Ghs fish cytogen 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

$111.80

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.

$172.00

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.

$20.76 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $172.00 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $20.76 ↓ -81%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $20.96 ↓ -81%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $20.99 ↓ -81%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $20.99 ↓ -81%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $20.99 ↓ -81%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $21.04 ↓ -81%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $21.20 ↓ -81%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $21.41 ↓ -81%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $21.42 ↓ -81%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $21.42 ↓ -81%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $21.63 ↓ -81%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $21.85 ↓ -80%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $28.49 ↓ -75%
OSCAR OSCAR $32.87 ↓ -71%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $35.56 ↓ -68%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $35.99 ↓ -68%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $40.42 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $40.42 ↓ -64%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $43.05 ↓ -61%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $43.05 ↓ -61%
COVENTRY AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
MERITAIN AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
AETNA AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
WEBTPA AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
AETNA EAP AETNA $58.28 ↓ -48%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $112.83 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $122.12 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $122.12 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $122.12 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $122.12 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $122.12 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $122.12 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $159.96 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $172.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $172.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Ghs fish cytogen at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $127.86 $21.42 – $84.23
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $186.00 $21.42 – $21.42
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $111.80 $20.76 – $172.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $111.80 $20.76 – $172.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $135.85 $20.99 – $209.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $111.80 $20.76 – $172.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $135.85 $20.76 – $209.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $111.80 $20.76 – $102.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →