How Much Is a Doctors Care Visit Without Insurance

When experiencing a sudden onset of symptoms like a sore throat or experienced a minor trauma, a sprained wrist for example, you've probably wondered whether you should try to get a same-day appointment with your primary care physician, head to a local urgent care center, or go to the emergency room. The decision you make can have significant consequences to your pocketbook—whether you are insured or not.

How much does a visit to urgent care cost?

The average urgent care visit costs between $150 and $200, according to Debt.org, a financial consulting organization serving the public. Factors such as where you receive urgent care and the type of care needed to diagnose and treat your symptoms influence your actual cost.

Urgent care centers are popular because of their convenience. Unlike doctor visits, most urgent care centers don't require appointments, and urgent care centers are usually open on weekends and evening hours.

Many people, with and without health insurance, find urgent care a great option for symptoms that need same-day treatment for a minor injury or illness. Physicians, nurses, and physician assistants typically staff urgent care centers. While they aren't familiar with your medical history and prescription medications, as your doctor is, they can diagnose and treat your symptoms in most cases. They typically can provide basic lab and x-ray services and order prescription medications if you need it. They can also advise you if your symptoms warrant an immediate trip to the hospital or a follow-up visit with your regular doctor.

How much cheaper is urgent care than the emergency room?

The average cost of an urgent care visit is generally higher than a comparable visit to your doctor, but significantly lower than the average cost of an emergency room visit. ER visits can cost anywhere from around $600 for a minor problem to well over $3,000 for a serious and complex health issue or injury. According to debt.com, the cost of treating a non-life-threatening issue such as strep throat at the ER can cost up to 5 times more than seeking treatment from an urgent care facility.

Why the dramatic difference in cost? A hospital emergency room has overhead costs not found in a doctor's office or urgent care center, such as a team of nurses and doctors who specialize in trauma and emergency care, and immediate access to highly sophisticated diagnostic lab, x-ray, heart, and brain monitoring equipment.

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?

Urgent care centers' 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 certain period of time, if you don't want to commit to an ACA-compliant plan.

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.

How Much Is a Doctors Care Visit Without Insurance

Source: https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/resources/individual-and-family/how-much-does-an-urgent-care-visit-cost

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