Esophagus endoscopy/ligation 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

$356.80

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.

$446.00

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.

$115.96 with Nebraska Total Care vs $1,680.02 with Amerigroup — 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
Nebraska Total Care Managed Medicaid $115.96 ↓ -68%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $125.89 ↓ -65%
Molina Medicare Advantage $128.41 ↓ -64%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $128.41 ↓ -64%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $132.18 ↓ -63%
Humana Medicare Advantage $132.18 ↓ -63%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $132.18 ↓ -63%
Avera Health Plan Commercial $188.84 ↓ -47%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $267.60 ↓ -25%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $267.60 ↓ -25%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $314.80 ↓ -12%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $315.38 ↓ -12%
Aetna HMO $336.42 ↓ -6%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $337.29 ↓ -5%
Aetna PPO $408.77 ↑ +15%
United Healthcare PPO $445.03 ↑ +25%
United Healthcare HMO $445.03 ↑ +25%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $1,680.02 ↑ +371%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $1,680.02 ↑ +371%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial not published by hospital
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Esophagus endoscopy/ligation at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $356.80 $125.89 – $1,572.37
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $356.80 $125.89 – $1,667.89
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $356.80 $125.89 – $1,887.44
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $356.80 $125.89 – $1,827.66
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $356.80 $125.89 – $337.29
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $356.80 $125.89 – $1,845.95
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $356.80 $125.89 – $1,632.36
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Muscatine Muscatine $356.80 $125.89 – $1,638.32

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →