Kit case 4.2mm spinejack 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

$5,937.40

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.

$9,134.46

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.

$750.64 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $2,932.18 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 $750.64 ↓ -87%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $750.64 ↓ -87%
AETNA EAP AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
AETNA AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
COVENTRY AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
MERITAIN AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
WEBTPA AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $1,539.39 ↓ -74%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $1,759.31 ↓ -70%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $1,759.31 ↓ -70%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $1,905.92 ↓ -68%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $1,961.63 ↓ -67%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,052.53 ↓ -65%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,052.53 ↓ -65%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,052.53 ↓ -65%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,052.53 ↓ -65%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,052.53 ↓ -65%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,052.53 ↓ -65%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $2,345.74 ↓ -60%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $2,638.96 ↓ -56%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $2,932.18 ↓ -51%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $2,932.18 ↓ -51%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $2,932.18 ↓ -51%

Visitor-reported prices

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Kit case 4.2mm spinejack at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $5,937.40 $1,046.79 – $2,932.18
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $5,641.23 $1,102.95 – $2,785.92
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $5,937.40 $1,108.36 – $3,300.46
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $5,937.40 $829.81 – $2,932.18
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $5,934.85 $1,120.68 – $2,932.18
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $5,937.40 $689.06 – $2,932.18
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $5,937.40 $1,509.19 – $3,064.71
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $9,130.54 $589.37 – $2,932.18

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →