How Much Does Urgent Care Cost?
If you’re feeling under the weather and can’t make it to your primary doctor, then there’s a good chance you’re going to have to go to your local urgent care. Just like your doctor, an urgent care center will be able to treat basic health problems like a sore throat, rash, burn, cut or infection. However, if the problem is a serious injury that needs to be treated immediately, you may have to head to your local emergency room.
Breaking Down the Costs
The cost of an urgent care visit is going to depend on your geographical location and the tests that need to be performed while inside the clinic. On average, the office visit alone is going to cost anywhere from $75 to $200 without any insurance. If you have insurance, though, the costs will depend on your policy.
The Additional Charges
Aside from the visit, there’s a good chance you’re going to have to pay for other necessities like medication and tests. Again, these costs will depend on what kind of tests and medications are needed.
For example, if you were to go to the urgent care and had the flu, the doctor may prescribe a flu medication that could cost more than $100 without insurance. On the other hand, if they had to draw blood for some simple tests, the lab could charge a few hundred dollars. The same could be said if the doctor had to perform an x-ray. Since there are so many variables involved, the costs can be all over the place.
To break down some costs, here are some ballpark estimates for common urgent care problems:
- Allergies: $90 to $150
- Bronchitis: $120 to $150
- Earache: $90 to $120
- Sore Throat: $90 to $120
- Pink Eye: $90 to $110
- Sinusitis: $90 to $130
- Strep Throat: $90 to $110
- Upper Respiratory: $100 to $120
- Urinary Tract: $90 to $120
Paying
If you don’t have a health insurance policy, the urgent care may ask you to pay for everything up front before seeing you. On the other hand, if you have a policy, you will be responsible for any co-pays or fees that your insurance doesn’t cover. Before you head to an urgent care center, call them up to see what kind of insurance they accept. What you’re going to find is that they may only accept certain insurance policies. If you have more than one center in your area, you will always want to make sure that you’re choosing one that will accept your insurance to maximize your savings.
If you don’t have insurance and don’t mind paying cash, ask the urgent care center if they will give you a cash deal. Most of the time, these centers will knock off a good portion of the bill if you pay everything up front.
In the end, plan on spending at least $100 without insurance to visit an urgent care center. If you do have a policy, it’s best to budget at least half that amount with co-pays are factored in.
