Flu shot cost in Des Moines, IA
In Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for flu shot, standard dose, preservative-free, for age 6 months and older: from $19.50 to $32.00, with a median of $21.60. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Medical Center - Newton — $2.10 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $22.40 at 34 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 90656, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Medical Center - Newton lowest Newton, IA · (641) 792-1273 HC Vaccine Influenza Preservative Free Trivalent (Iiv3) 0.5ml Dose Im | $19.50 | $30.00 | $7.94–$30.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 247-4436 HC Vaccine Influenza Preservative Free Trivalent (Iiv3) 0.5ml Dose Im | $20.80 | $32.00 | $6.43–$32.41 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 PR IIV3 VACC PRESERVATIVE FREE 0.5 ML DOSAGE IM USE | $22.40 | $28.00 | $19.61–$33.19 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 PR IIV3 VACC PRESERVATIVE FREE 0.5 ML DOSAGE IM USE | $22.40 | $28.00 | $19.61–$33.19 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 HC IIV3 VACC NO PRSV 0.5 ML IM | $23.20 | $29.00 | $5.92–$24.38 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 HC IIV3 VACC NO PRSV 0.5 ML IM | $23.20 | $29.00 | $5.92–$24.38 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa West Des Moines, IA HC Vaccine Influenza Preservative Free Trivalent (Iiv3) 0.5ml Dose Im | $32.00 | $32.00 | $6.43–$32.41 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 247-4436 PR Vaccine Influenza Preservative Free Trivalent (Iiv3) 0.5ml Dose Im | $49.00 | $49.00 | $16.05–$49.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Medical Center - Newton Newton, IA · (641) 792-1273 FLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE | $102.45 | $102.45 | $20.26–$102.45 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 247-4436 FLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE | $102.45 | $102.45 | $20.26–$102.45 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa West Des Moines, IA FLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE | $102.45 | $102.45 | $20.26–$102.45 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $19.50, median $21.60, highest $32.00 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $21.60. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A standard-dose flu shot protects against the influenza strains expected in the coming season, and the formula changes every year. This code is the preservative-free version given to most people.
What the price covers
The price is for the vaccine dose. Giving the shot is usually a separate line (code 90471 for the first vaccine of the visit); Medicare bills use G0008 instead.