Without question, the cost of medical care in this country has skyrocketed over the last few decades. Walk into an emergency room with an earache or the need for a few stitches and you’re apt to walk out with a bill that is nothing short of shocking. Luckily, urgent care centers are a much more affordable alternative to ER visits for non-life-threatening illnesses. Typically speaking, a trip to an urgent care center will cost one-fourth the price of the same trip to an emergency room.
Things that will determine the cost of care provided at an urgent care clinic are:
- The nature and severity of the illness
- Type of treatment required
- Location (city VS rural)
- Whether or not you have health insurance
How Much Does Urgent Care Cost if You Don’t Have Health Insurance?
Keep in mind that urgent care costs can vary by location. While one clinic might charge you $75 for an X-ray, another clinic might charge you $175. Having said this, the average cost of an urgent care visit without insurance ranges between $70 and $125. These charges are the base price before any other services have been added.
Below you’ll find some additional urgent care services that will increase your bill:
MEDICATIONS & INJECTIONS
You can be expected to be charged for injections, medications, and IVs. The staff of urgent care clinics is generally willing to work with patients who don’t have insurance. Often they will switch out expensive name-brand medicines for generic brands instead. In some instances, as in the case of requiring an immunization, the office fee might be waived as immunizations don’t require a doctor. Keep in mind the cost of the actual vaccination will still apply.
TESTS & X-RAYS
Many visits to an urgent care clinic require blood tests and X-rays and these treatment costs are in addition to the base price. While it may be harder for staff to discount these costs, understand that tests and X-rays completed at urgent care centers are significantly cheaper than those performed in an ER.
BREAKS & SPRAINS
One of the most common visits to an urgent care clinic is because of sprains and broken bones, and casts and braces cost extra. While you may think the opposite, bracing is actually more expensive because patients get to keep the brace whereas casting only uses gauze.
How much does urgent care cost with insurance?
For those who have health insurance, a visit to an urgent care center will cost even less.
It should be noted that you are expected to pay your co-payment immediately upon checking in. You are also required to have an insurance card with you and know your co-payment ahead of time.
Typically speaking, co-payments for urgent care range between $35 and $100 per visit. You will have to check to make sure your insurance is accepted at your local urgent care center.
Urgent care clinics accept many different types of insurance plans.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common urgent care charges with insurance and compare them with prices you would expect to pay at an emergency room.
Allergies
Bronchitis (Acute)
Earaches
Sore Throat
Pink Eye
Sinusitis
Strep Throat
Upper Respiratory Infections
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
It is recommended that you seek medical attention as soon as you experience urinary tract infection symptoms. Treatment at urgent care will cost roughly $110, as opposed to $665 for a visit to the ER.
UrgentWay – Providing Affordable Care to the Community
UrgentWay is committed to providing quality and affordable care to our neighbors. We understand that immediate access is important. Not only are we open 7 days a week, but we also offer extended hours each day so you can get help very early or very late in the day.
With locations in Hempstead, Manhattan, Hicksville, and the Bronx, getting the medical attention you require is more convenient than ever. We are open at the locations of urgent care centers for walk-in visits and have made sure to take all the safety protocols per CDC’s guidelines against COVID-19.
Moreover, considering the current pandemic of COVID-19, Urgentway has also started providing facilities for Telemedicine and COVID-19 Screening.
While we accept most insurance plans, including worker’s compensation, private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare. We also welcome those without insurance and do our best to offer the most affordable rates and payment options.
UrgentWay truly believes that all members of our community deserve quality healthcare at a price they can comfortably afford.