US Health Care Costs

Emergency room visit, level 2

CPT 99282 · Doctor and ER visits · hospital facility charge

At the 123 hospitals whose price files we have read so far, the typical cash price is $636, and most charge between $211 and $1,605 (the middle 80%; price files contain errors, so the extremes are left out). Pick a state to compare its hospitals.

Estimate what you would pay

$636typical cash price
$546typical commercial insurer rate
$1,133typical list price
123hospitals in 32 states so far
Typical cash price by state

Every state

StateHospitalsTypical cash priceLowest cashHighest cashTypical insurer price
Alabama1$375$375$375$200
Arizona2$857$229$1,485$250
California9$912$328$4,974$1,020
Connecticut1$975$975$975$624
Delaware1$748$748$748$713
Florida8$984$338$4,412$1,308
Georgia6$414$341$1,811$876
Iowa1$739$739$739$391
Idaho2$688$688$688$581
Illinois6$592$285$791$495
Indiana2$256$232$280$533
Kentucky2$461$285$636$430
Massachusetts2$475$307$644$242
Maryland1$144$144$144–
Michigan3$211$211$742$332
Minnesota1$79$79$79$266
Missouri4$497$229$550$574
North Carolina4$575$445$575$591
Nebraska1$229$229$229$491
New Jersey8$200$175$296$611
Nevada1$3,797$3,797$3,797$1,162
New York1$802$802$802$180
Ohio7$535$48$1,115$337
Oklahoma3$496$331$887$544
Oregon1$584$584$584$545
Pennsylvania8$480$173$1,605$508
South Carolina4$541$441$1,760$176
Tennessee2$208$208$208$792
Texas21$956$184$2,051$600
Utah2$1,028$830$1,226$1,055
Virginia6$249$249$1,847$487
Washington2$518$497$540$475
123 hospitals so far: only hospitals whose price files we've read are listed, and more are added every night. The price is the hospital's part; the doctor usually bills separately.

Common questions

How much does emergency room visit, level 2 cost at a hospital?

At 121 hospitals that publish a cash price, the typical price for emergency room visit, level 2 is $636, and most charge between $211 and $1,605. The typical rate commercial insurers have negotiated is $546. These are hospital prices; independent clinics, imaging centers and labs often charge less.

Is it cheaper to pay cash or use insurance for emergency room visit, level 2?

At 44 of the 99 hospitals that publish both, the cash price is lower than the typical insurer rate. Remember that with insurance you pay only your share of that rate once your deductible is met, and that cash payments usually don't count toward your deductible.

Does the price include the doctor?

No. These are the hospital's own charges, often called the facility fee. The doctors involved, such as the surgeon, the anesthesiologist or the radiologist who reads a scan, usually send a separate bill.

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