Amino acids quant 2-5 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

$48.75

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.

$75.00

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.

$17.63 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $75.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $17.63 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $17.63 ↓ -64%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $19.00 ↓ -61%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $19.19 ↓ -61%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.22 ↓ -61%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.22 ↓ -61%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.22 ↓ -61%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $19.26 ↓ -60%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.41 ↓ -60%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.60 ↓ -60%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $19.61 ↓ -60%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $19.61 ↓ -60%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $19.81 ↓ -59%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $20.00 ↓ -59%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $26.08 ↓ -47%
OSCAR OSCAR $30.10 ↓ -38%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $32.55 ↓ -33%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $32.94 ↓ -32%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $39.42 ↓ -19%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $39.42 ↓ -19%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $49.20 ↑ +1%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↑ +9%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↑ +9%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
COVENTRY AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
MERITAIN AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
WEBTPA AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
AETNA EAP AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
AETNA AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $53.36 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $69.75 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $75.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $75.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Amino acids quant 2-5 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $64.28 $11.77 – $42.34
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $249.60 $19.61 – $19.61
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $48.75 $19.00 – $75.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $48.75 $15.08 – $75.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $145.00 $39.79 – $145.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $48.75 $19.00 – $75.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $278.40 not published
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $64.28 $3.50 – $64.28

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →