Brace ortho tlso 2xl 19in strnl y bar wst belt pd shldr 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

$476.06

Cash price

?

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.

$732.40

Gross charge

?

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.

$141.21 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $600.89 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $141.21 ↓ -70%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $141.21 ↓ -70%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $333.49 ↓ -30%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $333.49 ↓ -30%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $394.18 ↓ -17%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $426.63 ↓ -10%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $426.63 ↓ -10%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $426.63 ↓ -10%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $426.63 ↓ -10%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $426.63 ↓ -10%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $426.63 ↓ -10%
MERITAIN AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
WEBTPA AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
AETNA EAP AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
COVENTRY AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
AETNA AETNA $536.59 ↑ +13%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $558.83 ↑ +17%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $600.89 ↑ +26%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $600.89 ↑ +26%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brace ortho tlso 2xl 19in strnl y bar wst belt pd shldr at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo not published $594.89 – $1,513.82
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $476.06 $214.52 – $600.89
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $592.96 $296.31 – $748.44
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $476.06 $227.14 – $676.36
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $476.06 $170.05 – $600.89
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $476.06 $229.66 – $600.89
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $476.06 $141.21 – $600.89
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $476.06 $309.28 – $628.05

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →