Cheapest hospitals in Des Moines, IA without insurance
Of 8 hospitals in the Des Moines, IA area we can compare, Broadlawns Medical Center (Des Moines) has the lowest cash prices: its typical outpatient price is 14% below the Iowa median across 464 procedures. The ranking compares each hospital's own cash price with the median of all hospitals in its state, procedure by procedure.
Collected Nov 12, 2026 Hospitals with at least 30 comparable procedures
| Hospital | Typical price vs state | Below median | Above median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Broadlawns Medical Center Des Moines | 14% below | 287 of 464 | 168 of 464 |
| 2. Madison County Memorial Hospital Winterset | 3% above | 193 of 426 | 228 of 426 |
| 3. Dallas County Hospital Perry | 9% above | 142 of 408 | 249 of 408 |
| 4. MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton | 11% above | 77 of 339 | 236 of 339 |
| 5. Guthrie County Hospital Guthrie Center | 15% above | 48 of 178 | 129 of 178 |
| 6. UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Des Moines | 35% above | 117 of 385 | 247 of 385 |
| 7. MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines | 51% above | 58 of 383 | 315 of 383 |
| 8. MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines | 150% above | 14 of 339 | 325 of 339 |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Typical price The median of this hospital's cash prices divided by the state median for the same codes: below means cheaper than a typical hospital in the state.
Below median For how many of the compared procedures this hospital is cheaper than the state median.
Above median For how many of the compared procedures this hospital is more expensive than the state median.
How the ranking works
- For every procedure, we take the hospital's lowest outpatient cash price and compare it with the median of all hospitals in the same state that publish a cash price for the same code (only codes with at least three hospitals in the state).
- "Typical price" is the middle of those comparisons: half of the hospital's procedures are cheaper than that, half are dearer. One expensive surgery does not outweigh a hundred cheap lab tests, and the other way round.
- Hospitals with fewer than 30 comparable procedures are left out: with a handful of codes the place would be decided by chance.
- Prices far below every other hospital are worth a phone call: some price files list only part of a service (for example the facility fee without the doctor's fee), or a discount that depends on income.
- A low rank does not mean every price is low. Open the hospital to see the procedure you need, then ask its billing office for a Good Faith Estimate in writing.