Brace back vista 464 tlso 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

$475.16

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.

$731.02

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.

$101.01 with AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $505.04 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
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $101.01 ↓ -79%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $103.03 ↓ -78%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $104.04 ↓ -78%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $104.44 ↓ -78%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $118.68 ↓ -75%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $118.68 ↓ -75%
OSCAR OSCAR $156.56 ↓ -67%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $172.72 ↓ -64%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $280.30 ↓ -41%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $280.30 ↓ -41%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $303.02 ↓ -36%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $303.02 ↓ -36%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $331.31 ↓ -30%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $358.58 ↓ -25%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $358.58 ↓ -25%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $358.58 ↓ -25%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $358.58 ↓ -25%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $358.58 ↓ -25%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $358.58 ↓ -25%
AETNA AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
AETNA EAP AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
COVENTRY AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
MERITAIN AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
WEBTPA AETNA $451.00 ↓ -5%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $469.69 ↓ -1%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $505.04 ↑ +6%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $505.04 ↑ +6%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brace back vista 464 tlso at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo not published $614.05 – $1,271.40
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $475.16 $97.88 – $505.04
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $591.84 $249.04 – $629.06
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $475.16 $190.91 – $568.47
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $475.16 $97.88 – $505.04
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $475.16 $193.03 – $505.04
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $475.16 $87.57 – $505.04
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $475.16 $259.94 – $527.87

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →