Vitamin b-12 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

$72.80

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.

$112.00

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.

$14.62 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $112.00 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 $14.62 ↓ -80%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $14.76 ↓ -80%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.78 ↓ -80%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.78 ↓ -80%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.78 ↓ -80%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $14.82 ↓ -80%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.93 ↓ -79%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $15.07 ↓ -79%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $15.08 ↓ -79%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $15.08 ↓ -79%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $15.23 ↓ -79%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $15.38 ↓ -79%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $20.06 ↓ -72%
OSCAR OSCAR $23.14 ↓ -68%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $25.03 ↓ -66%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $25.33 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $26.32 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $26.32 ↓ -64%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $30.31 ↓ -58%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $30.31 ↓ -58%
COVENTRY AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
MERITAIN AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
AETNA AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
WEBTPA AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
AETNA EAP AETNA $41.03 ↓ -44%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $73.47 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.52 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.52 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.52 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.52 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.52 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.52 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $104.16 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $112.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $112.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Vitamin b-12 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $55.00 $9.05 – $36.23
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $100.80 $15.08 – $15.08
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $52.00 $14.62 – $80.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $94.90 $57.80 – $146.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $94.90 $55.19 – $164.34
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $108.55 $14.62 – $167.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $94.90 $55.80 – $146.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $72.80 $14.62 – $112.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →