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Diabetes (HbA1c) Test at Sanford Sheldon Medical Center

118 N 7th Ave, Sheldon, IA · Sanford Health · · NPI 1841200623

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$68.80

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.

$86.00

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.

$24.51 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $77.40 with Multiplan — 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
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $24.51 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $26.32 ↓ -62%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $26.57 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $26.57 ↓ -61%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $26.57 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $26.57 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $26.57 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $27.09 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $43.00 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $44.72 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $46.08 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $46.08 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $47.30 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $54.21 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $54.21 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $56.76 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $64.50 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $70.95 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $71.81 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $74.73 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $75.56 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $75.85 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $77.40 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $77.40 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $77.40 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Diabetes (HbA1c) Test at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $33.57 $5.83 – $15.10
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $33.57 $5.83 – $22.11
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $48.00 $9.71 – $9.71
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $547.30 $9.09 – $122.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $79.30 $46.12 – $137.32
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $486.85 $9.09 – $163.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $79.30 $6.80 – $127.51
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $245.00 $9.40 – $130.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →