Abd/low ext cath 3rd at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center

3421 W. 9th St, Waterloo, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1700827896

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$4,806.75

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.

$7,395.00

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.

$1,158.55 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $4,930.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $1,158.55 ↓ -76%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $1,158.55 ↓ -76%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $3,234.08 ↓ -33%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,500.30 ↓ -27%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,500.30 ↓ -27%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,500.30 ↓ -27%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,500.30 ↓ -27%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,500.30 ↓ -27%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,500.30 ↓ -27%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
AETNA AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
COVENTRY AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
MERITAIN AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
AETNA EAP AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
WEBTPA AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $4,235.59 ↓ -12%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $4,584.90 ↓ -5%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $4,930.00 ↑ +3%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $4,930.00 ↑ +3%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abd/low ext cath 3rd at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $7,384.00 $259.62 – $2,825.27
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $2,798.40 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $867.75 $317.37 – $889.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $7,755.00 $1,039.17 – $5,170.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $2,639.65 $692.99 – $2,707.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $3,232.20 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $416.40 $506.62 – $2,679.00
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $7,384.00 $259.62 – $5,450.50

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →