Flu test cost in Iowa

Prices at 36 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $44 — 29% below the US median ($62), roughly 2.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Regional Medical Center Manchester, IA $21 $870 ★ 4/5 147 min —
Ringgold County Hospital Mount Ayr, IA $29 $31 — 128 min —
Greene County Medical Center Jefferson, IA $36 $57 — 104 min —
Mercyone Centerville Medical Center Centerville, IA $38 $17 — 130 min —
Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center Mason City, IA $38 $17 ★ 2/5 193 min —
Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown Marshalltown, IA $39 $19 ★ 3/5 162 min —
Trinity Muscatine Muscatine, IA $39 $17 ★ 4/5 136 min —
Trinity Regional Medical Center Fort Dodge, IA $39 $17 ★ 2/5 167 min —
St Lukes Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA $39 $17 ★ 4/5 166 min —
Unitypoint Health-Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi Des Moines, IA $39 $17 ★ 3/5 182 min —
Trinity-Bettendorf Bettendorf, IA $39 $17 ★ 3/5 205 min —
Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA $39 $19 ★ 3/5 163 min —
Finley Hospital Dubuque, IA $39 $18 ★ 3/5 114 min —
St Lukes Regional Medical Center Sioux City, IA $39 $17 ★ 2/5 174 min —
Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell, IA $39 $18 ★ 2/5 112 min —
Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa, IA $39 $23 ★ 4/5 116 min —
Greater Regional Medical Center Creston, IA $43 $40 ★ 3/5 101 min —
Clarke County Hospital Osceola, IA $44 $17 ★ 5/5 104 min —
Story County Hospital Nevada, IA $51 $56 — 102 min —
Montgomery County Memorial Hospital Red Oak, IA $55 $37 — 113 min —
Mercyone Elkader Medical Center Elkader, IA $60 $17 — 114 min —
Van Diest Medical Center Webster City, IA $66 $57 ★ 5/5 103 min —
Sanford Sheldon Medical Center Sheldon, IA $71 $57 — 123 min —
Stewart Memorial Community Hospital Lake City, IA $73 — — 127 min —
CHI Health-Mercy Corning Corning, IA $73 $36 ★ 3/5 124 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$64
Cash / self-pay
$44
Insurer-negotiated
$31
Medicare pays
$17
$38$105
Median cash $44  ·  Medicare $17  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $44 — about 2.6× the Medicare rate ($17). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($33).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $64 list price could save about $20 (32%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

Flu test cost in other states

All Flu test prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →