Brace knee extender plus 22-30in 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

$1,503.03

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$2,312.35

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.

$21.89 with AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $109.46 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 $21.89 ↓ -99%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $22.33 ↓ -99%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $22.55 ↓ -98%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $22.64 ↓ -98%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $25.72 ↓ -98%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $25.72 ↓ -98%
OSCAR OSCAR $33.93 ↓ -98%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $37.44 ↓ -98%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $60.75 ↓ -96%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $60.75 ↓ -96%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $65.68 ↓ -96%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $65.68 ↓ -96%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $71.81 ↓ -95%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $77.72 ↓ -95%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $77.72 ↓ -95%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $77.72 ↓ -95%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $77.72 ↓ -95%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $77.72 ↓ -95%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $77.72 ↓ -95%
AETNA EAP AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
AETNA AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
COVENTRY AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
MERITAIN AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
WEBTPA AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $97.75 ↓ -93%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $101.80 ↓ -93%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $109.46 ↓ -93%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $109.46 ↓ -93%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brace knee extender plus 22-30in at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo not published $341.71 – $869.54
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $288.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $1,503.03 $22.24 – $114.75
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $1,337.21 $53.92 – $136.20
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $1,503.03 $43.38 – $129.16
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,503.03 $22.24 – $114.75
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $1,503.03 $41.84 – $109.46
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $1,503.03 $18.98 – $109.46

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →