Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count 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

$42.90

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.

$66.00

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.

$3.68 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $66.00 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $3.68 ↓ -91%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.72 ↓ -91%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $3.72 ↓ -91%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.72 ↓ -91%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.72 ↓ -91%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $3.73 ↓ -91%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.76 ↓ -91%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $3.80 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.80 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $3.80 ↓ -91%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $3.84 ↓ -91%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.88 ↓ -91%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $5.05 ↓ -88%
OSCAR OSCAR $5.83 ↓ -86%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $6.31 ↓ -85%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $6.38 ↓ -85%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $7.64 ↓ -82%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $7.64 ↓ -82%
COVENTRY AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
AETNA AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
MERITAIN AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
WEBTPA AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
AETNA EAP AETNA $10.35 ↓ -76%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.51 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.51 ↓ -64%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $43.30 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $61.38 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $66.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $66.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Blood smear microscopic w manual differential wbc count at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $33.57 $2.28 – $22.11
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $36.00 $3.80 – $3.80
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $39.00 $3.68 – $60.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $38.35 $23.36 – $59.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $38.35 $22.30 – $66.41
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $57.20 $3.68 – $88.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $38.35 $22.55 – $59.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $39.00 $3.68 – $60.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →