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An urgent care center is an option to get care for non-life-threatening injuries like sprains and broken bones, cuts and bruises, or illnesses like flu, ear infections or a cold.
Urgent care centers are cheaper than getting care in an emergency room. Though going to a primary care provider may cost less, urgent care facilities provide another option if you can’t get an appointment with your doctor.
How much you pay for urgent care depends on multiple factors, including your health insurance and what care you need.
Compare Urgent Care Costs From Our Featured Partners
1
Aetna
Coverage area
Offers plans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Number of providers in network
About 1.2 million
Physician copays start at
$20
2
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Coverage area:
Offers plans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Number of providers in network
About 1.7 million
Physician copays start at
$10
3
Cigna
Coverage area
Offers plans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Number of providers in network
About 1.5 million
Physician copays start at
$0
What Is Urgent Care?
Urgent care offers immediate outpatient care for non-life-threatening health issues. Urgent care treats acute and chronic illnesses and injuries. People may also go to urgent care if their primary care physician can’t see them promptly for minor health concerns.
Urgent care is different from emergency care. Differences between the two include:
- Cost: Emergency care is generally more expensive than urgent care.
- Hours: Emergency care may be open 24/7, while urgent care generally has more limited hours.
- Services: Emergency rooms have equipment like imaging and labs that might not be available at urgent care.
- Staffing: Emergency care generally has a staff of medical professionals trained in emergency medical care, while urgent care typically doesn’t have that level of care.
- Wait times: Urgent care often has shorter wait times than what’s found in emergency departments.
When Should I See Urgent Care?
An urgent care center makes sense if you need prompt non-emergency care and can’t see your primary care doctor. Reasons to use an urgent care center include ankle sprains, flu and minor burns.
Copays are likely higher at an urgent care center than at a primary care physician, but these centers typically don’t require appointments and you can get seen quickly. A primary care physician is good for routine care if you can get an appointment. This is the doctor who knows you best and your costs—starting with your copay—are likely to be lower than at an urgent care facility or emergency room.
An emergency room is your best bet if you have a serious—even life-threatening—health issue. Emergency departments provide medical professionals with the resources to diagnose and treat your condition as quickly as possible. An emergency room generally has the highest copay and other out-of-pocket costs of the three types of care providers.
How Much Does a Visit to Urgent Care Cost?
A strep throat visit costs an average of $75, as an example of a common ailment. Here is the average cost for nearly two dozen types of care at urgent care facilities across the nation.
Average Urgent Care Costs by Service/Treatment
Service/treatment | Average cost |
---|---|
Annual wellness exam | $138 |
Blood draw | $92 |
Blood sugar test | $32 |
Chest X-ray | $89 |
EKG | $109 |
Flu shot | $35 |
HIV test | $60 |
IV fluid | $80 |
Minor burn | $122 |
MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) | $112 |
Mono test | $42 |
Nebulizer machine | $98 |
Pink eye & styes | $142 |
Pregnancy test | $43 |
School physical (K-12) and sports physical | $51 |
Sinus infections & congestion | $142 |
Sprains, strains & joint pain | $175 |
Stitches 0-5 stitches | $150 |
Strep or sore throat | $75 |
Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) | $81 |
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) | $142 |
X-ray | $133 |
Averages are based on costs from 10 urgent care centers in the U.S.
Urgent Care Visit Cost With Insurance
Health insurance can help lower your costs for urgent care. You may only need to pay a copay if you have insurance.
When choosing an urgent care center, look for a facility in your health insurance plan’s provider network. Preferred provider organization (PPO) plans generally let you get care outside the plan’s network but at a higher cost. Other plans like health maintenance organization (HMO) and exclusive provider organization (EPO) plans typically won’t pay for out-of-network care.
Check with your health insurer long before you need healthcare services, so you know which urgent care facilities in your community are in your insurer’s plan.
Urgent Care Visit Cost Without Insurance
The cost of paying for healthcare services, including urgent care, typically increases significantly if you don’t have health insurance.
For example, if you cut your finger and need a few stitches, it will cost you $150 on average at an urgent care facility, according to a Forbes Advisor analysis. Without health insurance, you will be on the hook for the entire fee. With insurance, you might just have to pay your copay and your portion of the bill.
Patients without insurance pay on average twice as much for healthcare as patients who have insurance, according to the federal government. Failing to carry health insurance puts you at enormous financial risk, particularly if you’re suddenly diagnosed with a difficult and expensive condition.
If you don’t have coverage, urgent care centers may offer discounted rates for those who pay out of pocket for their care. You might also be able to negotiate the standard fee even lower or work out a payment plan that makes the cost more affordable. But you should not count on this or expect it to be easy.
What Factors Into the Cost of Urgent Care?
Several factors determine how much you will pay for urgent care services, including location, insurance and services.
Summary | ||
---|---|---|
LocationWhere you seek urgent care services might impact the cost you pay. Areas with higher rents may cost more for care. Costs can also be higher in a facility with expensive medical equipment. In contrast, an urgent care facility inside a pharmacy might charge lower costs since there are fewer overhead expenses. | ||
Health InsuranceThe rules regarding your insurance plan greatly impact how much you pay for urgent care services. Insurance plans typically negotiate discounts with the health providers in their networks. The rate that your insurance plan negotiated will dictate how much you pay. | ||
Available ServicesUrgent care centers with more services and expensive medical equipment, such as ones linked to hospital systems, may cost more than a location that offers limited services like a pharmacy. |
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Urgent Care Cost Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What services do urgent care centers provide?
Urgent care centers are typically focused on diagnosing and treating minor injuries and illnesses. Urgent care centers might also offer routine examinations, perform lab work or administer vaccinations. Some urgent care centers may also be able to perform imaging and other tests.
What are the common reasons for urgent care visits?
Urgent care visits are typically non-life-threatening issues like sprains, colds, sore throat, flu, ear infections and skin infections.
Urgent care facilities aren’t appropriate if you have an immediate, life-threatening condition or illness. In such situations, an emergency room is likely your best bet.
Does insurance cover urgent care visits?
Yes, your health insurance plan typically covers the cost of medical services at an urgent care facility, but you pay more or all of the costs if the urgent care center isn’t in your plan’s provider network. Some expenses, including health insurance deductibles, copays and coinsurance, will also be your responsibility to pay.
Can urgent care deny you if you have no insurance?
Yes, you can get healthcare from an urgent care center regardless of your health insurance status. Unlike emergency rooms, urgent care facilities aren’t obligated to serve you if you have no means to pay your bill.
If you have a life-threatening illness or injury, or meet other qualifications, such as a woman going into labor, and you cannot pay, you should seek care in an emergency room or hospital. Such facilities must treat you up to the point that your condition has been stabilized.
Can you negotiate your urgent care bill?
Yes, you may be able to negotiate any healthcare bill, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy or that you will be successful. You might have more success working out a payment plan with the provider.
Urgent care centers may also offer a discount to those without coverage.