Prices at 43 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,328 — 37% below the US median ($2,125), roughly 5.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringgold County Hospital | Mount Ayr, IA | $254 | $99 | — | 128 min | — |
| Greene County Medical Center | Jefferson, IA | $270 | $296 | — | 104 min | — |
| Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center | Sumner, IA | $333 | $292 | — | 132 min | — |
| Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center | Waterloo, IA | $348 | $114 | ★ 4/5 | 223 min | — |
| Mercyone Des Moines Medical Center | Des Moines, IA | $348 | $70 | ★ 1/5 | 244 min | — |
| Guttenberg Municipal Hospital | Guttenberg, IA | $464 | $481 | — | 96 min | — |
| Pocahontas Community Hospital | Pocahontas, IA | $515 | $500 | — | 120 min | — |
| Montgomery County Memorial Hospital | Red Oak, IA | $585 | $1,292 | — | 113 min | — |
| Story County Hospital | Nevada, IA | $598 | $651 | — | 102 min | — |
| Stewart Memorial Community Hospital | Lake City, IA | $748 | — | — | 127 min | — |
| Palo Alto County Hospital | Emmetsburg, IA | $768 | $765 | — | 103 min | — |
| CHI Health-Mercy Corning | Corning, IA | $771 | $860 | ★ 3/5 | 124 min | — |
| CHI Health Missouri Valley | Missouri Valley, IA | $787 | $756 | ★ 4/5 | 105 min | — |
| Buchanan County Health Center | Independence, IA | $838 | $532 | — | 90 min | — |
| Methodist Jennie Edmundson | Council Bluffs, IA | $980 | $1,960 | ★ 3/5 | 150 min | — |
| Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown | Marshalltown, IA | $1,068 | $607 | ★ 3/5 | 162 min | — |
| Allen Hospital | Waterloo, IA | $1,068 | $666 | ★ 3/5 | 163 min | — |
| University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down | Iowa City, IA | $1,128 | $324 | ★ 4/5 | 149 min | — |
| University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics | Iowa City, IA | $1,128 | $324 | ★ 2/5 | 210 min | — |
| Clarke County Hospital | Osceola, IA | $1,178 | $216 | ★ 5/5 | 104 min | — |
| Greater Regional Medical Center | Creston, IA | $1,237 | $1,808 | ★ 3/5 | 101 min | — |
| Buena Vista Regional Medical Center | Storm Lake, IA | $1,420 | $1,904 | ★ 2/5 | 152 min | — |
| Cherokee Regional Medical Center | Cherokee, IA | $1,465 | $1,628 | ★ 2/5 | 134 min | — |
| Van Diest Medical Center | Webster City, IA | $1,505 | $1,085 | ★ 5/5 | 103 min | — |
| Finley Hospital | Dubuque, IA | $1,521 | $603 | ★ 3/5 | 114 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 $1,328 — about 5.6× the Medicare rate ($238). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($476).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,771 list price could save about $442 (25%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Central line placement cost in other states
All Central line placement prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →