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.