Culture afb any source 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

$76.05

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.

$117.00

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.

$10.47 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $75.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $10.47 ↓ -86%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $10.57 ↓ -86%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $10.58 ↓ -86%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $10.58 ↓ -86%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $10.58 ↓ -86%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $10.61 ↓ -86%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $10.69 ↓ -86%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $10.80 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $10.80 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $10.80 ↓ -86%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $10.91 ↓ -86%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.02 ↓ -86%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $14.36 ↓ -81%
OSCAR OSCAR $16.57 ↓ -78%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $17.63 ↓ -77%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $17.63 ↓ -77%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $17.93 ↓ -76%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $18.14 ↓ -76%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $21.71 ↓ -71%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $21.71 ↓ -71%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
MERITAIN AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
AETNA AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
COVENTRY AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
WEBTPA AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
AETNA EAP AETNA $29.40 ↓ -61%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $49.20 ↓ -35%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↓ -30%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↓ -30%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↓ -30%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↓ -30%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↓ -30%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $53.25 ↓ -30%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $69.75 ↓ -8%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $75.00 ↓ -1%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $75.00 ↓ -1%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Culture afb any source at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $38.58 $6.48 – $25.41
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $172.80 $10.80 – $10.80
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $94.25 $10.47 – $145.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $76.05 $10.69 – $117.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $76.05 $10.69 – $131.70
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $139.10 $10.47 – $214.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $48.75 $10.47 – $75.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $76.05 $10.69 – $122.29

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →