Catheterization collection of specimen single patient all places of service 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

$19.50

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.

$30.00

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.

$7.05 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $30.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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 $7.05 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $7.05 ↓ -64%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.57 ↓ -56%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.57 ↓ -56%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.15 ↓ -53%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.15 ↓ -53%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.15 ↓ -53%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.24 ↓ -53%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.34 ↓ -52%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $9.43 ↓ -52%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.53 ↓ -51%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $12.42 ↓ -36%
OSCAR OSCAR $14.33 ↓ -27%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $15.50 ↓ -21%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $15.69 ↓ -20%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $18.77 ↓ -4%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $18.77 ↓ -4%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $19.68 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $21.30 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $21.30 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $21.30 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $21.30 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $21.30 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $21.30 ↑ +9%
WEBTPA AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
AETNA AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
COVENTRY AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
MERITAIN AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
AETNA EAP AETNA $26.79 ↑ +37%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $27.90 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $30.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $30.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Catheterization collection of specimen single patient all places of service at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $18.40 $1.80 – $22.96
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $22.75 $8.57 – $35.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $49.40 $8.57 – $76.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $70.20 $9.15 – $108.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $70.20 $9.15 – $108.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $125.00 $8.57 – $125.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $17.55 $5.43 – $27.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $108.00 $9.15 – $108.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →