Tomosynthesis breast diagnostic left 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

$85.80

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.

$132.00

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.

$11.38 with MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS vs $481.75 with WEBTPA — 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
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.38 ↓ -87%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.38 ↓ -87%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.38 ↓ -87%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.49 ↓ -87%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.61 ↓ -86%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $11.73 ↓ -86%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $11.84 ↓ -86%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $20.68 ↓ -76%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $20.68 ↓ -76%
OSCAR OSCAR $27.28 ↓ -68%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $30.10 ↓ -65%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $51.01 ↓ -41%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $51.51 ↓ -40%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $51.71 ↓ -40%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $52.80 ↓ -38%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $52.80 ↓ -38%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $57.73 ↓ -33%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $62.48 ↓ -27%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $62.48 ↓ -27%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $62.48 ↓ -27%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $62.48 ↓ -27%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $62.48 ↓ -27%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $62.48 ↓ -27%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $81.84 ↓ -5%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $88.00 ↑ +3%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $199.76 ↑ +133%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $199.76 ↑ +133%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
AETNA EAP AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
COVENTRY AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
AETNA AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
MERITAIN AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%
WEBTPA AETNA $481.75 ↑ +461%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Tomosynthesis breast diagnostic left at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $382.40 $13.88 – $31.39
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $68.90 $11.38 – $199.76
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $221.65 $89.87 – $227.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $221.65 $85.81 – $255.51
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $58.50 $11.38 – $199.76
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $221.65 $86.76 – $227.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $85.80 $11.38 – $481.75
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $221.65 $116.84 – $237.26

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →