Osmolality blood 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

$42.90

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.

$66.00

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.

$6.41 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $66.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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 $6.41 ↓ -85%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $6.47 ↓ -85%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.48 ↓ -85%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.48 ↓ -85%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.48 ↓ -85%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $6.49 ↓ -85%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.54 ↓ -85%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $6.61 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.61 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $6.61 ↓ -85%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $6.68 ↓ -84%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.74 ↓ -84%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $8.79 ↓ -80%
OSCAR OSCAR $10.14 ↓ -76%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $10.97 ↓ -74%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $11.10 ↓ -74%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $13.29 ↓ -69%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $13.29 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.51 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.51 ↓ -64%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
COVENTRY AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
MERITAIN AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
AETNA AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
WEBTPA AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
AETNA EAP AETNA $17.99 ↓ -58%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $43.30 ↑ +1%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $46.86 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $61.38 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $66.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $66.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Osmolality blood at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $33.57 $3.97 – $22.11
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $57.00 $6.61 – $6.61
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $111.80 $6.41 – $172.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $77.35 $47.11 – $119.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $77.35 $44.98 – $133.95
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $94.90 $6.41 – $146.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $77.35 $45.48 – $119.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $42.90 $6.41 – $66.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →