Uric acid 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

$29.25

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.

$45.00

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.

$4.38 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $45.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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 $4.38 ↓ -85%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $4.42 ↓ -85%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.43 ↓ -85%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.43 ↓ -85%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.43 ↓ -85%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $4.44 ↓ -85%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.47 ↓ -85%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.52 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.52 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.52 ↓ -85%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $4.57 ↓ -84%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.61 ↓ -84%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $6.01 ↓ -79%
OSCAR OSCAR $6.94 ↓ -76%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $7.50 ↓ -74%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $7.59 ↓ -74%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $9.09 ↓ -69%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $9.09 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $10.58 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $10.58 ↓ -64%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
COVENTRY AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
MERITAIN AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
AETNA AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
WEBTPA AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
AETNA EAP AETNA $12.30 ↓ -58%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $29.52 ↑ +1%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.95 ↑ +9%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.95 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.95 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.95 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.95 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $31.95 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $41.85 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $45.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $45.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Uric acid blood at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $33.57 $2.71 – $22.11
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $35.40 $4.52 – $4.52
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $37.70 $4.38 – $58.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $57.85 $35.24 – $89.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $57.85 $33.64 – $100.18
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $45.50 $4.38 – $70.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $57.85 $34.02 – $89.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $29.25 $4.38 – $45.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →