Prices at 12 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $12,579 — 44% below the US median ($22,542), roughly 21.3× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County Medical Center | Charles City, IA | $8,077 | $10,719 | ★ 3/5 | 168 min | — |
| Myrtue Medical Center | Harlan, IA | $8,318 | $12,621 | ★ 3/5 | 61 min | — |
| Waverly Health Center | Waverly, IA | $9,318 | $13,711 | ★ 5/5 | 157 min | — |
| Winnmed | Decorah, IA | $12,579 | $16,122 | ★ 4/5 | 114 min | — |
| Iowa Specialty Hospital-Clarion | Clarion, IA | $24,103 | $19,575 | — | 108 min | — |
| Cass County Memorial Hospital | Atlantic, IA | $24,906 | $12,744 | ★ 5/5 | 86 min | — |
| Iowa Specialty Hospital-Belmond | Belmond, IA | $170,788 | $219,800 | — | 88 min | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $12,579 — about 21.3× the Medicare rate ($592). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($1,184).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $20,192 list price could save about $7,613 (38%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
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