Compare the cost of medical care options
View each care option to compare common conditions, services, costs, wait times and hours.
Common conditions
- Muscle sprains or strains
- Back pain
- Skin infections
- Broken bones
Services
- Immediate care from doctors when your PCP isn’t available
- Care for severe, but not life-threatening illnesses and injuries
Approximate cost
$1951
Wait time
30 minutes or less an average
Hours open
Typically open 24/7
Common conditions
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Major burns
- Severe injuries
- Heavy bleeding
Services
- Life-threatening injuries or illnesses
- Care from doctors and care teams
- Immediate care, 24/7, at hospitals
Approximate cost
$2,7501
Wait time
Up to 2 hours on average
Hours open
Typically open 24/7
Common conditions
- Headache
- Fatigue/ weakness
- Sore throat
- Congestion/ sinus pain
- Fever
- Cold/flu symptoms
Services
- Visits via phone, video or chat3
- Diagnosis for common conditions
- Prescriptions if needed
Approximate cost
$60 or less2
Wait time
Usually no wait
Hours open
Typically available 24/7
Common conditions
- Cough
- Fever
- Pinkeye
- Urinary tract infection
Services
- Check-ups
- Prescriptions
- Visits during office hours
Approximate cost
$1801 for in-person visits, $99 or less for virtual primary care visits
Wait time
Usually a short wait with scheduled appointments
Hours open
Weekday office hours, generally
Common conditions
- Skin rash
- Flu shot
- Minor injuries
- Earache
Services
- No appointment needed
- Care from nurse practitioners and physician assistants
Approximate cost
$1051
Wait time
30 minutes or less on average
Hours open
Typically open 24/7
Compare the cost of medical care options
Use this chart to compare common conditions, services, costs, wait times and hours for each care option.
 Urgent care |
 Emergency room (ER) |
 Virtual care |
 Primary care provider (PCP) |
 Retail/Walk-in clinic |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common conditions |
|
|
|
|
|
| Services |
|
|
|
|
|
| Approximate cost | $1951 | $2,7501 | $60 or less3 | $1801 for in-person visits, $99 or less for virtual primary care visits | $1051 |
| Wait time | 30 minutes or less an average | Up to 2 hours on average | Usually no wait | Usually a short wait with scheduled appointments | 30 minutes or less on average |
| Hours open | Typically open 24/7 | Typically open 24/7 | Typically available 24/7 | Weekday office hours, generally | Typically open 24/7 |
How urgent care costs compare to the emergency room
Because ERs are more expensive than urgent care, knowing when to choose the ER for care can make a big difference in cost.
Some health care needs can be treated in a lower-cost setting. For example, many common conditions can be treated at urgent care. Costs for treating these conditions may be more than 10 times higher at ERs than urgent care.1
How virtual visits may help lower health care costs
Virtual visits may be covered by your health plan just like an office visit with a doctor.
Your benefits may cover a virtual visit with a local provider for primary care. If you need care fast, or your PCP is not available, you may be able to use 24-hour virtual urgent care with a national provider.
If you’re a UnitedHealthcare member, you can sign in to your member account or the UHC app to check your benefits for virtual visit coverage.
What can affect the cost of medical care?
Like anything else you pay for, looking at price, quality and convenience before receiving medical care may help you manage costs. The following factors can affect the cost of medical care:
Having health insurance – health plans help cover care that’s important for maintaining your health and treating unexpected illness or accidents
Level of care – for instance, if you have a nonurgent medical concern, a visit to your PCP will likely cost much less than an ER visit
Staying in your health plan network – when you choose network providers or facilities, your costs will be lower
Regular visits with your PCP – seeing your PCP for annual preventive care checkups and screenings may help identify issues before they become serious
If you’re a UnitedHealthcare member, you can sign in to your member account or the UHC app to find care near you and compare costs.
Frequently asked questions about care costs
Without insurance, the estimated median cost of an urgent care visit is $377.4
A visit for something simple, such as a cough, cold or rash, may cost less. If you need more complex care, such as X-rays, medications or supplies, you may pay more than $530.4
Some urgent care centers charge a flat rate, while others use tiered pricing based on the complexity of care.4
The estimated median cost of an ER visit is $2,863.5
An ER bill may include 4 types of charges, including:5
- Triage or registration fees: $210–$1,050 on average
- Facility fees: $1,160–$1,270 on average
- Professional fees: vary widely based on the care you receive
- Supplies and medications: items like IV fluids, wound dressings, sutures and medications
A visit that requires more extensive care, such as surgery, may cost more than $21,000.5
Without health insurance, your health care costs are not capped. A health plan’s out-of-pocket limit helps protect you from high medical expenses.
Virtual visits may be covered by your health insurance in a similar way to an office visit with your doctor. Depending on your benefit coverage, you may be able to schedule a virtual visit with a local provider for primary care, virtual therapy or specialty care. For urgent health needs, or when your PCP isn’t available, you may have access to 24-hour virtual urgent care with a national provider.
A freestanding ER is a walk-in facility that offers many of the same services as an ER, but isn’t physically connected to a hospital. It may be a satellite of a hospital or an independent business. Freestanding ERs may look like urgent care clinics, so you could go there by mistake.
Independent, for-profit freestanding ERs are not required to meet the same federal regulations as traditional ERs. In many cases, these facilities are out of network, and you must pay out of pocket for all or most services. A visit to a freestanding ER that’s a satellite of a hospital will likely cost as much as a traditional ER, which may be more than 10 times as much as urgent care.1
The best way to tell a freestanding ER from urgent care is to look for “emergency” and “ER” in the name of the clinic. If you’re still not sure, ask about their costs and billing.
Urgent care clinics are stand-alone facilities that are equipped to treat a wide range of urgent — but not life-threatening — medical issues. Urgent care centers are typically in-network.
When deciding where to go for care, you may want to ask yourself:
Is this an urgent care center or a freestanding ER?
Is it in my health plan’s network?
What will this cost?
When you make more informed choices about where to go for care, you may save on health care costs.