US Health Care Costs

Irregular heartbeat, with major complications in Iowa

MS-DRG 308: Cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disorders with mcc

$28,459typical hospital bill
$9,162typical amount paid
$7,960–$12,696range paid across 18 hospitals

Iowa hospitals billed Medicare a typical $28,459 for this stay in 2024, about 3.1 times what was actually paid. Medicare's payment depends mostly on the hospital's location and teaching role; the bill depends on the hospital's own price list, so bills vary far more than payments.

Billed (list price)Actually paid (Medicare + patient)

HospitalCityMedicare staysBilledPaid
Mary Greeley Medical CenterAmes27$25,739$7,960
Genesis Medical Center-DavenportDavenport19$32,094$8,183
St Lukes HospitalCedar Rapids13$22,923$8,362
Mercyone Dubuque Medical CenterDubuque19$27,811$8,366
Trinity - BettendorfBettendorf14$29,106$8,546
Mercy Medical Center - Cedar RapidsCedar Rapids17$22,039$8,546
Methodist Jennie EdmundsonCouncil Bluffs20$23,438$8,709
Allen HospitalWaterloo21$20,290$8,711
Mercyone Siouxland Medical CenterSioux City11$29,886$9,015
St Lukes Regional Medical CenterSioux City18$20,841$9,309
Mercyone Des Moines Medical CenterDes Moines51$49,326$9,319
Chi Health Mercy Council BluffsCouncil Bluffs11$27,542$9,335
Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist MediDes Moines39$45,931$9,465
Mercyone Waterloo Medical CenterWaterloo17$29,339$9,467
Mercyone North Iowa Medical CenterMason City30$35,039$9,628
Spencer Municipal HospitalSpencer12$22,120$9,810
Southeast Iowa Regional Medical CenterWest Burlington25$29,913$9,996
University of Iowa Hospital & ClinicsIowa City29$48,527$12,696

Medicare: CMS, 2024 (hospitals with 11 or more Medicare stays). Cash and insurer prices: hospitals' own price files, where read; insurer figures are commercial plans only, median and 10th–90th percentile across plans.