Ndsc dcmprn 1 ntrspc lumbar 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

$3,521.60

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.

$4,402.00

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.

$572.26 with Nebraska Total Care vs $17,464.96 with Aetna — 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 $572.26 ↓ -84%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $700.47 ↓ -80%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $714.48 ↓ -80%
Molina Medicare Advantage $714.48 ↓ -80%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $735.49 ↓ -79%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $735.49 ↓ -79%
Humana Medicare Advantage $735.49 ↓ -79%
Avera Health Plan Commercial $1,050.71 ↓ -70%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $1,538.58 ↓ -56%
United Healthcare HMO $2,200.03 ↓ -38%
United Healthcare PPO $2,200.03 ↓ -38%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $3,144.25 ↓ -11%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $6,326.64 ↑ +80%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $6,326.64 ↑ +80%
Aetna HMO $15,221.76 ↑ +332%
Aetna PPO $17,464.96 ↑ +396%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO not published by hospital
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial not published by hospital
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial not published by hospital
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial not published by hospital
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Ndsc dcmprn 1 ntrspc lumbar at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $3,521.60 $700.47 – $5,921.26
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $3,521.60 $700.47 – $6,280.98
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $3,521.60 $700.47 – $7,107.76
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $3,521.60 $700.47 – $6,882.64
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $3,521.60 $700.47 – $3,144.25
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $3,521.60 $700.47 – $6,951.54
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $3,521.60 $700.47 – $6,147.19
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Muscatine Muscatine $3,521.60 $700.47 – $6,169.62

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →