average cost of emergency room visit 2022

How much does an ER visit cost?

$1,500 – $3,000 average cost without insurance (non-life-threatening condition), $0 – $500 average cost with insurance (after meeting deductible).

Average ER visit cost

An ER visit costs $1,500 to $3,000 on average without insurance, with most people spending about $2,100 for an urgent, non-life-threatening health issue. The cost of an emergency room visit depends on the severity of the condition and the tests, treatments, and medications needed to treat it.

Cost data is from research and project costs reported by BetterCare members.

Emergency room visit cost with insurance

The cost of an ER visit for an insured patient varies according to the insurance plan and the nature and severity of their condition. Some plans cover a percentage of the total cost once you meet your deductible, while others charge an average co-pay of $50 to $500 .

The No Surprises Act , effective January 1, 2022, protects insured individuals from unreasonably high medical bills for emergency services received from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. The act also established a dispute resolution process for both insured and uninsured or self-pay individuals.

Cost of an ER visit without insurance

An ER visit costs $1,500 to $3,000 on average without insurance for non-life-threatening conditions. Costs can reach $20,000+ for critical conditions requiring extensive testing or emergency surgery. Essentially, the more severe your condition or issue, the more you are likely to pay for the ER visit.

Factors that impact ER visit costs

Many factors affect the cost of an ER visit, including:

Facility type – Freestanding emergency departments often cost 50% more than hospital-based emergency rooms.

Time of day – An ER visit at night typically costs more than the same type of visit during the day.

Level of care – The more severe your condition is, the more time and expertise it takes to diagnose and treat, and the higher the total ER visit cost.

Ambulance ride – An ambulance ride costs $500 to $1,300 on average, depending on whether you need basic or advanced life support during transport.

Medications – Oral medications, injections, or IVs needed during your stay all add the total cost of your ER visit.

Medical equipment & supplies – Any other supplies used to diagnose and treat you—such as a cast for a broken bone or bandages and sutures to close an open wound—increase the cost.

Testing – Each medical test is typically a separate charge. Tests may include urine tests, blood tests, X-rays, or other more advanced imaging tests.

Insurance coverage:

Out-of-pocket costs may be higher for those with high-deductible insurance plans.

While ER visit costs are generally higher for the uninsured, many hospitals offer discounts for self-pay patients.

ER facility fee by level

An ER facility fee ranges from $200 to $4,000 , depending on the severity level of your symptoms and condition. The facility fee is the cost to walk in the door and be evaluated by a physician. Other services you may need, such as lab tests, imaging, and surgical procedures, are charged separately.

To understand your ER bill: Emergency rooms rank severity levels 1 through 5, with Level 1 being the most severe or urgent. However, most of the billing codes for emergency room visits are reversed, with level 1 being the least severe.

Common conditions and procedures

The table below shows the average ER visit cost for common ailments. Prices vary greatly depending on how much testing and expertise is required to accurately diagnose and treat you.

Emergency room vs. urgent care

An ER visit costs $1,500 to $3,000 , while the average urgent care visit costs $150 to $250 without insurance. Urgent care facilities can treat most non-life-threatening conditions and typically have less wait time than the ER. For more detail, check out our guide comparing the cost of an emergency room vs. urgent care .

Other alternatives to the ER for less serious health issues include primary care, telemedicine, and free clinics. Check with the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics to find a free clinic near you.

FAQs about ER visit costs

Why are er visits so expensive.

ER visits are expensive because emergency rooms run on a 24-hour schedule and require a large and wide range of staff, including front desk personnel, maintenance, nurses, doctors, and surgeons. ERs also run and maintain a lot of expensive equipment and need a constant supply of medications and medical supplies.

While ER visits can be expensive, ER bills are negotiable. If you receive an unexpectedly large ER bill, ask for a discount and question the coding.

Does insurance cover ER visits?

Insurance typically covers some or all of an ER visit, though you may need to meet a deductible first, depending on the plan. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance providers to cover ER visits for "emergency medical conditions" without prior authorization and regardless of whether they are in or out-of-network.

An "emergency medical condition" is considered something so severe that a reasonable person would seek help right away to avoid serious harm.

When should you go to the ER?

You should go to the ER for any serious, potentially life-threatening symptoms, including:

Trouble breathing

Serious head injury

Sudden severe pain

Severe burn

Severe allergic reaction

Major broken bones

Uncontrollable bleeding

Suddenly feeling weak or unable to move, speak, or walk

Sudden change in vision

Sudden confusion

Fever that does not resolve with over-the-counter medicine

Tips to reduce your ER bill

An ER visit can cost thousands of dollars, even if you have insurance. Here are some guidelines to ensure you are not overpaying:

Determine if you truly need an emergency room. If your health issue is not life threatening, consider going to an urgent care facility instead as the cost for the same care can be much less.

Go to a hospital-based ER. Freestanding ER centers typically cost much more than a hospital-based emergency room.

Call ahead to confirm payment options and the current wait time.

Ask about costs up front. If you are uninsured, consider asking the following questions to prevent you from surprises on your future bill:

Do you have discounted pricing for patients without insurance?

Will it cost less if I pay with cash?

What will the fee be for my specific issue?

Do you think I will need additional tests, and what will they cost?

How much do you charge for X-rays?

If I need medication, how much will it cost?

We use our proprietary database of project costs, personally contact industry experts to compile up-to-date pricing and insights, and conduct in-depth research to ensure accuracy in all our guides.

• An emergency room visit typically is covered by health insurance. For patients covered by health insurance, out-of-pocket cost for an emergency room visit typically consists of a copay, usually $50-$150 or more, which often is waived if the patient is admitted to the hospital. Depending on the plan, costs might include coinsurance of 10% to 50%.
• For patients without health insurance, an emergency room visit typically costs from $150-$3,000 or more, depending on the severity of the condition and what diagnostic tests and treatment are performed. In some cases, especially where critical care is required and/or a procedure or surgery is performed, the cost could reach $20,000 or more. For example, at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in Minnesota, a low-level emergency room visit, such as for a minor laceration, a skin rash or a minor viral infection, costs about $150 ; a moderate-level visit, such as for a urinary tract infection with fever or a head injury without neurological symptoms, about $400 ; and a high-level visit, such as for chest pains that require multiple diagnostic tests or treatments, or severe burns or ingestion of a toxic substance, about $1,000, not including the doctor fees. At Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center[ 1 ] , a low-level emergency room visit costs about $220, including hospital charge and doctor fee, with the uninsured discount, while a moderate-level visit costs about $610 and a high-level visit about $1,400 .
• Services, diagnostic tests and laboratory fees add to the final bill. For example, Wooster Community Hospital, in Ohio, charges about $170 for a simple suture, $200 for a complex suture, about $170 for a minor procedure and about $400 for a major procedure, not including doctor fees, medicine or supplies.
• A doctor fee could add hundreds or thousands of dollars to the final cost. For example, at Grand Lake Health System[ 2 ] in Ohio, an emergency room doctor charges about $100 for basic care, such as a wound recheck or simple laceration repair; about $300 for mid-level care, such as treatment of a simple fracture; about $870 for advanced-level care, such as frequent monitoring of vital signs and ordering multiple diagnostic tests, administering sedation or a blood transfusion for a seriously injured or ill patient; and about $1,450 for critical care, such as major trauma care or major burn care that could include chest tube insertion and management of IV medications and ventilator for a patient with a complex, life-threatening condition. At the Kettering Health Network, in Ohio, a low-level visit costs about $350, a high-level visit costs about $2,000 and critical care costs almost $1,700 for the first hour and $460 for each additional half hour; ER procedures or surgeries cost $460-$2,300 .
• According to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality[ 3 ] the average emergency room expense in 2008 was $1,265 .
• According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008, about 18%of emergency room patients waited less than 15 minutes to see a doctor, about 37%waited 15 minutes to an hour, about 15% waited one to two hours, about 5% waited two to three hours, about 2% waited three to four hours, and about 1.5% waited four to six hours.
• In some cases, the doctor might recommend the patient be admitted to the hospital. The American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation offers a guide[ 4 ] on what to expect.
• An ambulance ride typically costs $400-$1,200 or more, depending on the location and services performed.
• An urgent care center offers substantial savings for more minor ailments. DukeHealth.org offers a guide[ 5 ] on when to seek urgent care. An urgent care visit typically costs between 20% and 50% of the cost of an emergency room visit. MainStreetMedica.com offers a cost-comparison tool for common ailments.
• Hospitals often offer discounts of up to 50% or more for self-pay/uninsured emergency room patients. For example, Ventura County Medical Center[ 6 ] in California offers ER visits, including the doctor fee and emergency room fee but not including lab tests, X-rays or procedures, for $150 for patients up to 200% of the federal poverty level, for $225 for patients between 200% and 500% of the federal poverty level and $350 for patients from 500% to 700% of the federal poverty level.
• The American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation offers a primer[ 7 ] on when to go to the emergency room.
• In most cases, it is recommended to go to the nearest emergency room. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a hospital-comparison tool[ 8 ] that lists hospitals near a chosen zip code.
•   patients.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/billing_questions/out_of_pocket_estimator_dhmc.ht...
•   www.grandlakehealth.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=60
•   meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/tables_compendia_hh_interactive.jsp?_SERVICE=MEPS...
•   www.EmergencyCareforYou.org/VitalCareMagazine/ER101/Default.aspx?id=1288
•   www.dukehealth.org/health_library/health_articles/wheretogo
•   resources.vchca.org/documents/SELF%20PAY%20DISCOUNT%20GRID%20-%20BOARD%20LETTER%20...
•   www.EmergencyCareforYou.org/YourHealth/AboutEmergencies/Default.aspx?id=26018
•   www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/(S(efntd2saaeir2l5pgarwuvvg))/search.aspx?AspxAut...

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost? Free Local Cost Calculator 

It’s true that you can’t plan for a medical emergency, but that doesn’t mean you have to be surprised when it’s time to pay your hospital bill. In 2021, the U.S. government enacted price transparency rules for hospitals in order to demystify health care costs. That means it should be easier to get answers to questions like how much an ER visit costs.

While the question seems pretty straightforward, the answer is more complicated. Your cost will vary based on factors such as if you’re insured, whether you’ve met your deductible, the type of plan you have, and what your plan covers. 

There is a lot to consider. This guide will take you through specific scenarios and answer questions about insurance plans, deductibles, co-payments, and discuss scenarios such as how much it costs if you go to the ER when it isn’t an emergency. 

You’ll learn a few industry secrets too. Did you know that if you don’t have insurance you might see a higher bill? According to the Wall Street Journal , it’s common for hospitals to charge uninsured and self-pay patients higher rates than insured patients for the same services. So, where can you go if you can’t afford to go to the ER?

Keep reading for all this plus real-life examples and cost-saving tips.

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost Without Insurance?

Everything is more expensive in the ER. According to UnitedHealth, a trip to the emergency department can cost 12 times more than a typical doctor’s office visit. The average ER visit is $2,200, and doesn’t include procedures or medications. 

If you want to get a better idea of what an ER visit will cost in your area, check out our medical price comparison tool that analyzes data from thousands of hospitals.

Compare Procedure Costs Near You

Other out-of-pocket expenses you may incur include bills from third parties. A growing number of emergency departments in the United States have become business entities separate from the hospital. So, third-party providers may bill you too, like:

• EMS services, like an ambulance or helicopter 
• ER physicians
• Attending physician
• Consulting physicians
• Advanced practice nurses (CRNA, NP)
• Physician assistants (PA)
• Physical therapists (PT)

And if your insurance company fails to pay, you may have to pay these expenses out-of-pocket.

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost With Insurance? 

The easiest way to estimate out-of-pocket expenses for an ER visit (or any other health care service) is to read your insurance policy. You’ll want to look for information around these terms:

• Deductible: The amount you have to pay out-of-pocket before your insurance kicks in . 
• Copay: A set fee you pay upfront before a covered medical service or procedure. 
• Coinsurance: The percentage you pay for a service or a procedure once you’ve met the deductible.
• Out-of-pocket maximum: The most you will pay for covered services in a rolling year. Once met, your insurance company will pay 100% of covered expenses for the rest of the year. 

Closely related to out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles and co-insurance are premiums. A premium is the monthly fee you (or your sponsor) pay to the insurance company for coverage. If you pay a higher premium, you’ll have a lower deductible and fewer out-of-pocket costs whenever you use your insurance to pay for services such as a visit to the ER. The opposite is also true — high deductible health plans (HDHP) offer lower monthly payments but much higher deductibles. 

Sample ER Visit Cost

Using a few examples from plans available on the Marketplace on Healthcare.gov (current as of November 2021), here’s how this might play out in real life:

Rob is a young, healthy, single guy. He knows he needs health insurance but he feels reasonably sure that the only time he’d ever use it is in case of an emergency. Here’s the plan he chooses:

Plan: Blue Cross/Blue Shield Bronze Monthly premium: $394 Deductible: $7,000 Out-of-pocket maximum: $7,000 ER coverage: 100% after meeting the deductible

Rob does the math and considers the worst case scenario. If he does go to the ER, he’ll pay full price if he hasn’t yet met his deductible. But since both his deductible and his maximum out-of-pocket are the same, $7,000 is the most he’ll have to pay before his insurance kicks in at 100%.

Now imagine that Rob gets married and is about to start a family. He might need a different insurance plan to account for more hospital bills, doctors appointments, and inevitable emergency room visits.

Since Rob knows he’ll be using his insurance more often, he picks a plan with a lower deductible that covers more things. 

Plan: Bright HealthCare Gold Monthly premium: $643 Deductible: $0 Out-of-pocket maximum: $6,500 ER coverage: $500 Vision: $0 Generic prescription: $0 Primary care: $0 Specialist: $40

This time Rob goes with a zero deductible plan with a higher monthly premium. It’s more out-of-pocket each month, but since his plan covers doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, and vision, he feels more prepared as his lifestyle shifts into family mode. 

If he has to go to the ER for any reason, all he’ll pay is $500 and his insurance pays the rest. And worse case scenario, the most he’ll pay out-of-pocket in a year is $6,500. 

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost if You Have Medicare?

Medicare Part A only covers an emergency room visit if you’re admitted to the hospital. Medicare Part B covers 100% of most ER costs for most injuries, or if you become suddenly ill. Unlike private insurance and insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, Medicare rarely covers ER visits that happen while you’re outside of the United States.

To learn more, read: How to Use the Healthcare Marketplace to Buy Insurance

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost for Non-Emergencies?

When you have a sick child but lack insurance, haven’t met your deductible, or if you’re between paychecks, just knowing you can go to the ER without being hassled for money feels like such a relief. ER staff won’t demand payment upfront, and they usually don’t ask about insurance or assess your ability to pay until after discharge.

There are other reasons, too. You might be tempted to go to the ER for situations that are less than emergent because emergency departments provide easy access to health services 24/7, including holidays and the odd hours when your primary care physician isn’t available. If you’re one of the 61 million Americans who are uninsured or underinsured , you might go to the ER because you don’t know where else to go.

What you may not understand is the cost of an ER visit without insurance can total thousands of dollars. Consumers with ER bills that get sent to collections face some of the most aggressive debt collection practices of any industry. Collection accounts and charge-offs could affect your credit score for the better part of a decade.

Did you know that charges begin racking up as soon as you give the clerk your name and Social Security number? There are tons of horror stories out there about people receiving medical bills after waiting, some for many hours, and leaving without treatment. 

4 ER Alternatives Ranked by Level of Care

First and foremost, if you’re experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the closest emergency room. Do not rely on this or any other website for advice or communication. 

If you’re not sure whether your condition warrants immediate, high-level emergency care, you can always call your local ER and ask to speak to their triage nurse. They can quickly assess how urgent the situation is. 

If you are looking for a lower-cost alternative to the ER, this list provides a few options. Each option is ranked by their ability to provide you with a certain level of care from emergent care to the lowest level, which is similar to the routine care you would receive at a doctor’s office. 

1. Charitable Hospitals  

There are around 1,400 charity hospitals , clinics, and pharmacies dedicated to serving low-income families, including the uninsured. Most charitable, not-for-profit medical centers provide emergency room services, making it a good option if you’re uninsured and worried about accruing substantial medical debt. 

ERs at charitable hospitals provide the same type of medical care for conditions like trauma, broken bones, and life-threatening issues like chest pain and difficulty breathing. The major difference is the price tag. Emergency room fees at a charity hospital are usually flexible and almost always based on your income. 

2. Urgent Care Centers

Urgent care centers are free-standing facilities designed to treat patients with serious but not life-threatening conditions. Also called “doc in a box,” these ambulatory care centers are a good choice for treating stable but chronic health issues, fever, urinary tract infections, back pain, abdominal pain, and moderately high blood pressure, to name a few. 

Urgent care clinics usually have a medical doctor on-site. Some clinics offer point-of-care diagnostic tests like ultrasound and X-rays, as well as basic lab work. The average cost for an urgent care visit is around $180, according to UnitedHealth.

3. Retail Health Clinics

You may have noticed small retail health clinics (RHC) popping up in national drugstore chains like CVS, Walgreens, and in big-box stores like Target and Walmart. The Little Clinic is an example of an RHC that offers walk-in health care services at 190 supermarkets across the United States. 

RHCs help low-acuity patients with minor medical problems like sore throat, cough, flu-like symptoms, and other conditions normally treated in a doctor’s office. If you think you’ll need lab tests or other procedures, an RHC may not be the best choice. Data from UnitedHealth puts the average cost for an RHC visit at $100.

4. Telehealth Visits

Telehealth, in some form, has been around for decades. Until recently, it was mostly used to provide access to care for patients living in the most remote or rural areas. Since 2020, telehealth visits over the phone, via chat, or through videoconferencing have become a legitimate and extremely cost-effective alternative to in-person office visits. 

Telehealth is perfect for some types of mental health therapies, follow-up appointments, and triage. For self-pay, a telehealth visit only costs around $50, according to UnitedHealth.

Tips for Taking Control of Your Health Care

• Don’t procrastinate. Delaying the care you need for too long will end up costing you more in the end. 
• Switch your focus from reactive care to proactive care. Figuring out how to pay for an ER visit is a lot harder (and costlier) than preventing an ER visit in the first place. Data show that preventive health care measures lead to fewer illnesses and better outcomes.
• Plan for the unknown. It’s inevitable that at some point in your life you’ll need health care. Start a savings account fund or better yet, enroll in a health savings account (HSA). If you’re employed (even part-time) you already qualify for an HSA. A contribution of just $9 a paycheck could add up to $468 tax-free dollars for you to spend on health care every year. Unlike the use-it-or-lose-it savings plans of the past, modern plans don’t expire. You can use HSA dollars to pay for out-of-pocket costs like copayments, deductibles, and for services that your health insurance may not cover, like dental and vision services. 
• Advocate for yourself. There is nothing more empowering than taking charge of your health. Shop around for services and compare prices on procedures to make sure you’re getting the best prices possible.
• If you are uninsured or doing self-pay, negotiate your bill and ask for a cash discount. 

Estimate the Cost of the ER Before You Need It

It’s stressful to think about money when you’re facing an emergency. Research the costs of your nearest ER before you actually need to go with Compare.com’s procedure cost comparison tool . 

All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and you’ll immediately see out-of-pocket costs for ER visits at your local emergency rooms. It works for other medical services too, like MRIs, routine screenings, outpatient procedures, and more. Find the treatment you need at a price you can afford.

Disclaimer: Compare.com does not offer medical advice and is in no way a substitute for any medical advice received from health professionals. Compare.com is unable to offer any advice on any medical procedure you may need.

Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more.

As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.

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Emergency department visits exceed affordability threshold for many consumers with private insurance

By Hope Schwartz Twitter ,  Matthew Rae Twitter ,  Gary Claxton ,  Dustin Cotliar,  Krutika Amin , and  Cynthia Cox Twitter

December 16, 2022

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Introduction

The high cost of emergency care may impact patients’ ability to afford treatment , with almost half of US adults reporting they have delayed care due to costs. Almost 1 in 10 Americans have medical debt , and about half of American households do not have the liquid assets to afford an average employer sponsored plan deductible. More than one third of US adults are unable to afford a $400 medical expense without borrowing.

Costs of medical emergencies present an additional financial burden on top of already costly health insurance premiums ranging $1,327 for single coverage and $6,106 for family coverage, on average, for workers with employer sponsored insurance. Variation in emergency department billing may make it difficult to predict the cost of an emergency department visit and subsequent financial liability. Recently, the No Surprises Act legislation aimed to curb unexpected emergency medical costs by prohibiting out-of-network billing for emergency services.

In this analysis, we use 2019 insurance claims data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, which captures privately insured individuals with large employer health plans. We look at the total and out-of-pocket costs of emergency department visits for this group, overall and by diagnosis and severity level. We also look at which services contribute most to the costs of emergency department visits and examine regional variation in emergency department costs. Finally, we look at the demographic profile of consumers who visited the emergency department and the relationship between emergency department spending and annual spending for enrollees.

We find that enrollees spend $646 out-of-pocket, on average, for an emergency department visit. Enrollees with high annual health spending were more likely to visit the emergency department; the majority of enrollees in the top 10% of annual health care spending had at least one emergency department visit during the year. The most expensive components of most emergency department visits include evaluation and management charges, imaging, and laboratory studies, and facility fees make up 80% of the cost of visits. Cost varies by disease, visit complexity, and geographic region.

Large employer plan enrollees’ emergency department visits cost $2,453, on average, with enrollees responsible for $646 in out-of-pocket costs

On average, enrollees in large employer health plans who have an emergency department visit spend $646 out-of-pocket on the visit. There is significant variation in emergency department spending, with 25% of visits costing over $907 out-of-pocket and another quarter costing less than $128 out-of-pocket. These out-of-pocket costs for a single emergency department visit may be more than some people with private insurance can afford and, in some cases, could entirely deplete a consumer’s savings. For example, about 1-in-5 people (21%) with private insurance living in single-person households have less than $1,000 in liquid assets.

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These amounts only include out-of-pocket spending required by the insurer. Before the No Surprises Act went into effect in January 2022, privately insured patients who visited the emergency department frequently had out-of-network claims on their visit, putting them at risk of providers sending them surprise balance bills. The No Surprises Act now prohibits most surprise out-of-network billing, but does not apply to ground ambulances . Any balance bill that a patient received from a provider would not appear in claims data and therefore would have been in addition to the out-of-pocket amounts shown here.

In total, enrollees and insurers paid $2,453, on average, per visit, with one quarter of visits costing $970 or less and another quarter costing $3,043 or more. All the costs described in this analysis are for the emergency department visits only, including professional services and facility fees, and do not include any spending on subsequent hospitalizations.

Facility fees contribute significantly more than professional fees to total visit cost

Emergency department bills are categorized as facility fees or professional fees. Professional fees are for services provided by clinicians, and facility fees include bills for services rendered using equipment owned by the facility, including laboratory or imaging studies. These fees are considered “overhead” for emergency departments and help facilities maintain appropriate staffing levels and technical resources. Evaluation and management charges also have a facility fee component for the equipment, staffing, and administrative resources used by the physician in their management. We find that facility fees make up 80% of total visit cost.

Evaluation and management charges make up the largest share of costs

Including both the professional fee and facility fee components of charges, the largest contributor to spending on a typical emergency department visit is the evaluation and management charge, which accounts for almost half (44%) of average visit costs. Evaluation and management charges are bills for the assessment of a patient that are not related to specific procedures or treatments provided; these services cost over $1,100 per visit, on average.

Imaging charges, including radiologist interpretation fees, make up an additional 19% of the average emergency department visit charge and cost $483, on average. The highest cost routinely performed imaging services include x-rays of the chest and CT scans of the head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Over half of visits (55%) include a charge for imaging services. About half of patients (49%) are charged for laboratory studies, including blood tests, which cost $230 on average. Other high cost but less common charges include surgical charges for patients with appendicitis and other conditions requiring surgery without inpatient admission, as well as ambulance charges for transport.

Heart attacks and appendicitis among the most expensive common conditions treated in the emergency department

Costs of emergency department visits depend on diagnosis. We selected nine common reasons to visit the emergency department that vary in complexity of management. More severe conditions, or those with more intervention required, are the most expensive. Of the nine specific diagnoses that we evaluated, the lower-cost diagnoses were those that generally do not require imaging or extensive treatment in the emergency department. These included upper respiratory tract infections ($1,535 total, $523 out-of-pocket), skin and soft tissue infections ($2,005 total, $572 out-of-pocket), and urinary tract infections ($2,726 total, $683 out-of-pocket). While these diagnoses can occasionally require admission to the hospital, in otherwise healthy adults they are typically evaluated with basic laboratory studies and discharged with prescriptions.

The most expensive emergency department diagnosis among those we examined is appendicitis, which, on average, costs $9,535 ($1,717 out-of-pocket) per visit. Appendicitis is almost two times as expensive as the next most expensive diagnosis we looked at, heart attack. 11% of enrollees with a diagnosis of appendicitis had surgical charges associated with their emergency department visit. Surgical costs may be included in emergency department outpatient billing because these patients are often discharged after surgery without being admitted to the hospital. In contrast, other emergency department visits requiring surgery are often admitted to the hospital and have surgical charges during their inpatient visit. Enrollees who had surgery had more expensive visits by over $2,000 compared to those who did not; however even without surgery, visits for appendicitis were almost four times as expensive as the average emergency department visit (and more than twice as expensive out-of-pocket).

Enrollees with emergency department visits have variable annual spending depending on diagnosis

In addition to the costs of the emergency department visit itself, enrollees who visit the emergency department at least once during the year have higher annual health care spending. Annual spending includes the cost of all claims for each patient in 2019, either before or after their emergency department visit. Though appendicitis was the most expensive emergency department visit among the diagnoses we analyzed, enrollees with appendicitis in 2019 incurred an average of $24,333 in additional health care spending, which was comparable to lower cost diagnoses. Enrollees with heart attacks had at least two times more annual spending than any other diagnosis ($52,993), while enrollees with upper respiratory tract infections had the lowest annual spending ($13,727).

These differences in annual costs may reflect spending both directly related and unrelated to the emergency department visit. For example, enrollees with heart attack emergency department visits may have high annual spending because of follow-up, medications, or hospitalizations after their heart attacks. However, their high annual spending may also reflect more comorbidities and higher healthcare utilization at baseline. In contrast, appendicitis, the most expensive emergency department visit, is correlated with relatively lower annual costs; unlike heart attacks, appendicitis often occurs in younger, healthier people and requires comparatively little additional post-surgical follow-up or treatment.

The most complex emergency visits are more than 6 times as expensive as the least expensive visits, but insurers pay an increasing share of the visit as complexity increases

Emergency department visits are coded by complexity during the billing process, from 1 (least complex) to 5 (most complex). Each evaluation and management charge is associated with a procedure code ranging from level 1 to level 5 (99281 to 99285), which are generated by hospital coding professionals based on the physicians’ medical note. Criteria are defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS ) and based on the complexity of documentation and medical decision making. Patients with level 1 complexity codes require straightforward medical decision making, with self-limited or minor presenting problems, such as rashes or medication refills. Patients with level 5 codes require high complexity medical decision making and present with life- or limb-threatening conditions, such as severe infections or cardiac arrests.

The lowest complexity visits cost $592 on average, with enrollees responsible for $205, or about one-third of the total visit cost. As visits increase in complexity, both out-of-pocket costs and costs covered by insurance increase. For the highest complexity visits, the health plan covers $3,015 on average, or eight times the cost of the lowest complexity visits. On average, patients pay $840 out-of-pocket for the highest complexity visits, which is four times their out-of-pocket costs for the lowest complexity visits.

Higher complexity visits are more expensive for multiple reasons. In general, evaluation and management charges are higher cost for more complex patients. Also, patients with more complex medical conditions generally receive more diagnostic tests, medication, and other treatment, which increases the cost of the visit. For the lowest complexity visits, evaluation and management charges account for almost half (47%) of the overall visit cost. In contrast, evaluation and management charges for the highest complexity visits account for about one-fourth (27%) of the total visit cost, with additional services including tests and treatment making up a larger share of the cost.

Emergency department costs vary by geographic region

We analyzed the top 20 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) by population, where data are available. Overall, the San Diego, CA area had the most expensive average ED visits ($3,761 on average). San Diego ED visits were more than twice as expensive as Baltimore, MD, the least expensive MSA in our analysis ($1,645 on average). Expensive MSAs were geographically distributed in all regions of the country including the South, West, Northeast, and Midwest. Within each MSA, there was significant variation in visit costa. For example, 25% of visits in Oakland, CA cost less than $1,236 on average, while 25% cost more than $4,436 on average.

Some variation may be based on the distribution of diagnoses in each area, with more serious or complex diagnoses leading to higher cost visits. For example, if a metro area sees higher than average volume of appendicitis, heart attacks, or other high-cost diagnoses, that would drive up regional emergency department costs.

For common diagnoses, Texas and Florida MSAs are among the most expensive

If we examine costs for specific diagnoses, we can minimize some of this variation in reasons for visits and gain a better understanding of how prices and service intensity affect the rankings. We selected two common, moderate-cost reasons for emergency department visits: low back pain and lower respiratory infections. While these visits can range in complexity and treatment required, they usually do not require hospital admission or high-cost treatment. Low back pain includes patients who present with the symptom of low back pain, regardless of diagnosis. Lower respiratory tract infection includes infectious causes of pneumonia and bronchitis. This analysis was limited to MSAs in which there were >500 cases of each diagnosis in 2019.

Visit costs for both diagnoses in Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, Fort Worth, TX, and Orlando, FL are in the top five most expensive MSAs with >500 cases. For low back pain visits, the Orlando, FL, Fort Worth, TX, Dallas, TX, and Houston, TX areas are each more than twice as expensive as the Warren, MI and Detroit, MI areas, on average. This trend is similar for lower respiratory tract infections. Within MSAs, variation in costs exist for both diagnoses. For example, for low back pain visits, there is more than a $3,000 difference between the least expensive and most expensive quarter of visits in Fort Worth, TX, Dallas, TX, and Houston, TX.

12% of large employer group enrollees went to the emergency department in 2019

We find that 12% of large group enrollees under age 65 had at least one emergency department visit in 2019, and of enrollees with emergency department visits, 80% had only one visit. 20% had more than one visit, and 7% had more than two visits. Emergency department visits were associated with higher annual health care spending, with almost half of enrollees in the top 25% of annual spending having at least one emergency department visit during the year.

We find that the average emergency department visit exceeds the threshold that some consumers can pay without borrowing, and even one emergency department visit in a year may create financial hardship for enrollees in large employer plans. For example, one quarter of emergency department visits for large employer enrollees cost over $907 out-of-pocket. Meanwhile, about 1-in-5 people with private insurance do not have $1,000 in liquid assets, and almost half of US adults report that they would not be able to pay a $500 medical bill without going into debt. Emergency department visits range significantly in cost depending on diagnosis, visit complexity, and geographic area. These variations may present challenges for consumers trying to predict the cost of their emergency department visit prior to going to the emergency department.

Several factors contribute to the variability of emergency department charges. First, unlike other forms of outpatient care including primary care or urgent care visits, emergency departments charge facility fees to offset the cost of keeping emergency departments open and staffed 24/7. These fees vary widely and are increasing at a faster rate than overall health care spending. The facility component represented 80% of total emergency department spending in our analysis. Many hospitals and health care providers consider these costs necessary given their mandate to provide emergency triage and treatment to allcomers. A second contributor to variation is that services are often billed at different complexity levels, and visits that are billed as more complex are more expensive . In some cases, even similar services are billed at different prices by different facilities. Notably, surprise out-of-network medical bills from emergency departments have contributed to high emergency costs for consumers, though the cost of any balance bills would be outside the scope of our claims data. The implementation of the No Surprises Act in January 2022 will generally curb surprise medical billing for emergency care.

As seen in non-emergency spending , we find that emergency department costs vary by geographic area. Among the most expensive MSAs in our analysis were MSAs located in Texas, Florida, California, Colorado, and New York. Interestingly, the most expensive regions for ED care do not align with the most expensive regions for overall health care spending. These comparisons suggest that our findings are not solely related to overall high health care prices in these areas and may reflect other factors including the age and medical complexity of the population or differences in local norms and practice patterns. State-level emergency department regulation may also play a role—states with higher numbers of freestanding , non-hospital affiliated emergency departments (which are associated with higher spending on emergency care) were among the most costly in our analysis.

The financial implications of visiting the emergency department vary widely. Not all the variation in total charges is reflected in out-of-pocket costs, since differences in cost by complexity level are smaller after insurance covers its portion of the bill. However, the most complex emergency department visits have four times higher out-of-pocket costs than the least complex visits. Even the least complex visits, some of which could be treated by a primary care office or urgent care center, cost an average of $205 out-of-pocket ($592 total). Given facility fees and relatively high evaluation and management charges in emergency departments, insurers and patients are paying more when receiving care for these conditions at emergency departments than they would using primary or urgent care. These lower complexity visits may represent a substantial avoidable cost to patients and the health care system at large.   

High health care costs are of foremost concern for US adults, leading people to skip recommended medical treatment or delay necessary care. Even in the era of new price transparency regulation , which aims to improve consumer access to prices for elective care, emergency department consumers often do not know what testing or treatment they will need, so it is difficult to assess the costs of a visit upfront. Further, in an emergency situation, patients may not be able to choose their provider or facility if they are brought in by ambulance or otherwise unable to direct their care. Lastly, lack of availability and standardization in data may make it difficult for patients to use price transparency data in real time to make decisions about accepting tests and treatment in an emergency. The high and variable cost of emergency department visits represents an opportunity for future policy changes to protect consumers from unaffordable medical bills.

This analysis is based on data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, which contains claims information provided by a sample of large employer plans. Enrollees in MarketScan claims data were included if they were enrolled for 12 months. This analysis used claims for almost 14 million people representing about 17% of the 85 million people in large group market plans (employers with a thousand or more workers) from 2004-2019. To make MarketScan data representative of large group plans, weights were applied to match counts in the Current Population Survey for enrollees at firms of a thousand or more workers by sex, age, state, and whether the enrollee was a policy holder or dependent.

Emergency department visits were flagged if an enrollee had an emergency department evaluation and management claim in the emergency department or the hospital on a given day. If an enrollee had either an emergency evaluation and management claim or another claim originating in the emergency department on the day prior to or after the flagged day, we added the previous and or following day’s outpatient spending to the visit cost. This was to capture all emergency department services for visits that may have spanned overnight or multiple days. Over half (53%) of the spending in this analysis occurred in the emergency department, with another 42% occurring in the hospital, which may occur when a patient receives a test or procedure in a location outside the emergency department during their visit.

Claims were included if they were above $100 and below the 99.5 th percentile of cost. Selected conditions were generated from a literature review of common emergency department diagnoses and defined using ICD10 codes. Enrollees were considered to have a certain diagnosis if the relevant ICD10 code appeared in the “Diagnosis 1” column in one or more claims on an emergency department visit day. While emergency department claims have up to four diagnoses, diagnoses listed in 2-4 were not used to identify relevant conditions because these diagnoses were most often incidentally found rather than related to the reason for presenting to the emergency department. For specific diagnosis definitions: Heart attack includes acute STEMI and NSTEMI, and excludes complications from prior heart attacks or angina; UTI includes acute cystitis, UTI and pyelonephritis; Kidney stone includes renal calculus in any location and renal colic; Lower respiratory infection includes pneumonia and bronchitis. Surgical charges for acute appendicitis include both open and laparoscopic surgical charges. Annual spending was defined as the total spending for each enrollee in the year 2019, which could occur before and/or after their emergency department visit depending on the time of year of the emergency department visit.

This analysis has some limitations. First, there is a chance that we could incorrectly include non-emergency outpatient care (such as a next-day, follow up primary care appointment) in our estimate of emergency department visit costs. Secondly, when accounting for annual spending, we do not control for health status prior to the emergency department visit. Therefore, the increase in annual health spending for patients who visit the emergency department for certain conditions may be because these patients are sicker and higher healthcare utilizers at baseline, rather than specific follow-up costs incurred for the emergency department visit itself. For selecting relevant diagnoses, we only include claims in which a particular diagnosis occurs as the primary diagnosis. Third, the MarketScan database includes only charges incurred under the enrollees’ plan and do not include balance billing to enrollees which may have occurred. Lastly, our findings only represent enrollees in large group employer sponsored plans and may not be generalizable to other groups.

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The Costs of US Emergency Department Visits

The US population made 144.8 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2017, costing a total of $76.3 billion, estimated a recent statistical brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP).

That year, 13.3% of the US population incurred an expense for an ED visit, and more than half of hospital inpatient stays originated with an ED visit. More than half of 2017 ED costs for the entire US, $39.5 billion, were incurred in large metropolitan areas. Aggregate ED visit costs and share of ED visit volume were highest for hospitals in the South. (ED charges were converted to costs using HCUP Cost-to-Charge Ratios based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hospital accounting reports.)

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Rubin R. The Costs of US Emergency Department Visits. JAMA. 2021;325(4):333. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.26936

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Using the ER for Non-Emergencies Is Expensive — Here Are Other Options

Key takeaways: 

On average, emergency room visits cost anywhere from $2,400 to $2,600 without insurance. If you have a non-emergency, you should consider other options, such as urgent care and telemedicine, to save money. 

If you have to go to an emergency room, you can lower your bill by negotiating with your insurance company or asking for a discount. 

You should evaluate your options for medical treatment to avoid any unexpected expenses. 

It’s late at night and you feel miserable. You decide to go to your local emergency room. They run tests, give you meds, and send you on your way. 

Then, a month later, you start getting bills — expensive bills. One is from the hospital for thousands of dollars, another is from the lab for a thousand more, and still another comes from the doctor who examined you. That’s when you find out that the doctor was out of network for your insurance. 

This scenario may sound far-fetched, but in reality it’s all too common. Being treated at an emergency department is generally far more expensive than going to an urgent care center or a primary care physician. According to a UnitedHealth Group study, going to the ER typically costs about $2,400 more than a trip to urgent care.

What is the average cost of an ER visit?

The average cost for an emergency room visit is $2,600 without insurance, according to UnitedHealthcare. Health System Tracker, a partnership between Peterson Center on Healthcare and Kaiser Family Foundation, recently came out with a report showing a slightly lower average of $2,453 .

The amount you pay for an emergency room visit can vary depending on many factors, including: 

Geographic location: The cost of an ER visit will vary depending on what part of the country you’re in. Prices are typically lower in rural areas than in urban ones.

Time of Day: Emergency visits at night typically cost more than daytime visits due to the cost of staffing.   

Severity of your condition: The more treatments, medications, or services you need, the higher the cost of your ER visit will be. 

You’re better off going to an urgent care center or elsewhere for treatment, rather than the ER, unless you’re dealing with one of the following: 

Broken bones

Head or neck injury

Serious burns

Stroke symptoms 

Uncontrolled bleeding

Vomiting blood

Keep in mind that this is not a complete list and you should always consult a healthcare professional if you’re unsure about your medical needs.

How much is an ER visit without insurance?

As noted, the average cost for an emergency room visit can be anywhere between $2,400 to $2,600. If you visit the ER without insurance, you could end up paying that entire amount  — or more  — yourself. According to Health System Tracker , 25% of ER visits cost $3,043 or more. People who have employer health plans still pay, on average, $646 out of pocket for a visit to the ER.

Why are ER bills so high?

Emergency departments charge what’s called a “facility fee.” It’s a price you pay just for walking through the doors to seek help. These fees are coded on a scale of 1 to 5, depending on the seriousness of your medical issue. Health System Tracker report found that facility fees can make up 80% of the total cost of an ER visit.

ER visits are expensive partly because emergency departments are expensive to run. You’re paying for a facility that’s open 24/7 and has supplies and medications at the ready. Also, ER bills can get high because some hospitals don’t contract with private insurance. And even if they do, individual physicians may still be out of network for some patients. 

Where should I go for treatment besides the ER?

Knowing where to go for medical care could mean the difference between a $200 bill and a $2,000 one. Here’s a breakdown of what situations are best treated at the ER versus an urgent care clinic , a primary care office, or via a telemedicine appointment, along with the average costs for each.

Urgent care

An urgent care visit costs less than a trip to the emergency room. The average cost for treating a non-emergency condition at a walk-in or urgent care clinic is $185 . If you have insurance, it will likely be less, possibly the amount of a co-pay . 

If you’re not experiencing a true emergency that needs the ER, but you also can’t wait until Monday morning to call your regular healthcare provider, urgent care can be a good option. Clinics are typically open after hours and on the weekends and can treat non-life-threatening issues like: 

Bladder infections

Ear infections

Excessive vomiting or diarrhea

Minor burns

Severe sore throat

Primary care

Primary care physicians treat non-life-threatening conditions that are either acute or chronic. Generally, acute conditions like the flu happen suddenly and have rapidly growing symptoms but don’t last more than a few weeks or months. Chronic conditions develop over time and last more than six months. Examples include conditions like asthma or high blood pressure. If you don’t have insurance, your bill at a primary care office might range from around $150 to $450 . With insurance, you might spend as little as $15 or $25 for your copay.

Your primary care provider is the best person to see for non-life-threatening health concerns. They can either provide care or help you find the care you need. Many also have out-of-hours phone advice lines to help you decide what care you need if an issue arises at night or on the weekend.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine is perhaps the most economical care option. Services like GoodRx Care offer online medical visits for a limited number of treatable conditions and provide services like birth control prescriptions. Costs range from $49 ($19 with Gold membership) for an appointment to treat high cholesterol to $99 for a blood type screening. Here are a few other conditions GoodRx Care treats: 

Urinary tract infections

Free clinics

There are many free, local clinics that provide care to uninsured, underinsured, and medically underserved communities. The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics can help you find a free clinic in your area.

What if I end up with a high ER bill?

Let’s say you do end up in the emergency room. Here’s what you can do to lower your ER bill :

Question the coding

Remember those high facility fees? Find out what code level your visit was given and challenge it. Also, study your bill closely and make sure you’re not being charged for something that didn’t happen.

Ask for a discount

Your ER bill is negotiable. Ask for a discount based on your age or income, or for paying the entire bill upfront. Don’t take no for an answer. Keep calling and keep trying.

Know your rights

The Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) requires emergency departments to screen and stabilize anyone who needs care, regardless of their ability to pay.

The No Surprises Act , which went into effect on January 1, 2022, is designed to help people avoid unexpected bills when they visit the ER and other medical facilities. Under the Act, people can access emergency care from out-of-network providers without paying extra money for it. 

In fact, if you aren't insured or decide for some reason not to use your health insurance for a service, the law states that, in most cases, you should be able to get a good faith estimate of how much a procedure or treatment will cost before you get it.

The bottom line

The average cost of an emergency room visit is around $2,400 to $2,600 without insurance. If you have a non-emergency medical issue, you can receive treatment for a lower price at places like free clinics and urgent care facilities. It’s important to evaluate your situation to determine if you need to go to an emergency room, because the bills can be high. 

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. (n.d.). Which would you rather pay?  

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2022). Emergency medical treatment and labor act (EMTALA) .

Fay, B. (n.d.). Doctor visit costs . Debt.org. 

Nadel, J. (2022). How much is a doctor visit without insurance? K Health. 

Schwartz, H., et al. (2022). Emergency department visits exceed affordability threshold for many consumers with private insurance . Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. 

UnitedHealthcare. (n.d.). Urgent care vs. ER . 

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The High Cost of Avoidable Hospital Emergency Department Visits

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Health care spending in the United States is expected to grow from $3.5 trillion in 2017 to $6 trillion by 2027, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. As a result, the health share of GDP is expected to reach nearly 20 percent

What’s driving the dramatic increase in spending? Price variation, which leads to overspending by many consumers.

However, UnitedHealth Group has conducted extensive research on the cost of care and has identified four areas where savings are achievable: 

• Avoidable hospital emergency department (ED) visits
• Hospital prices
• Specialty Rx
• High-value physicians

This article focuses on avoidable hospital ED visits.

18 Million Avoidable Hospital Emergency Department Visits

According to UnitedHealth Group research, two-thirds of hospital ED visits annually by privately insured individuals in the United States – 18 million out of 27 million – are avoidable.

An avoidable hospital ED visit is a trip to the emergency room that is primary care treatable – and not an actual emergency. Ten common primary care treatable conditions frequently treated at hospital EDs are bronchitis, cough, dizziness, f­lu, headache, low back pain, nausea, sore throat, strep throat and upper respiratory infection.

By the Numbers

The average cost of treating common primary care treatable conditions at a hospital ED is $2,032, according to UnitedHealth Group. That number is 12 times higher than visiting a physician office ($167) and 10 times higher than traveling to an urgent care center ($193) to treat those same conditions. In other words, visiting either a physician’s office or an urgent care facility instead of a hospital would save an average of more than $1,800 per visit – creating a $32 billion annual savings opportunity systemwide.

What is driving the higher costs at hospital EDs? Higher costs are driven in part by hospital facility fees, which increase the cost of an average hospital ED visit by $1,069, and lab, pathology, and radiology services, which average $335 at a hospital ED – 10 times more costly than at a physician office ($31).  

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Costs of Emergency Department Visits By Age

Costs of Emergency Department Visits By Age (PDF, 1.6 MB)

Source: HCUP Statistical Brief #268, Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017  ( PDF , 326 KB). View the list of HCUP Data Partners .

Internet Citation: Costs of Emergency Department Visits By Age. Content last reviewed March 2021. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. https://www.ahrq.gov/data/infographics/costs-ed-visits.html

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Should you go to the emergency room or visit urgent care?

Medical professionals at urgent care centers and hospital emergency rooms give people immediate medical attention. Understanding the services each offers may save people time and money if they are facing a health scare.

Around 137 million people in the United States visit a hospital emergency room every year, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Health Services Research . The authors estimate that as many as half of these people could be treated at a different facility.

The original purpose of urgent care centers was to take some of the pressure off emergency rooms.

Anyone in a life threatening or limb threatening situation needs immediate help from medical professionals at an emergency room, but urgent care medical professionals can help with many other concerns.

This article explains the difference between urgent care centers and emergency rooms. It also explains the services they offer and suggests things to consider before deciding which one to visit.

How are they different?

Both emergency rooms and urgent care centers offer people the chance to see a medical professional for conditions that may need immediate attention, but the two facilities provide different levels of care.

The American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM) explains that while emergency room medical professionals can treat any condition, urgent care medical professionals can address less severe, acute problems.

People usually go to urgent care centers for minor injuries or when they cannot get in to see their primary care doctor. Urgent care centers are usually open beyond normal office hours, so people can see a healthcare professional about any problems that need prompt treatment but are not medical emergencies.

Although urgent care centers are often open later than doctors’ offices, they do not offer 24-hour care. Most have medical professionals available on weekends, but they may work a shorter day.

Emergency rooms, however, are open every day and night and have a variety of specialized staff available to deal with any situation.

Urgent care centers are usually cheaper.

The authors of the 2021 study state that the average cost of treatment at an urgent care center is $156, while the same treatment may cost $570 or more at an emergency room.

Costs depend on whether a person has insurance and how it covers urgent and emergency care visits.

The law requires medical professionals at emergency rooms to evaluate a person, regardless of whether they can pay for treatment. However, urgent care centers expect payment immediately and may turn people away if they cannot pay.

Urgent care

According to the 2021 study , there are more than 9,200 urgent care centers in the U.S., and they see around 122 million people each year.

These centers are open for longer hours than most primary care doctors’ offices, and people do not have to make appointments.

Most facilities have X-ray machines and laboratories to analyze samples from simple blood or urine tests the medical professionals may recommend.

Medical professionals at urgent care centers can also stitch up small wounds, place casts on fractured bones, provide intravenous fluids, and give immunizations.

Reasons to visit urgent care

Urgent care centers are for people who have an immediate, but not life threatening, health issue that requires prompt treatment.

Examples include:

• simple fractures
• sprains and strains
• a fever without a rash
• vomiting and diarrhea
• abdominal pains
• sexually transmitted infections
• open wounds that might need stitches

Emergency room

Emergency rooms are hospital departments where medical professionals can treat people with sudden severe illnesses or injuries at any time during the day or night.

Medical professionals in an emergency room can access any or all of the resources the hospital offers, including surgical procedures, a greater range of diagnostic tests, and sometimes immediate access to physicians from different specialties.

Medical professionals in emergency rooms can quickly assess a person’s situation and give immediate treatment. This is vital for people who have had a stroke , heart attack , or serious traumatic injury.

Reasons to visit an emergency room

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) explains that people with some medical emergencies need to visit emergency rooms to access the best care as quickly as possible.

These situations include:

• heart attack
• psychiatric emergencies such as suicidal or homicidal thoughts
• major motor vehicle accidents
• head injuries
• loss of consciousness
• difficulty breathing, or severe shortness of breath
• excessive bleeding
• severe allergic reactions

When to go to urgent care

The AAUCM explains that urgent care centers are not replacements for primary care doctors, but they can help people who need immediate medical attention and cannot get an appointment.

Medical professionals at urgent care centers can treat people for many ailments, including:

• allergic reactions
• upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis, influenza, and COVID-19
• lacerations, or cuts
• wounds or abscesses
• vomiting and nausea
• mononucleosis
• insect bites
• conjunctivitis, or pink eye
• ear infections
• dehydration
• strains and sprains

When to go to an emergency room

The ACEP recognizes that some medical situations need immediate attention in an emergency room. These include:

• prolonged bleeding, especially if it lasts 10 minutes or longer
• difficulty breathing
• poisoning, including overdoses
• severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis
• any fractures in which bones break through the skin or are dislocated
• coughing or vomiting blood
• stroke symptoms, including facial drooping, slurred speech, or sudden weakness in the arms or legs
• serious burns
• vaginal bleeding during pregnancy
• head injuries, including eye injuries

When to call 911

According to the ACEP , people who are experiencing chest pains, severe bleeding, or symptoms of a stroke should call 911, because paramedics can start treatment before a person gets to the emergency room.

Other situations in which people need to call an ambulance include:

• neck and spine injuries
• traumatic accidents, including motor vehicle accidents
• inhalation of smoke or other noxious fumes
• overdose of drugs or alcohol
• severe gunshot wounds

When to go to a walk-in clinic 

Both emergency rooms and urgent care centers offer walk-in appointments for people wanting immediate medical attention.

The 2021 study explains that more people use an emergency room for non-emergencies when doctors’ offices and urgent care centers are closed.

The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine also reminds doctors that people seeking emergency healthcare probably believe they are too sick to wait for a regular doctor’s appointment, and this is sometimes true.

Preparing for the medical visit

Doctors at urgent care centers and emergency rooms may not know anything about a person’s medical history, so it can be very helpful for a person to have that information handy.

The ACEP recommends that people wear medical jewelry if they have allergies to certain medications or have an underlying medical condition.

People should be honest about any drug or alcohol use, as it can make a big difference in evaluating their situation.

Other suggestions include bringing a list of any medications the person is taking, including vitamins and supplements, prescription medications, and over-the-counter remedies.

Urgent care centers give people the chance to see a doctor on the same day to treat serious, but not life threatening, illnesses and injuries. These centers are open for longer hours than regular doctors’ offices. They typically have X-ray equipment and the capability to run rapid swabs, or simple blood and urine tests.

Emergency rooms are hospital departments where doctors can give people immediate attention when a person is experiencing a medical emergency.

Emergency rooms are open and fully staffed 24 hours a day, every day, and doctors there have access to all hospital facilities and services, including laboratories for analyzing diagnostic tests, operating rooms, and more specialized care.

Last medically reviewed on December 19, 2022

• Public Health
• Emergency Medicine

How we reviewed this article:

• Allen, L., et al . (2021). The impact of urgent care centers on nonemergent emergency department visits. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8313962/
• Differences between the emergency department, the office, and the inpatient setting. (2022). https://www.saem.org/about-saem/academies-interest-groups-affiliates2/cdem/for-students/online-education/m3-curriculum/emergency-medicine-in-the-us-healthcare-system/differences-between-the-emergency-department-the-office-and-the-inpatient-setting
• Emergency care vs. urgent care: What’s the difference? (n.d.). https://www.emergencyphysicians.org/article/er101/emergency-care-vs.-urgent-care-whats-the-difference
• Prepare for the unexpected: Your ER checklist. (n.d.). https://www.emergencyphysicians.org/article/er101/prepare-for-the-unexpected-your-er-checklist
• What is urgent care medicine? (2022). https://aaucm.org/what-is-urgent-care-medicine/

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Individual and Family

How Much Does an Urgent Care Visit Cost?

By anna porretta updated on october 13, 2022.

Urgent care has become a lifeline for people seeking medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic due to their convenience and positioning as an alternative to the emergency room. The cost of urgent care is lower than that of an ER, and they accept patients who don’t have insurance, but can demonstrate their ability to pay at the time of service. In turn, you get affordable health care in less time than going to the ER and still get the right type of treatment.

The actual cost of an urgent care visit without insurance depends on the provider, but you can expect to pay as little as $100 for comprehensive medical services provided by a physician. According to the Urgent Care Association, there are over 9,000 urgent care clinics in the U.S. providing healthcare to about 89 million patients every year. They provide healthcare similar to that of a primary care physician’s (PCP) office, and are an alternative to the PCP office after business hours, or when there’s no existing relationship with a primary care physician .

What is urgent care?

There are more than 9,000 urgent care clinics in the U.S. in 2022

Urgent care, also known as a walk-in clinic, provides medical care to patients who are in need of a physician, but don’t have a serious issue that requires the emergency room. It also takes care of patients who would otherwise go to the ER for medical care and wait hours to see a doctor and get billed at ER rates.

An urgent care clinic is set up to help people with a variety of issues including illnesses, vaccinations, physicals, and minor injuries. They’re equipped with diagnostic equipment that’s similar to that of an ER, and are staffed by nurses, doctors and nurse practitioners. The kind of care provided at an urgent care clinic is the same as what you would receive in a hospital or clinic.

You can walk into an urgent care clinic and see a physician within a short time of your arrival. Appointments aren’t necessary, and you’ll see a medical expert as soon as possible. Many urgent care clinics have extended hours or are open 24/7/365.

When should I go to urgent care?

A general rule of thumb for making the decision to go to urgent care is if you feel a need for medical care, but your physician’s office is closed. Going to an urgent care clinic gives you access to a physician who can examine your issue, provide a diagnosis, and prescribe medication to help you find relief. They can also make the decision to send you to the ER if your symptoms are serious enough.

Examples of medical conditions that suit urgent care

Some other  reasons why you should go to the urgent care clinic instead of the ER include:

• Moderate symptoms of illness
• Small wounds that may need stitches
• Minor physical injuries

Normally, most of these issues are manageable with over-the-counter medication and rest. Sometimes, however, the symptoms don’t go away no matter what you try, and you need medical intervention. The urgent care clinic helps you with your semi-emergent need for care at a lower cost with the same type of medical standards as the ER or your doctor’s office.

How much does a visit to urgent care cost?

According to Debt.org, the average cost of an urgent care visit is anywhere between $100 to $150 depending on your copay or clinic costs. When looking at the question of “how much does an urgent care visit cost without insurance?”, you’ll find it’s slightly more expensive, with an average of $175 for services rendered. The use of medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment and prescription medications are extra costs that you’ll have to pay for as well. However, these costs are much lower than that of the ER, and you’ll find that the cost of urgent care without insurance is very reasonable.

If you’re concerned about medical costs and you’re looking for insurance for ongoing coverage, you can get a short-term health insurance policy or get a policy through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when the health exchanges open every fall.

Urgent care vs. emergency room

Non-life-threatening issues can cost up to 5 times more at the ER

Emergency rooms and urgent care clinics both serve the same purpose in that they take care of people who are in need of immediate care when a physician’s office is closed. Someone who has been in a catastrophic accident or serious illness that requires immediate medical intervention is best served by the ER. In contrast, someone who has minor injuries and doesn’t need immediate care is best served by an urgent care clinic. An ER is open around the clock, seven days a week all year-round, but urgent clinics frequently have similar hours.

Urgent care clinics are also less expensive than an ER. The average cost of a visit to the ER varies by treatment but can be around $2,200, with the wait time being 2 hours compared to the average 30 minute wait at urgent care clinics. Non-life-threatening issues can cost up to 5 times more at the ER than at urgent care clinics. For example, the cost to treat a sinus infection at an ER can cost $617 compared to $112 at an urgent care clinic. The ER cost is frequently reduced through insurance while the urgent care cost tends to be the same for cash or insurance.

Emergency room vs. urgent care clinic cost differences

Does my insurance cover urgent care visits?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires all ACA-compliant health insurance plans to cover emergency services, but some insurers do not classify urgent care in the same benefit class as emergency care. Most health insurance plans cover urgent care visits, however. Often health plans make the following common distinctions between urgent care visits and emergency room visits.

• A plan may define an urgent care need as a medical condition that is not potentially life-threatening and doesn’t require immediate medical attention but still requires care within 24 hours.
• A plan may apply different (and often lower) copayment to urgent care center visits than the plan applies to emergency room visits. For example, you may have to pay the same or similar copay for an urgent care center visit as you pay for a doctor visit.
• To receive urgent care benefits, you may need to choose an urgent care center that participates in your health insurance plan if you are in a health maintenance organization (HMO), and you want urgent care where you live. You can check with the insurer or the urgent care center before going to the urgent care center.

When you visit an urgent care center, you can expect to pay a copayment. One health plan may pay its share of the urgent care center visit but only if you have met the plan’s annual deductible. If you aren’t sure if your health insurance plan covers urgent care visits, or what your cost-share is, review your plan’s summary of benefits.

On eHealth.com you can get a quote or compare plan benefits online. Compare health insurance plans in your area to find one that meets your coverage needs to make sure you’re covered when you need it.

How much does an urgent care visit cost if I don’t have health insurance?

An urgent care center’s services are available if you don’t have health insurance as well. However, without insurance, you will be responsible for the entire cost of urgent care services, usually at the time of service. Also, any medications prescribed to treat your condition will be a separate out-of-pocket cost.

There are some things you can try to reduce or defray upfront, out-of-pocket costs for urgent care services.

• Call urgent care centers near your home in advance of a visit and compare costs
• Explain your circumstances to the urgent care center administrative staff or healthcare provider. You may be able to negotiate your urgent care cost if you are without insurance (through a low interest payment plan or income-based discount on services for example).
• Consider alternatives to ACA-compliant health insurance. If you are temporarily without health insurance and feel you simply can’t afford a comprehensive health plan right now, you might find a short term health insurance or medical indemnity plan fits your immediate needs. Medical indemnity plans provide set benefits for common healthcare services such as urgent care center visits. Short term health insurance plans, on the other hand, provide insurance coverage for a certain period of time, if you don’t want to commit to an ACA-compliant plan.

How Much Does an Urgent Care Visit Cost?: FAQs

Does urgent care do covid testing.

Yes, urgent care does COVID testing as a general rule. You can walk into an urgent care clinic and ask to be tested for COVID-19.

Does urgent care do STD testing?

Yes, urgent care does STD testing. Many people prefer the anonymity of going to an urgent care clinic for testing.

Does urgent care bill you later?’

It depends. You can expect to pay up front for urgent care, but you may also receive a bill for services at a later date.

Find the right plan for you with eHealth

Your health and financial well-being are our priority at eHealth. Whether you have health insurance now or are looking for coverage options, eHealth brings you the resources to help you find the plan that best meets your coverage needs for the way you prefer to get healthcare. Check out and easily compare all the individual and family health insurance plans available in your area with eHealth and find a plan that works for you! You can also check out short-term health insurance options with eHealth, if that fits your budget and coverage needs.

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Heat-Related E.R. Visits Rose in 2023, C.D.C. Study Finds

By Noah Weiland

Reporting from Washington

The rate of emergency room visits caused by heat illness increased significantly last year in large swaths of the country compared with the previous five years, according to a study published on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The research, which analyzed visits during the warmer months of the year, offers new insight into the medical consequences of the record-breaking heat recorded across the country in 2023 as sweltering temperatures stretched late into the year.

What the Numbers Say: People in the South were especially affected by serious heat illness.

The researchers used data on emergency room visits from an electronic surveillance program used by states and the federal government to detect the spread of diseases. They compiled the number of heat-related emergency room visits in different regions of the country and compared them to data from the previous five years.

Nearly 120,000 heat-related emergency room visits were recorded in the surveillance program last year, with more than 90 percent of them occurring between May and September, the researchers found.

The highest rate of visits occurred in a region encompassing Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Overall, the study also found that men and people between the ages of 18 and 64 had higher rates of visits.

How It Happens: Heat can be a silent killer, experts and health providers say.

Last year was the warmest on Earth in a century and a half, with the hottest summer on record . Climate scientists have attributed the trend in part to greenhouse gas emissions and their effects on global warming, and they have warned that the timing of a shift in tropical weather patterns last year could foreshadow an even hotter 2024.

Heat illness often occurs gradually over the course of hours, and it can cause major damage to the body’s organs . Early symptoms of heat illness can include fatigue, dehydration, nausea, headache, increased heart rate and muscle spasms.

People do not typically think of themselves as at high risk of succumbing to heat or at greater risk than they once were, causing them to underestimate how a heat wave could lead them to the emergency room, said Kristie L. Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington who is an expert on the health risks of extreme heat.

“The heat you were asked to manage 10 years ago is not the heat you’re being asked to manage today,” she said. One of the first symptoms of heat illness can be confusion, she added, making it harder for someone to respond without help from others.

What Happens Next: States and hospitals are gearing up for another summer of extreme heat.

Dr. Srikanth Paladugu, an epidemiologist at the New Mexico Department of Health, said the state had nearly 450 heat-related emergency room visits in July last year alone and over 900 between April and September, more than double the number recorded during that stretch in 2019.

In preparation for this year’s warmer months, state officials are working to coordinate cooling shelters and areas where people can be splashed by water, Dr. Paladugu said.

Dr. Aneesh Narang, an emergency medicine physician at Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix, said he often saw roughly half a dozen heat stroke cases a day last summer, including patients with body temperatures of 106 or 107 degrees. Heat illness patients require enormous resources, he added, including ice packs, fans, misters and cooling blankets.

“There’s so much that has to happen in the first few minutes to give that patient a chance for survival,” he said.

Dr. Narang said hospital employees had already begun evaluating protocols and working to ensure that there are enough supplies to contend with the expected number of heat illness patients this year.

“Every year now we’re doing this earlier and earlier,” he said. “We know that the chances are it’s going to be the same or worse.”

Noah Weiland writes about health care for The Times. More about Noah Weiland

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Extreme Weather Maps: Track the possibility of extreme weather in the places that are important to you .

Tornado Alerts: A tornado warning demands instant action. Here’s what to do if one comes your way .

Climate Change: What’s causing global warming? How can we fix it? Our F.A.Q. tackles your climate questions big and small .

Evacuating Pets: When disaster strikes, household pets’ lives are among the most vulnerable. You can avoid the worst by planning ahead .

‘Total Disgrace’: Anger, Frustration as Mass Heating Failures Across Russia Leave Thousands in the Cold

PODOLSK, Moscow region – Residents across Russia affected by unprecedented winter heating outages in recent days have expressed their growing frustration and urged local authorities to restore heating in their homes.

In Podolsk, a town some 30 kilometers south of the capital Moscow, at least 149,000 residents — nearly half of its population — were left in the cold when a heating main burst at a nearby private ammunition plant.

“It’s a total disgrace. There is no heating and no hot water. We have to sleep in sleeping bags,” Yuri, a local resident, told The Moscow Times.

“I have no words to describe how bad the situation is," said Yuri, who declined to provide his surname. "We have had no heating for almost six days."

The Moscow region, where temperatures have plunged to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius in the past week, as well as the Far East Primorye region , the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg , Penza , the southern Voronezh and Volgograd regions and others, have all been affected by heating outages this winter.

In the Tver region, a group of residents filmed an appeal to President Vladimir Putin, saying that they “are freezing from the cold” in the village of Novozavidovsky.

“We're literally being killed by the cold,” a woman in the video said, adding that they have been sending requests to local authorities since September after their houses were connected to a boiler room whose power was reportedly insufficient.

“This is some kind of torture and extermination of the population 100 kilometers from Moscow,” she added.

Residents of the Moscow region town of Elektrostal lit a fire in the street to draw the authorities’ attention to the heating problem.

“It’s impossible to stay in our houses. We're freezing!” a group of women in the video said.

Suffering from subzero temperatures, residents are placing the blame on local authorities and utility services for failing to take necessary precautions and not taking action to resolve the situation.

“We are sending complaints everywhere but no one listens to us. We have portable heaters working in every room, but the temperature inside is still 10 degrees Celsius,” Yelena from Podolsk said.

“There is a clinic and a hospital, as well as kindergartens, where there is no heating. And we have no answers, no assistance, no explanation,” Yelena added.

Placing the blame

Podolsk authorities opened temporary heating centers and declared a state of emergency.

Local authorities linked the heating problems to the fact that the town is heated by a boiler plant owned by the Klimovsk Specialized Ammunition Plant, a private ammunition factory and one of the largest weapon cartridge production enterprises in the country.

“The facility is under tight security conditions, which limits our ability to oversee winter preparations,” the Moscow region’s Vice Governor Yevgeny Khromushin said last week. “We were unaware of the problem for nearly a day.”

An unidentified Moscow region official and two senior executives at the plant were arrested on suspicion of providing unsafe services, Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said  Tuesday. 

Investigators said that Podolsk’s deputy mayor was accused of misusing authority by issuing a readiness certificate for the boiler house at the plant.

In the neighboring Tver region, authorities opened a criminal case over the laundering of over 84 million rubles ($938,993) in residents' heating bills, the Astra Telegram channel reported this week, citing unidentified sources. Investigators claim the heads of the local water intake and boiler house misappropriated the payments for personal use.

Reacting to the heating failures, Putin on Tuesday asked Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov to provide heat and electricity to the affected residents. 

The outages appear to be the latest effect of several decades of crumbling infrastructure, which has been linked to endemic corruption and mismanagement.

The overall decay of Russia's municipal infrastructure surpassed 70% in 2022, the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia reported . 

According to Sergei Pakhomov, head of the State Duma’s Construction, Housing and Utilities Committee, water pipes that were 90 years old or even older were still in use as recently as two years ago in some cases.

Housing, utilities and communal services are a common source of problems for Russians during the winter.

In St. Petersburg,  extensive ice coverage on city streets and sidewalks is a chronic source of  complaints , with many people ending up in the hospital over the years due to slipping and falling accidents.

In the Siberian republic of Khakassia, two villages were left without electricity last month due to apparent issues with outdated infrastructure.

In the winter of 2020, five people in the Perm region were killed after a pipe burst.

When asked about the latest heating outages, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the problems and linked them to poor municipal infrastructure, saying that people “had to endure a lot of inconvenience in the cold and without electricity.” 

"Despite all the titanic efforts to update all housing and communal services systems, there's still a certain part that remains considerably deteriorated. These programs will continue, but it is impossible to update all pipes and all housing and communal services systems in 10-15 years,” Peskov said.

As for now, those affected by heating issues appear to lack optimism that the problems will be solved efficiently.

"It's been a week since we've had heating, and the temperature in my apartment is around 11 degrees Celsius,” Podolsk resident Lidiya told The Moscow Times.

“Unfortunately, no one knows when it will be repaired,” she said.

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Moscow in 4 days - Moscow Forum

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I have booked 4 days in Moscow (well 3.5).I arrive on a thursday at dme airport and get the aeroexpress to the train station then the underground to the hotel,I am staying at the Maxima Slavia,is there anything of interest in this area of Moscow,I believe the subway is VDNH.Friday I want to be in the centre of Moscow early,i have booked on to the Free Moscow Walking Tour that lasts 2.5 hours (any good or bad ideas on this tour) is it really free? The tour finishes at 13..15 what can you suggest i do after the tour.I want to do Lenins mausoleum and the Kremlin together but Lenins mausoleum is closed on friday (I believe ). When I go to the mausoleum do i get in to the queue with my bag,THEN go throuhh security or do i leave my bag somewhere (where) then get in the queue? So if do the Kremlin and Lenin on saturday is that a full day doing these two with the armoury and St. Basils?

Iwant to visit Gorky Park ( is it worth it in March, will there be snything going on then?) The Bolshoi Theatre, but I think thats on the free tour.Wherd is the Triumphal Arch (anywhere neaf the hotel?)Hopefully I will have a friends ffiend to show me round bjt not all the time.Do any of you experts know where and how much it costs to enger the Kremlin,do i buy one ticket for the Kremlin,then do i buy tickdts for each museums? Or is there a ticket i can buy for all lf the Kremlin?

Any more ideas would be very gratefully received. One thing,after arriving at DME where is the best place to buy fubles at the airport,as i bdlievd i cant buy them here in the UK.

Many Thanks

more questions to follow

> I believe the subway is VDNH

Yes, mere 7 km away.

> i have booked on to the Free Moscow Walking Tour that lasts 2.5 hours (any good or bad ideas on this tour)

Sure, just search the forum.

> is it really free?

It is, but the business idea as I understand it is most people feel so uneasy about taking a free tour that they leave a hearty tip or book another non-free tour with them.

> Where is the Triumphal Arch

Kutuzovsky Prospect, near Victory Park.

> anywhere neaf the hotel?

> Do any of you experts know where and how much it costs to enger the Kremlin

One doesn't have to be an expert to google up www.kreml.ru.

> after arriving at DME where is the best place to buy fubles at the airport

Draw them from any ATM with your debit/ATM card.

> as i bdlievd i cant buy them here in the UK

You can but you don't want to.

The only thing about Gorki Park is while it has deservedly gotten very high marks from what I see/hear from Muscovites in terms of now being a very nice, calm, fun place for folks to spend a weekend day, it is, thankfully, no longer an "amusement" park.

So, there are plenty of small lakes, walking paths, bike/roller skate, paddle boat rentals, and even a cool, hip museum, and a bunch of other fun "design" themes, you may not be interested in that. More of a place to hang out and relax...for family, young folks, etc. Previously, it had become quite seedy and taken over by "hooligans", drinking etc...

fubles, lol.

I'll take this one here.

> I want to do Lenins mausoleum and the Kremlin together but Lenins mausoleum is closed on friday (I believe ).

> When I go to the mausoleum do i get in to the queue with my bag,THEN go throuhh security or do i leave my bag somewhere (where) then get in the queue?

> So if do the Kremlin and Lenin on saturday is that a full day doing these two with the armoury and St. Basils?

Yes, a full day seems about right. I suggest you also walk around the Kremlin, just to get an idea of how vast it is. The other side of the Moskva provides excellent views and beautiful photo opportunities. You can also catch a glimpse of the Duma and the Lubyanka nearby (and the House of Unions, for freaks like me).

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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