Brace back t-lso custom at MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center

201 8th Ave SE, Oelwein, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1528009511

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

$2,913.85

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.

$4,482.85

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.

$1,713.35 with MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS vs $4,482.85 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
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,713.35 ↓ -41%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $1,737.55 ↓ -40%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $1,763.10 ↓ -39%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $1,771.62 ↓ -39%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,819.14 ↓ -38%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $1,856.35 ↓ -36%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,874.73 ↓ -36%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,909.25 ↓ -34%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,948.25 ↓ -33%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $2,113.66 ↓ -27%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $2,444.50 ↓ -16%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $2,756.95 ↓ -5%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $3,087.79 ↑ +6%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $3,299.38 ↑ +13%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $3,299.38 ↑ +13%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $3,694.32 ↑ +27%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $3,694.32 ↑ +27%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $3,868.70 ↑ +33%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $3,868.70 ↑ +33%
COVENTRY AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
MERITAIN AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
AETNA AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
WEBTPA AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
AETNA EAP AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $4,119.74 ↑ +41%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $4,312.50 ↑ +48%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $4,348.36 ↑ +49%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $4,393.19 ↑ +51%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $4,393.19 ↑ +51%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $4,393.19 ↑ +51%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $4,393.19 ↑ +51%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $4,393.19 ↑ +51%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $4,393.19 ↑ +51%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $4,482.85 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $4,482.85 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brace back t-lso custom at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $2,912.40 $1,599.58 – $4,480.62
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $2,767.13 $1,685.39 – $4,257.12
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $2,912.40 $1,693.67 – $5,043.39
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,912.40 $1,268.02 – $4,480.62
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $2,912.40 $1,052.95 – $4,480.62
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $2,912.40 $2,306.18 – $4,683.14
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $4,482.85 $901.05 – $4,482.85
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $2,913.85 $901.05 – $4,482.85

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →