H pylori (c-13) breath 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

$187.85

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.

$289.00

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.

$65.27 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $289.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $65.27 ↓ -65%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $65.91 ↓ -65%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $66.01 ↓ -65%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $66.01 ↓ -65%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $66.01 ↓ -65%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $66.17 ↓ -65%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $66.67 ↓ -65%
SOUTH COUNTRY HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICARE SOUTH COUNTRY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $67.33 ↓ -64%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $67.33 ↓ -64%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $67.36 ↓ -64%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $67.36 ↓ -64%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $68.03 ↓ -64%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $68.71 ↓ -63%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $73.98 ↓ -61%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $73.98 ↓ -61%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $82.85 ↓ -56%
OSCAR OSCAR $88.79 ↓ -53%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $89.59 ↓ -52%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $113.16 ↓ -40%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $135.39 ↓ -28%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $135.39 ↓ -28%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
COVENTRY AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
MERITAIN AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
AETNA EAP AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
WEBTPA AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
AETNA AETNA $151.73 ↓ -19%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $187.85 ↑ +0%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $193.34 ↑ +3%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $202.30 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $202.30 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $202.30 ↑ +8%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $202.30 ↑ +8%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $202.30 ↑ +8%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $202.30 ↑ +8%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $231.20 ↑ +23%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $260.10 ↑ +38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $289.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $289.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $289.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

H pylori (c-13) breath at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $96.85 $35.02 – $183.31
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $559.65 $65.27 – $861.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $291.41 $40.42 – $191.97
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $291.41 $3.50 – $291.41
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $291.41 $40.42 – $146.80
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $291.41 $40.42 – $107.09
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $291.41 $40.42 – $323.10
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $291.41 $40.42 – $174.84

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →