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Abdominal CT scan (with and without contrast) at UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown

2720 Stone Park Blvd, Sioux City, IA · UnityPoint Health · · NPI 1962594622

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

$1,193.39

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.

$1,491.73

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.

$53.56 with Nebraska Total Care vs $862.22 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
Nebraska Total Care Managed Medicaid $53.56 ↓ -96%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $60.94 ↓ -95%
Molina Medicare Advantage $62.16 ↓ -95%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $62.16 ↓ -95%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $63.99 ↓ -95%
Humana Medicare Advantage $63.99 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $63.99 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare HMO $89.12 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare PPO $89.12 ↓ -93%
Avera Health Plan Commercial $91.41 ↓ -92%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $125.80 ↓ -89%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $125.80 ↓ -89%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $129.23 ↓ -89%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $134.90 ↓ -89%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $148.00 ↓ -88%
Aetna HMO $156.81 ↓ -87%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $157.66 ↓ -87%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $157.66 ↓ -87%
Aetna PPO $180.92 ↓ -85%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $769.73 ↓ -36%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $862.22 ↓ -28%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal CT scan (with and without contrast) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $3,268.72 $60.94 – $1,201.25
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,396.92 $60.94 – $920.22
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $1,951.30 $1,188.49 – $3,002.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,189.85 $161.52 – $3,369.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $4,983.00 $165.56 – $4,983.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $2,388.10 $165.56 – $3,674.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $1,477.20 $170.40 – $238.57
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $1,792.70 $157.36 – $2,758.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →