Macroscopic exam parasite 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

$45.50

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.

$70.00

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.

$4.17 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $70.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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 $4.17 ↓ -91%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $4.21 ↓ -91%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.22 ↓ -91%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.22 ↓ -91%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.22 ↓ -91%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $4.23 ↓ -91%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.27 ↓ -91%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.31 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.31 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.31 ↓ -91%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $4.35 ↓ -90%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.40 ↓ -90%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $5.73 ↓ -87%
OSCAR OSCAR $6.61 ↓ -85%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $7.15 ↓ -84%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $7.24 ↓ -84%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $8.66 ↓ -81%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $8.66 ↓ -81%
COVENTRY AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
AETNA AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
MERITAIN AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
WEBTPA AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
AETNA EAP AETNA $11.73 ↓ -74%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $16.45 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $16.45 ↓ -64%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $45.92 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $49.70 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $49.70 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $49.70 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $49.70 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $49.70 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $49.70 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $65.10 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $70.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $70.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Macroscopic exam parasite at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $38.58 $2.59 – $25.41
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $28.20 $4.31 – $4.31
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $44.85 $4.17 – $69.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $19.50 $4.22 – $30.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $45.50 $4.17 – $70.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $49.40 $4.17 – $76.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $19.50 $4.22 – $30.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $44.85 $4.17 – $69.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →