Gw stiffened micro access kit 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

$314.40

Cash price

?

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.

$393.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$49.31 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $155.70 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $49.31 ↓ -84%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $52.94 ↓ -83%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $53.46 ↓ -83%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $53.46 ↓ -83%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $53.46 ↓ -83%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $53.46 ↓ -83%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $53.46 ↓ -83%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $54.50 ↓ -83%
Wellmark HMO $86.50 ↓ -72%
Wellmark PPO $89.96 ↓ -71%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $92.69 ↓ -71%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $92.69 ↓ -71%
Security Health Plan Commercial $95.15 ↓ -70%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $109.04 ↓ -65%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $109.04 ↓ -65%
Health Partners State Employees $114.18 ↓ -64%
Health Partners Commercial $129.75 ↓ -59%
Medica Choice $142.73 ↓ -55%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $144.46 ↓ -54%
Aetna Commercial $150.34 ↓ -52%
Ucare Commercial $152.00 ↓ -52%
Medica Elect $152.59 ↓ -51%
Healthez Commercial $155.70 ↓ -50%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $155.70 ↓ -50%
Multiplan Commercial $155.70 ↓ -50%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Gw stiffened micro access kit at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $370.80 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $9,830.88 $0.01 – $0.86
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $9,340.50 $0.02 – $0.04
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $9,830.88 $0.01 – $0.88
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $9,830.88 $0.01 – $0.68
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $9,830.88 $0.01 – $1.10
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $9,830.88 $0.01 – $0.77
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $9,830.88 $0.01 – $0.01

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →