MRI lower extremity other than joint without contrast (both sides) at UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital

1825 Logan Avenue, Waterloo, IA · UnityPoint Health · · NPI 1336231091

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 28, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$1,063.34

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.

$1,329.17

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.

$59.03 with Aetna vs $700.47 with Medica Exchange Insure — 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
Aetna Medicare Advantage $59.03 ↓ -94%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $60.21 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicare Advantage $60.21 ↓ -94%
Humana Medicare Advantage $61.98 ↓ -94%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $61.98 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $61.98 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare HMO $85.96 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare PPO $85.96 ↓ -92%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $124.53 ↓ -88%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $129.95 ↓ -88%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $141.40 ↓ -87%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $141.40 ↓ -87%
Aetna HMO $154.49 ↓ -85%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $166.40 ↓ -84%
Aetna PPO $174.23 ↓ -84%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $200.36 ↓ -81%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $200.36 ↓ -81%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $626.04 ↓ -41%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $700.47 ↓ -34%

Visitor-reported prices

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MRI lower extremity other than joint without contrast (both sides) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $4,687.80 $224.79 – $4,808.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $2,208.60 $231.38 – $323.93
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $4,349.15 $214.06 – $4,460.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $4,087.20 $1,659.61 – $4,192.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,564.55 $219.72 – $1,604.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $4,087.20 $1,602.18 – $4,192.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $4,687.80 $224.79 – $4,808.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $4,087.20 $2,157.62 – $4,381.48

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →