Ghs inf midline insertion 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

$1,625.00

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.

$2,500.00

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.

$587.50 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $3,576.15 with AETNA DOMESTIC — 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $587.50 ↓ -64%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $587.50 ↓ -64%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $1,640.00 ↑ +1%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,775.00 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,775.00 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,775.00 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,775.00 ↑ +9%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,775.00 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,775.00 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $2,325.00 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $2,500.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $2,500.00 ↑ +54%
COVENTRY AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
MERITAIN AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
AETNA EAP AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
WEBTPA AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
AETNA AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $3,576.15 ↑ +120%

Visitor-reported prices

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Ghs inf midline insertion at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,245.68 $76.43 – $820.59
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $2,229.60 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $445.25 $244.55 – $685.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $3,439.00 $691.24 – $3,439.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $2,481.60 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $995.40 $564.06 – $1,089.89
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $1,228.50 $76.43 – $1,228.50
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $1,164.00 $76.43 – $205.03

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →