Observation per hour at MercyOne Newton Medical Center

204 N. 4th Ave E, Newton, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1003296179

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$97.50

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$150.00

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.

$70.20 with NEWTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY vs $108.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
NEWTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY NEWTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY $70.20 ↓ -28%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $77.98 ↓ -20%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $77.98 ↓ -20%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $81.54 ↓ -16%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $81.54 ↓ -16%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $95.26 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $99.36 ↑ +2%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $99.36 ↑ +2%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $99.36 ↑ +2%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $99.36 ↑ +2%
HEALTH ALLIANCE HEALTHALLIANCE MIDWEST PPO $99.36 ↑ +2%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $99.36 ↑ +2%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $99.36 ↑ +2%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
AETNA AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
COVENTRY AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
MERITAIN AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
WEBTPA AETNA $101.20 ↑ +4%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $108.00 ↑ +11%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $108.00 ↑ +11%

Visitor-reported prices

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Observation per hour at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $78.65 $42.76 – $108.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $70.20 $40.82 – $121.56
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $133.90 $30.00 – $3,077.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $97.50 $41.28 – $108.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $76.70 $8.46 – $6,171.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $78.65 $55.59 – $112.88
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $150.00 $29.64 – $108.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $235.30 $32.00 – $6,683.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →