Homogenization tissue 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

$50.70

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.

$78.00

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.

$5.70 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $78.00 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 $5.70 ↓ -89%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.76 ↓ -89%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $5.76 ↓ -89%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.76 ↓ -89%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.76 ↓ -89%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $5.78 ↓ -89%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.82 ↓ -89%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.88 ↓ -88%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.88 ↓ -88%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.88 ↓ -88%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $5.94 ↓ -88%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.00 ↓ -88%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $7.82 ↓ -85%
OSCAR OSCAR $9.02 ↓ -82%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $9.76 ↓ -81%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $9.88 ↓ -81%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $11.82 ↓ -77%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $11.82 ↓ -77%
COVENTRY AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
AETNA AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
MERITAIN AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
WEBTPA AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
AETNA EAP AETNA $16.01 ↓ -68%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $18.33 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $18.33 ↓ -64%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $51.17 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.38 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.38 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.38 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.38 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.38 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.38 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $72.54 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $78.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $78.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Homogenization tissue at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $38.58 $3.53 – $25.41
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $48.00 $5.88 – $5.88
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $48.10 $5.70 – $74.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $327.60 $5.70 – $504.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $50.70 $5.70 – $78.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $100.00 $5.70 – $100.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $65.00 $5.70 – $100.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $46.00 $12.62 – $46.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →