Ultrasound joint complete left 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

$398.99

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.

$498.73

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.

$9.30 with Aetna vs $89.77 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 $9.30 ↓ -98%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $9.49 ↓ -98%
Molina Medicare Advantage $9.49 ↓ -98%
Amerivantage Medicare Advantage $9.77 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $9.77 ↓ -98%
Humana Medicare Advantage $9.77 ↓ -98%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO $19.00 ↓ -95%
Wellmark UPH Self-Funded Commercial $19.00 ↓ -95%
Cigna/Midlands Commercial $20.41 ↓ -95%
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO $22.30 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare PPO $40.24 ↓ -90%
United Healthcare HMO $40.24 ↓ -90%
Health Partners Open Network Commercial $58.75 ↓ -85%
Aetna HMO $68.36 ↓ -83%
Aetna PPO $77.75 ↓ -81%
Medica Exchange Inspire Commercial $80.23 ↓ -80%
Amerigroup Managed Medicaid $88.15 ↓ -78%
Iowa Total Care Managed Medicaid $88.15 ↓ -78%
Medica Exchange Insure Commercial $89.77 ↓ -78%

Visitor-reported prices

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Ultrasound joint complete left at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $218.40 $101.79 – $142.51
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $208.00 $93.79 – $320.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $642.85 $391.55 – $989.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $825.50 $96.27 – $1,270.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $642.85 $509.04 – $1,033.70
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $193.70 $59.90 – $298.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $642.85 $98.96 – $989.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $425.75 $101.16 – $655.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →