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Pelvic MRI (with and without contrast) 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

$2,525.67

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.

$3,157.08

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.

$96.27 with Aetna vs $1,663.78 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 $96.27 ↓ -96%
Molina Medicare Advantage $98.20 ↓ -96%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $98.20 ↓ -96%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $101.08 ↓ -96%
Humana Medicare Advantage $101.08 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $101.08 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare HMO $139.72 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare PPO $139.72 ↓ -94%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $203.07 ↓ -92%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $219.19 ↓ -91%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $231.50 ↓ -91%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $231.50 ↓ -91%
Aetna HMO $261.11 ↓ -90%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $272.40 ↓ -89%
Aetna PPO $294.87 ↓ -88%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $296.02 ↓ -88%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $296.02 ↓ -88%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $1,486.98 ↓ -41%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $1,663.78 ↓ -34%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pelvic MRI (with and without contrast) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $3,416.40 $328.68 – $5,256.00
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $4,660.22 $96.27 – $1,712.63
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $3,833.70 $2,335.02 – $5,898.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,748.85 $321.26 – $4,229.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $3,833.70 $2,254.22 – $5,898.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $7,541.00 $329.29 – $7,541.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $3,551.60 $329.29 – $5,464.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $2,395.20 $341.85 – $478.59

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →