
WEBTPA AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
COVENTRY AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
AETNA AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
MERITAIN AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
AETNA EAP AETNA $340.20 ↓ -19%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $421.20 ↑ +0%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $433.51 ↑ +3%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $453.60 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $453.60 ↑ +8%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $453.60 ↑ +8%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $453.60 ↑ +8%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $453.60 ↑ +8%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $453.60 ↑ +8%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $518.40 ↑ +23%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $583.20 ↑ +38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $648.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $648.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Diagnostic Mammogram (both breasts) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $413.31 $43.57 – $151.89
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $285.60 $43.57 – $168.87
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $432.90 $98.79 – $666.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $445.90 $142.21 – $717.01
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $437.45 $98.64 – $673.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $270.60 $207.95 – $207.95
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $343.85 $98.79 – $529.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $445.90 $142.21 – $686.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →