Contrast x-ray of knee joint at UnityPoint Health - Trinity Muscatine

1518 Mulberry, Muscatine, IA · UnityPoint Health · · NPI 1861444333

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 28, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$609.44

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.

$761.79

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.

$27.65 with Ambetter vs $312.33 with Medica Exchange Insure — 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
Ambetter HMO $27.65 ↓ -95%
Health Alliance Medicare Advantage $27.65 ↓ -95%
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $27.65 ↓ -95%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $27.65 ↓ -95%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $28.20 ↓ -95%
Meridian Health Plan Medicare Advantage $29.03 ↓ -95%
Humana Medicare Advantage $29.03 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $29.03 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare PPO $36.18 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare HMO $36.18 ↓ -94%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $50.99 ↓ -92%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $52.00 ↓ -91%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $52.00 ↓ -91%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $58.78 ↓ -90%
Aetna HMO $58.98 ↓ -90%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $61.10 ↓ -90%
Aetna PPO $68.35 ↓ -89%
BC Illinois Community PPO $72.10 ↓ -88%
BC Illinois Community Blue Choice $207.15 ↓ -66%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $278.82 ↓ -54%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $308.43 ↓ -49%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $308.43 ↓ -49%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $312.33 ↓ -49%

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast x-ray of knee joint at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $404.40 $341.85 – $478.59
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $1,193.40 $312.99 – $1,224.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $1,122.55 $231.35 – $1,151.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $1,122.55 $294.66 – $1,151.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $442.20 $341.85 – $478.59
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $387.78 $27.65 – $296.02
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $291.20 $27.65 – $314.00
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $1,148.07 $27.65 – $578.34

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →