emergency room visits costs

How much does an ER visit cost?

$1,500 – $3,000 average cost without insurance (non-life-threatening condition), $0 – $500 average cost with insurance (after meeting deductible).

Average ER visit cost

An ER visit costs $1,500 to $3,000 on average without insurance, with most people spending about $2,100 for an urgent, non-life-threatening health issue. The cost of an emergency room visit depends on the severity of the condition and the tests, treatments, and medications needed to treat it.

Cost data is from research and project costs reported by BetterCare members.

Emergency room visit cost with insurance

The cost of an ER visit for an insured patient varies according to the insurance plan and the nature and severity of their condition. Some plans cover a percentage of the total cost once you meet your deductible, while others charge an average co-pay of $50 to $500 .

The No Surprises Act , effective January 1, 2022, protects insured individuals from unreasonably high medical bills for emergency services received from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. The act also established a dispute resolution process for both insured and uninsured or self-pay individuals.

Cost of an ER visit without insurance

An ER visit costs $1,500 to $3,000 on average without insurance for non-life-threatening conditions. Costs can reach $20,000+ for critical conditions requiring extensive testing or emergency surgery. Essentially, the more severe your condition or issue, the more you are likely to pay for the ER visit.

Factors that impact ER visit costs

Many factors affect the cost of an ER visit, including:

Facility type – Freestanding emergency departments often cost 50% more than hospital-based emergency rooms.

Time of day – An ER visit at night typically costs more than the same type of visit during the day.

Level of care – The more severe your condition is, the more time and expertise it takes to diagnose and treat, and the higher the total ER visit cost.

Ambulance ride – An ambulance ride costs $500 to $1,300 on average, depending on whether you need basic or advanced life support during transport.

Medications – Oral medications, injections, or IVs needed during your stay all add the total cost of your ER visit.

Medical equipment & supplies – Any other supplies used to diagnose and treat you—such as a cast for a broken bone or bandages and sutures to close an open wound—increase the cost.

Testing – Each medical test is typically a separate charge. Tests may include urine tests, blood tests, X-rays, or other more advanced imaging tests.

Insurance coverage:

Out-of-pocket costs may be higher for those with high-deductible insurance plans.

While ER visit costs are generally higher for the uninsured, many hospitals offer discounts for self-pay patients.

The emergency room entrance at a hospital.

ER facility fee by level

An ER facility fee ranges from $200 to $4,000 , depending on the severity level of your symptoms and condition. The facility fee is the cost to walk in the door and be evaluated by a physician. Other services you may need, such as lab tests, imaging, and surgical procedures, are charged separately.

To understand your ER bill: Emergency rooms rank severity levels 1 through 5, with Level 1 being the most severe or urgent. However, most of the billing codes for emergency room visits are reversed, with level 1 being the least severe.

Common conditions and procedures

The table below shows the average ER visit cost for common ailments. Prices vary greatly depending on how much testing and expertise is required to accurately diagnose and treat you.

Emergency room vs. urgent care

An ER visit costs $1,500 to $3,000 , while the average urgent care visit costs $150 to $250 without insurance. Urgent care facilities can treat most non-life-threatening conditions and typically have less wait time than the ER. For more detail, check out our guide comparing the cost of an emergency room vs. urgent care .

Other alternatives to the ER for less serious health issues include primary care, telemedicine, and free clinics. Check with the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics to find a free clinic near you.

FAQs about ER visit costs

Why are er visits so expensive.

ER visits are expensive because emergency rooms run on a 24-hour schedule and require a large and wide range of staff, including front desk personnel, maintenance, nurses, doctors, and surgeons. ERs also run and maintain a lot of expensive equipment and need a constant supply of medications and medical supplies.

While ER visits can be expensive, ER bills are negotiable. If you receive an unexpectedly large ER bill, ask for a discount and question the coding.

Does insurance cover ER visits?

Insurance typically covers some or all of an ER visit, though you may need to meet a deductible first, depending on the plan. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance providers to cover ER visits for "emergency medical conditions" without prior authorization and regardless of whether they are in or out-of-network.

An "emergency medical condition" is considered something so severe that a reasonable person would seek help right away to avoid serious harm.

When should you go to the ER?

You should go to the ER for any serious, potentially life-threatening symptoms, including:

Trouble breathing

Serious head injury

Sudden severe pain

Severe burn

Severe allergic reaction

Major broken bones

Uncontrollable bleeding

Suddenly feeling weak or unable to move, speak, or walk

Sudden change in vision

Sudden confusion

Fever that does not resolve with over-the-counter medicine

Tips to reduce your ER bill

An ER visit can cost thousands of dollars, even if you have insurance. Here are some guidelines to ensure you are not overpaying:

Determine if you truly need an emergency room. If your health issue is not life threatening, consider going to an urgent care facility instead as the cost for the same care can be much less.

Go to a hospital-based ER. Freestanding ER centers typically cost much more than a hospital-based emergency room.

Call ahead to confirm payment options and the current wait time.

Ask about costs up front. If you are uninsured, consider asking the following questions to prevent you from surprises on your future bill:

Do you have discounted pricing for patients without insurance?

Will it cost less if I pay with cash?

What will the fee be for my specific issue?

Do you think I will need additional tests, and what will they cost?

How much do you charge for X-rays?

If I need medication, how much will it cost?

Using our proprietary cost database, in-depth research, and collaboration with industry experts, we deliver accurate, up-to-date pricing and insights you can trust, every time.

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost? Free Local Cost Calculator

It’s true that you can’t plan for a medical emergency, but that doesn’t mean you have to be surprised when it’s time to pay your hospital bill. In 2021, the U.S. government enacted price transparency rules for hospitals in order to demystify health care costs. That means it should be easier to get answers to questions like how much an ER visit costs.

While the question seems pretty straightforward, the answer is more complicated. Your cost will vary based on factors such as if you’re insured, whether you’ve met your deductible, the type of plan you have, and what your plan covers.

There is a lot to consider. This guide will take you through specific scenarios and answer questions about insurance plans, deductibles, co-payments, and discuss scenarios such as how much it costs if you go to the ER when it isn’t an emergency.

You’ll learn a few industry secrets too. Did you know that if you don’t have insurance you might see a higher bill? According to the Wall Street Journal , it’s common for hospitals to charge uninsured and self-pay patients higher rates than insured patients for the same services. So, where can you go if you can’t afford to go to the ER?

Keep reading for all this plus real-life examples and cost-saving tips.

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost Without Insurance?

Everything is more expensive in the ER. According to UnitedHealth, a trip to the emergency department can cost 12 times more than a typical doctor’s office visit. The average ER visit is $2,200, and doesn’t include procedures or medications.

If you want to get a better idea of what an ER visit will cost in your area, check out our medical price comparison tool that analyzes data from thousands of hospitals.

Compare Procedure Costs Near You

Other out-of-pocket expenses you may incur include bills from third parties. A growing number of emergency departments in the United States have become business entities separate from the hospital. So, third-party providers may bill you too, like:

EMS services, like an ambulance or helicopter
ER physicians
Attending physician
Consulting physicians
Advanced practice nurses (CRNA, NP)
Physician assistants (PA)
Physical therapists (PT)

And if your insurance company fails to pay, you may have to pay these expenses out-of-pocket.

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost With Insurance?

The easiest way to estimate out-of-pocket expenses for an ER visit (or any other health care service) is to read your insurance policy. You’ll want to look for information around these terms:

Deductible: The amount you have to pay out-of-pocket before your insurance kicks in .
Copay: A set fee you pay upfront before a covered medical service or procedure.
Coinsurance: The percentage you pay for a service or a procedure once you’ve met the deductible.
Out-of-pocket maximum: The most you will pay for covered services in a rolling year. Once met, your insurance company will pay 100% of covered expenses for the rest of the year.

Closely related to out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles and co-insurance are premiums. A premium is the monthly fee you (or your sponsor) pay to the insurance company for coverage. If you pay a higher premium, you’ll have a lower deductible and fewer out-of-pocket costs whenever you use your insurance to pay for services such as a visit to the ER. The opposite is also true — high deductible health plans (HDHP) offer lower monthly payments but much higher deductibles.

Sample ER Visit Cost

Using a few examples from plans available on the Marketplace on Healthcare.gov (current as of November 2021), here’s how this might play out in real life:

Rob is a young, healthy, single guy. He knows he needs health insurance but he feels reasonably sure that the only time he’d ever use it is in case of an emergency. Here’s the plan he chooses:

Plan: Blue Cross/Blue Shield Bronze Monthly premium: $394 Deductible: $7,000 Out-of-pocket maximum: $7,000 ER coverage: 100% after meeting the deductible

Rob does the math and considers the worst case scenario. If he does go to the ER, he’ll pay full price if he hasn’t yet met his deductible. But since both his deductible and his maximum out-of-pocket are the same, $7,000 is the most he’ll have to pay before his insurance kicks in at 100%.

Now imagine that Rob gets married and is about to start a family. He might need a different insurance plan to account for more hospital bills, doctors appointments, and inevitable emergency room visits.

Since Rob knows he’ll be using his insurance more often, he picks a plan with a lower deductible that covers more things.

Plan: Bright HealthCare Gold Monthly premium: $643 Deductible: $0 Out-of-pocket maximum: $6,500 ER coverage: $500 Vision: $0 Generic prescription: $0 Primary care: $0 Specialist: $40

This time Rob goes with a zero deductible plan with a higher monthly premium. It’s more out-of-pocket each month, but since his plan covers doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, and vision, he feels more prepared as his lifestyle shifts into family mode.

If he has to go to the ER for any reason, all he’ll pay is $500 and his insurance pays the rest. And worse case scenario, the most he’ll pay out-of-pocket in a year is $6,500.

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost if You Have Medicare?

Medicare Part A only covers an emergency room visit if you’re admitted to the hospital. Medicare Part B covers 100% of most ER costs for most injuries, or if you become suddenly ill. Unlike private insurance and insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, Medicare rarely covers ER visits that happen while you’re outside of the United States.

To learn more, read: How to Use the Healthcare Marketplace to Buy Insurance

How Much Does an ER Visit Cost for Non-Emergencies?

When you have a sick child but lack insurance, haven’t met your deductible, or if you’re between paychecks, just knowing you can go to the ER without being hassled for money feels like such a relief. ER staff won’t demand payment upfront, and they usually don’t ask about insurance or assess your ability to pay until after discharge.

There are other reasons, too. You might be tempted to go to the ER for situations that are less than emergent because emergency departments provide easy access to health services 24/7, including holidays and the odd hours when your primary care physician isn’t available. If you’re one of the 61 million Americans who are uninsured or underinsured , you might go to the ER because you don’t know where else to go.

What you may not understand is the cost of an ER visit without insurance can total thousands of dollars. Consumers with ER bills that get sent to collections face some of the most aggressive debt collection practices of any industry. Collection accounts and charge-offs could affect your credit score for the better part of a decade.

Did you know that charges begin racking up as soon as you give the clerk your name and Social Security number? There are tons of horror stories out there about people receiving medical bills after waiting, some for many hours, and leaving without treatment.

4 ER Alternatives Ranked by Level of Care

First and foremost, if you’re experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the closest emergency room. Do not rely on this or any other website for advice or communication.

If you’re not sure whether your condition warrants immediate, high-level emergency care, you can always call your local ER and ask to speak to their triage nurse. They can quickly assess how urgent the situation is.

If you are looking for a lower-cost alternative to the ER, this list provides a few options. Each option is ranked by their ability to provide you with a certain level of care from emergent care to the lowest level, which is similar to the routine care you would receive at a doctor’s office.

1. Charitable Hospitals

There are around 1,400 charity hospitals , clinics, and pharmacies dedicated to serving low-income families, including the uninsured. Most charitable, not-for-profit medical centers provide emergency room services, making it a good option if you’re uninsured and worried about accruing substantial medical debt.

ERs at charitable hospitals provide the same type of medical care for conditions like trauma, broken bones, and life-threatening issues like chest pain and difficulty breathing. The major difference is the price tag. Emergency room fees at a charity hospital are usually flexible and almost always based on your income.

2. Urgent Care Centers

Urgent care centers are free-standing facilities designed to treat patients with serious but not life-threatening conditions. Also called “doc in a box,” these ambulatory care centers are a good choice for treating stable but chronic health issues, fever, urinary tract infections, back pain, abdominal pain, and moderately high blood pressure, to name a few.

Urgent care clinics usually have a medical doctor on-site. Some clinics offer point-of-care diagnostic tests like ultrasound and X-rays, as well as basic lab work. The average cost for an urgent care visit is around $180, according to UnitedHealth.

3. Retail Health Clinics

You may have noticed small retail health clinics (RHC) popping up in national drugstore chains like CVS, Walgreens, and in big-box stores like Target and Walmart. The Little Clinic is an example of an RHC that offers walk-in health care services at 190 supermarkets across the United States.

RHCs help low-acuity patients with minor medical problems like sore throat, cough, flu-like symptoms, and other conditions normally treated in a doctor’s office. If you think you’ll need lab tests or other procedures, an RHC may not be the best choice. Data from UnitedHealth puts the average cost for an RHC visit at $100.

4. Telehealth Visits

Telehealth, in some form, has been around for decades. Until recently, it was mostly used to provide access to care for patients living in the most remote or rural areas. Since 2020, telehealth visits over the phone, via chat, or through videoconferencing have become a legitimate and extremely cost-effective alternative to in-person office visits.

Telehealth is perfect for some types of mental health therapies, follow-up appointments, and triage. For self-pay, a telehealth visit only costs around $50, according to UnitedHealth.

Tips for Taking Control of Your Health Care

How much does an ER visit cost; happy couple drinking coffee

Don’t procrastinate. Delaying the care you need for too long will end up costing you more in the end.
Switch your focus from reactive care to proactive care. Figuring out how to pay for an ER visit is a lot harder (and costlier) than preventing an ER visit in the first place. Data show that preventive health care measures lead to fewer illnesses and better outcomes.
Plan for the unknown. It’s inevitable that at some point in your life you’ll need health care. Start a savings account fund or better yet, enroll in a health savings account (HSA). If you’re employed (even part-time) you already qualify for an HSA. A contribution of just $9 a paycheck could add up to $468 tax-free dollars for you to spend on health care every year. Unlike the use-it-or-lose-it savings plans of the past, modern plans don’t expire. You can use HSA dollars to pay for out-of-pocket costs like copayments, deductibles, and for services that your health insurance may not cover, like dental and vision services.
Advocate for yourself. There is nothing more empowering than taking charge of your health. Shop around for services and compare prices on procedures to make sure you’re getting the best prices possible.
If you are uninsured or doing self-pay, negotiate your bill and ask for a cash discount.

Estimate the Cost of the ER Before You Need It

It’s stressful to think about money when you’re facing an emergency. Research the costs of your nearest ER before you actually need to go with Compare.com’s procedure cost comparison tool .

All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and you’ll immediately see out-of-pocket costs for ER visits at your local emergency rooms. It works for other medical services too, like MRIs, routine screenings, outpatient procedures, and more. Find the treatment you need at a price you can afford.

Disclaimer: Compare.com does not offer medical advice and is in no way a substitute for any medical advice received from health professionals. Compare.com is unable to offer any advice on any medical procedure you may need.

Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more.

As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.

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An emergency room visit typically is covered by health insurance. For patients covered by health insurance, out-of-pocket cost for an emergency room visit typically consists of a copay, usually $50-$150 or more, which often is waived if the patient is admitted to the hospital. Depending on the plan, costs might include coinsurance of 10% to 50%.
For patients without health insurance, an emergency room visit typically costs from $150-$3,000 or more, depending on the severity of the condition and what diagnostic tests and treatment are performed. In some cases, especially where critical care is required and/or a procedure or surgery is performed, the cost could reach $20,000 or more. For example, at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in Minnesota, a low-level emergency room visit, such as for a minor laceration, a skin rash or a minor viral infection, costs about $150 ; a moderate-level visit, such as for a urinary tract infection with fever or a head injury without neurological symptoms, about $400 ; and a high-level visit, such as for chest pains that require multiple diagnostic tests or treatments, or severe burns or ingestion of a toxic substance, about $1,000, not including the doctor fees. At Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center[ 1 ] , a low-level emergency room visit costs about $220, including hospital charge and doctor fee, with the uninsured discount, while a moderate-level visit costs about $610 and a high-level visit about $1,400 .
Services, diagnostic tests and laboratory fees add to the final bill. For example, Wooster Community Hospital, in Ohio, charges about $170 for a simple suture, $200 for a complex suture, about $170 for a minor procedure and about $400 for a major procedure, not including doctor fees, medicine or supplies.
A doctor fee could add hundreds or thousands of dollars to the final cost. For example, at Grand Lake Health System[ 2 ] in Ohio, an emergency room doctor charges about $100 for basic care, such as a wound recheck or simple laceration repair; about $300 for mid-level care, such as treatment of a simple fracture; about $870 for advanced-level care, such as frequent monitoring of vital signs and ordering multiple diagnostic tests, administering sedation or a blood transfusion for a seriously injured or ill patient; and about $1,450 for critical care, such as major trauma care or major burn care that could include chest tube insertion and management of IV medications and ventilator for a patient with a complex, life-threatening condition. At the Kettering Health Network, in Ohio, a low-level visit costs about $350, a high-level visit costs about $2,000 and critical care costs almost $1,700 for the first hour and $460 for each additional half hour; ER procedures or surgeries cost $460-$2,300 .
According to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality[ 3 ] the average emergency room expense in 2008 was $1,265 .
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008, about 18%of emergency room patients waited less than 15 minutes to see a doctor, about 37%waited 15 minutes to an hour, about 15% waited one to two hours, about 5% waited two to three hours, about 2% waited three to four hours, and about 1.5% waited four to six hours.
In some cases, the doctor might recommend the patient be admitted to the hospital. The American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation offers a guide[ 4 ] on what to expect.
An ambulance ride typically costs $400-$1,200 or more, depending on the location and services performed.
An urgent care center offers substantial savings for more minor ailments. DukeHealth.org offers a guide[ 5 ] on when to seek urgent care. An urgent care visit typically costs between 20% and 50% of the cost of an emergency room visit. MainStreetMedica.com offers a cost-comparison tool for common ailments.
Hospitals often offer discounts of up to 50% or more for self-pay/uninsured emergency room patients. For example, Ventura County Medical Center[ 6 ] in California offers ER visits, including the doctor fee and emergency room fee but not including lab tests, X-rays or procedures, for $150 for patients up to 200% of the federal poverty level, for $225 for patients between 200% and 500% of the federal poverty level and $350 for patients from 500% to 700% of the federal poverty level.
The American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation offers a primer[ 7 ] on when to go to the emergency room.
In most cases, it is recommended to go to the nearest emergency room. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a hospital-comparison tool[ 8 ] that lists hospitals near a chosen zip code.
patients.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/billing_questions/out_of_pocket_estimator_dhmc.ht...
www.grandlakehealth.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=60
meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/tables_compendia_hh_interactive.jsp?_SERVICE=MEPS...
www.EmergencyCareforYou.org/VitalCareMagazine/ER101/Default.aspx?id=1288
www.dukehealth.org/health_library/health_articles/wheretogo
resources.vchca.org/documents/SELF%20PAY%20DISCOUNT%20GRID%20-%20BOARD%20LETTER%20...
www.EmergencyCareforYou.org/YourHealth/AboutEmergencies/Default.aspx?id=26018
www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/(S(efntd2saaeir2l5pgarwuvvg))/search.aspx?AspxAut...

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Emergency Room Visit: When to Go, What to Expect, Wait Times, and Cost

Knowing when and why to go for an emergency room visit can help you plan for care in the event of a medical emergency.

How much does it cost to go to an emergency room?

Emergency Room (ER) costs can vary greatly depending on what type of medical care you need. How much you pay for the visit depends on your health insurance plan. Most health plans may require you to pay something out-of-pocket for an emergency room visit. A visit to the ER may cost more if you have a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and you have not met your plan’s annual deductible. HDHP's typically offer lower monthly premiums and higher deductibles than traditional health plans. Your plan will start paying for eligible medical expenses once you’ve met the plan’s annual deductible. Here are some tips to pay less out of pocket .

When should I go to an emergency room?

Emergency rooms are often very busy because many people don’t know what type of care they need, so they immediately go to the ER when they are sick or hurt. You should make an emergency room visit for any condition that’s considered life-threatening.

Life-threatening conditions include, but are not limited to, things like a serious allergic reaction, trouble breathing or speaking, disorientation, a loss of consciousness, or any physical trauma.

If you need to be treated for problems that are considered non-life threatening, such as an earache, fever and flu symptoms, minor animal bites, mild asthma, or a mild urinary tract infection, consider seeing your doctor or visiting an urgent care center or convenience care clinic.

What is the cost of an emergency room visit without insurance?

Emergency room costs with or without health insurance can be very high. If you have health insurance, review your plan documents for details on the costs associated with your plan, including your plan deductible, coinsurance, and copay requirements.

If you don’t have insurance, you may be required to pay the full cost of your treatment, which can vary by facility and the type of treatment required. Always plan ahead for sudden sickness, injury, or other medical needs, so you know where to go and how much it could cost. If you need medical care, but it’s not life-threatening you may not have to go to the ER—there are other more affordable options:

Urgent care center: Staffed by doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who can treat things like earaches, urinary tract infections, minor cuts, nausea, vomiting, etc. Wait times may be shorter and using an urgent care center could save you hundreds of dollars when compared to an ER.
Convenience care clinic: Walk-in clinics are typically located in a pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, etc.) or supermarket/retail store (Target, Walmart, etc.). These clinics are staffed with physician assistants and nurse practitioners who can provide care for minor cold, fever, flu, rashes and bruises, head lice, allergies, sinus/ear infections, urinary tract infections, even flu and shingles shots. No appointments are needed, wait times are usually minimal, and a convenience care clinic costs much less than an ER.

Plan ahead for when you need medical care. You may not need an emergency room visit and the bill that could come with it.

What are common emergency room wait times?

Emergency room wait times vary according to hospital and location. Patients in the ER are seen based on how serious their condition is. This means that the patients with life-threatening conditions are treated first, and those with non-life threatening conditions have to wait.

To help reduce ER wait times, health care facilities encourage you to plan ahead for care, so when you’re sick or hurt, you know if the ER is right for your medical condition.

An emergency room visit can take up time and money if your problem is not life-threatening. Consider other care options, such as an urgent care center, convenience care clinic, your doctor, or a virtual doctor visit (video chat/telehealth)—all of which could be faster and save you money out of your own pocket if the medical problem is non-life threatening.

If you have health insurance, be sure to check your plan documents to see what types of care options are eligible for coverage under your plan, including whether or not you need to stay in your plan’s network.

Is taking an ambulance to the emergency room free?

An ambulance ride is not free, but your insurance may cover some of the costs for the ride, as well as the emergency room visit. Check your plan benefits to see what out-of-pocket expenses you are responsible for when it comes to an ambulance ride and a visit to the ER.

Plan ahead for times you may need immediate medical care. Review the details of your health plan so you know the costs for an ER visit should you ever need it. Know when it’s best to go to the emergency room and when going somewhere else, like an urgent care center, convenience care clinic, your doctor, or even a virtual doctor visit (video chat/telehealth), is the right option that may save you time and money.

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Why An ER Visit Can Cost So Much — Even For Those With Health Insurance

Terry Gross

Vox reporter Sarah Kliff spent over a year reading thousands of ER bills and investigating the reasons behind the costs, including hidden fees, overpriced supplies and out-of-network doctors.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2006 Feb-.

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Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs [Internet].

Statistical brief #268 costs of emergency department visits in the united states, 2017.

Brian J. Moore , Ph.D. and Lan Liang , Ph.D.

Published: December 8, 2020 .

Introduction

Emergency department (ED) visits have grown in the United States, with the rate of increase from 1996 to 2013 exceeding that for hospital inpatient care. 1 In 2017, 13.3 percent of the U.S. population incurred at least one expense for an ED visit. 2 Furthermore, more than 50 percent of hospital inpatient stays in 2017 included evidence of ED services prior to admission. 3 Trends in ED volume vary significantly by patient and hospital characteristics, but an examination of nationwide costs by these characteristics has not yet been explored in the literature. 4

This Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Brief presents statistics on the cost of ED visits in the United States using the 2017 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). Total ED charges were converted to costs using HCUP Cost-to-Charge Ratios based on hospital accounting reports from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). ED visits include patients treated and released from the ED, as well as those admitted to the same hospital through the ED. Aggregate costs, average costs, and number of ED visits are presented by patient and hospital characteristics. Because of the large sample size of the NEDS data, small differences can be statistically significant. Thus, only percentage differences greater than or equal to 10 percent are discussed in the text.

There were 144.8 million total emergency department (ED) visits in 2017 with aggregate ED costs totaling $76.3 billion (B).
Aggregate ED costs were higher for females ($42.6B, 56 percent) than males ($33.7B, 44 percent); 55 percent of total ED visits were for females.
Average cost per ED visit increased with age, from $290 for patients aged 17 years and younger to $690 for patients aged 65 years and older.
As community-level income increased, shares of aggregate ED costs decreased and average cost per visit increased.
In rural areas, one half of ED visit costs were for patients from the lowest income communities.
The expected payer with the largest share of aggregate costs was private insurance in large metropolitan areas (31.4 percent of $39.5B) and Medicare in micropolitan (34.0 percent of $7.6B) and rural (37.3 percent of $5.5B) areas.
Patients aged 18–44 years represented the largest share of aggregate ED costs in large metropolitan, small metropolitan, and micropolitan areas (36.4, 34.2, 32.5 percent, respectively). Patients aged 65 years and older represented the largest share of aggregate ED costs in rural areas (32.5 percent).

Aggregate costs for emergency department (ED) visits by patient sex and age group, 2017

Figure 1 presents aggregate ED visit costs by patient sex and age group in 2017 as well as number of ED visits. Estimates of aggregate cost use the product of the number of cases and the average estimated cost per visit to account for records with missing ED charge information. Aggregate cost decompositions among different descriptive statistics or using multiple levels of aggregation in a single computation could lead to slightly different total cost estimates due to the use of slightly different and more specific estimates of the missing information.

Aggregate ED visit costs by patient sex and age, 2017. Abbreviation: ED, emergency department Notes: Statistics for ED visits with missing or invalid patient characteristics are not presented. Patient age and sex were each missing for <0.1% of (more...)

Aggregate ED visit costs in 2017 were higher overall for females than for males. Of the $76.3 billion in aggregate ED visit costs in 2017, females accounted for $42.6 billion (55.9 percent) and males accounted for $33.7 billion (44.1 percent). This cost differential was largely driven by a difference in ED visit volume, with females having a larger number of ED visits than males (80.2 vs. 64.6 million visits, or 55.4 vs. 44.6 percent of visits). Females had higher aggregate ED visit costs and more ED visits for all age groups except children. The discrepancy was highest for patients aged 18–44 years, with aggregate ED visit costs for females approximately 50 percent higher than costs for males ($15.9 vs. $10.7 billion), followed by patients aged 65 years and older, for which aggregate ED visit costs were approximately one-third higher for females than for males ($11.5 vs. $8.6 billion).

Costs of ED visits by patient characteristics, 2017

Table 1 presents the aggregate and average costs for ED visits, the number of ED visits, and the distributions of costs and visits, by select patient characteristics in 2017.

Aggregate costs, average costs, and number of ED visits by patient characteristics, 2017.

In 2017, aggregate ED visit costs totaled $76.3 billion across 144.8 million ED visits, with an average cost per visit of $530. Aggregate ED visit costs totaled $76.3 billion in the United States in 2017, encompassing 144.8 million ED visits with an average cost per visit of $530. Routine discharge was the most frequent disposition from the ED, representing 80.8 percent of aggregate ED costs and a similar share of ED visits. Transfers represented 6.2 percent of aggregate ED costs but just 3.0 percent of ED visit volume because they had the highest average cost of any discharge disposition at $1,100 per ED visit. In contrast, ED visits resulting in an inpatient admission to the same hospital had the lowest average cost of any discharge disposition at $360 per ED visit and represented 9.4 percent of aggregate ED costs and 14.0 percent of ED visits.
The share of aggregate ED visit costs attributed to patients aged 65 years and older was higher than the share of ED visits for this group, and the average cost per visit was highest among patients aged 65 years and older. Aggregate ED visit costs among patients aged 65 years and older totaled $20.2 billion (26.4 percent of the $76.3 billion total for the entire United States in 2017) despite just 29.2 million ED visits from patients in this age group (20.2 percent of the 144.8 million total). Conversely, the share of aggregate ED costs attributed to patients aged 17 years and younger was substantially lower than this group’s corresponding share of ED visits (10.3 percent of ED costs vs.18.5 percent of ED visits). This differential is due in part to the difference in average cost per visit, which increased with age. The average cost per visit among patients aged 65 years and older was more than twice as high as average costs among patients aged 17 years and younger ($690 vs. $290 per visit).
Medicaid as the primary expected payer had the lowest average cost per ED visit, more than 50 percent lower than average costs for Medicare and one-third lower than for private insurance. Medicaid as the primary expected payer had an average cost per ED visit that was more than 50 percent lower than average costs per visit for Medicare ($420 vs. $660 per visit) and one-third lower than average costs for private insurance ($420 vs. $560 per visit). Due in part to these differences in average costs by expected payer, Medicare represented 30.1 percent of aggregate ED visit costs but 24.1 percent of total ED visits. In contrast, Medicaid represented 25.0 percent of ED costs but 31.5 percent of ED visits.
As community-level income increased, the share of aggregate ED visit costs decreased and average cost per ED visit increased. The share of ED visit costs and ED visits decreased as community-level income increased. Patients residing in communities with the lowest income (quartile 1) represented roughly one-third of aggregate ED visit costs and ED visits (31.4 and 34.3 percent, respectively). Patients residing in quartiles 2 and 3 represented approximately one-fourth and one-fifth of aggregate ED visit costs and ED visits, respectively. Patients residing in communities with the highest income (quartile 4) represented less than one-fifth of aggregate ED costs and ED visits (18.1 and 16.0 percent, respectively). In contrast, average cost per ED visit increased as community-level income increased, ranging from $480 in communities with the lowest income (quartile 1) to $600 in communities with the highest income (quartile 4).
The share of aggregate ED visit costs was highest among patients residing in large metropolitan areas. Aggregate ED visit costs for large metropolitan areas totaled $39.5 billion in 2017, more than half of the $76.3 billion in ED costs for the entire United States. The share of aggregate ED costs in large metropolitan areas was analogous to the overall distribution of ED visits in these areas: 51.8 percent of aggregate ED costs and 50.4 percent of ED visits.

Distribution of aggregate ED visit costs for location of patient residence by patient characteristics, 2017

Figures 2 – 4 present the distribution of aggregate costs for ED visits based on the location of the patient’s residence by age ( Figure 2 ), community-level income ( Figure 3 ), and primary expected payer ( Figure 4 ).

Aggregate ED visit costs by age and patient location, 2017. Abbreviations: B, billion; ED, emergency department; M, million Notes: Statistics for ED visits with missing or invalid patient characteristics are not presented. Patient age and patient location (more...)

Aggregate ED visit costs by primary expected payer and patient location, 2017. Abbreviations: B, billion; ED, emergency department; M, million Notes: Statistics for ED visits with missing or invalid patient characteristics are not presented. Expected (more...)

Aggregate ED visit costs by community-level income and location of patient’s residence, 2017. Abbreviations: B, billion; ED, emergency department; M, million Notes: Statistics for ED visits with missing or invalid patient characteristics are not (more...)

Figure 2 presents the distribution of aggregate costs for ED visits by patient age based on the location of the patient’s residence in 2017.

Patients aged 18–44 years represented the largest share of aggregate ED visit costs in all locations except rural areas where patients aged 65 years and older represented the largest share. Compared with other age groups, patients aged 18–44 years represented the largest share of aggregate ED visit costs in large metropolitan areas in 2017 (36.4 percent). The share of ED costs attributed to patients aged 18–44 years also was larger than for other age groups in small metropolitan and micropolitan areas (34.2 and 32.5 percent, respectively). Overall, the share of ED costs attributed to patients aged 18–44 years decreased as urbanization decreased, from 36.4 percent in large metropolitan areas to 29.8 percent in rural areas. In rural areas, patients aged 65 years and older accounted for the largest share of aggregate ED visit costs (32.5 percent) compared with other age groups. The share of ED costs attributed to patients aged 65 years and older increased as urbanization decreased, from 24.7 percent in large metropolitan areas to 32.5 percent in rural areas. The share of aggregate ED visit costs attributed to patients aged 45–64 years and those aged 17 years and younger were similar across all patient locations (approximately 28 and 10 percent, respectively).

Figure 3 presents the distribution of aggregate costs for ED visits by quartile of community-level household income in the patient’s ZIP Code based on the location of the patient’s residence in 2017.

In large metropolitan areas, patients residing in communities with the highest and lowest incomes represented the largest shares of aggregate ED visit costs. For other locations, patients in communities with lower incomes represented the largest share of ED costs. Patients residing in communities with the highest and lowest incomes (quartiles 4 and 1) accounted for 28.1 and 26.6 percent, respectively, of the $39.5 billion in aggregate ED visit costs in large metropolitan areas in 2017. In contrast, patients residing in communities with the two lowest income quartiles represented the largest share of ED costs for other patient locations (small metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural).
As urbanization decreased, the share of aggregate ED visit costs for patients in the lowest income quartile increased and the share for those in the highest income quartile decreased. The share of aggregate ED visit costs attributed to patients residing in communities in the lowest income quartile (quartile 1) increased as urbanization decreased, from 26.6 percent in large metropolitan areas to 48.8 percent in rural areas. In contrast, the share of ED visit costs attributed to patients residing in communities in the highest income quartile (quartile 4) decreased as urbanization decreased, from 28.1 percent in large metropolitan areas to 1.2 percent in rural areas.

Figure 4 presents the distribution of aggregate costs for ED visits by primary expected payer based on the location of the patient’s residence in 2017.

Private insurance as the primary expected payer accounted for the largest share of aggregate ED visit costs among patients living in large metropolitan areas. Medicare represented the largest share of ED costs in micropolitan and rural areas. Compared with other primary expected payers, private insurance represented the largest share of aggregate ED visit costs among those living in large metropolitan areas in 2017 (31.4 percent). The share of ED costs attributed to private insurance decreased as urbanization decreased, from 31.4 percent in large metropolitan areas to 27.9 percent in rural areas. More than one-third of ED visit costs were attributed to Medicare as the primary expected payer in micropolitan and rural areas. The share of ED costs attributed to Medicare increased as urbanization decreased, from 28.0 percent in large metropolitan areas to 37.3 percent in rural areas.

Costs of ED visits by hospital characteristics, 2017

Table 2 presents the aggregate and average costs for ED visits, the number of ED visits, and the distributions of costs and visits, by select hospital characteristics in 2017.

Aggregate costs, average costs, and number of ED visits by hospital characteristics, 2017.

Aggregate ED visit costs were highest for hospitals located in the South in 2017. Aggregate ED visit costs in the South were $27.5 billion in 2017 (36.1 percent of the total $76.3 billion for the United States). The share of ED visit volume for the South was even larger (40.0 percent of the 144.8 million total visits). The distribution of aggregate ED visit costs across other hospital characteristics largely followed the pattern of the number of ED visits. Aggregate ED costs were highest in private, nonprofit hospitals; teaching hospitals; and hospitals not designated as a trauma center (72.0, 64.1, and 52.5 percent of ED costs, respectively). ED visits at private, for-profit hospitals had lower average costs per visit than did visits at either private, nonprofit or public hospitals ($420 vs. $540 and $550 per visit).
About Statistical Briefs

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs provide basic descriptive statistics on a variety of topics using HCUP administrative healthcare data. Topics include hospital inpatient, ambulatory surgery, and emergency department use and costs, quality of care, access to care, medical conditions, procedures, and patient populations, among other topics. The reports are intended to generate hypotheses that can be further explored in other research; the reports are not designed to answer in-depth research questions using multivariate methods.

Data Source

The estimates in this Statistical Brief are based upon data from the HCUP 2017 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS).

Definitions

Types of hospitals included in the HCUP Nationwide Emergency Department Sample

The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) is based on emergency department (ED) data from community acute care hospitals, which are defined as short-term, non-Federal, general, and other specialty hospitals available to the public. Included among community hospitals are pediatric institutions and hospitals that are part of academic medical centers. Excluded are long-term care facilities such as rehabilitation, psychiatric, and alcoholism and chemical dependency hospitals. Hospitals included in the NEDS have EDs, and no more than 90 percent of their ED visits result in admission.

Unit of analysis

The unit of analysis is the ED visit, not a person or patient. This means that a person who is seen in the ED multiple times in 1 year will be counted each time as a separate visit in the ED.

Costs and charges

Total ED charges were converted to costs using HCUP Cost-to-Charge Ratios based on hospital accounting reports from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). a Costs reflect the actual expenses incurred in the production of hospital services, such as wages, supplies, and utility costs; charges represent the amount a hospital billed for the case. For each hospital, a cost-to-charge ratio constructed specifically for the hospital ED is used. Hospital charges reflect the amount the hospital billed for the entire ED visit and do not include professional (physician) fees.

Total charges were not available on all NEDS records. About 13 percent of all ED visits (weighted) in the 2017 NEDS were missing information about ED charges, and therefore, ED cost could not be estimated. For ED visits that resulted in admission, 24 percent of records were missing ED charges. For ED visits that did not result in admission, 11 percent of records were missing ED charges. The missing information was concentrated in the West (59 percent of records missing ED charges). For this Statistical Brief, the methodology used for aggregate cost estimation was analogous to what is recommended for the estimation of aggregate charges in the Introduction to the HCUP NEDS documentation. b Aggregate costs were estimated as the product of number of visits and average cost per visit in each reporting category. If a stay was missing total charges, average cost was imputed using the average cost for other stays with the same combination of payer characteristics. Therefore, a comparison of aggregate cost estimates across different tables, figures, or characteristics may result in slight discrepancies.

How HCUP estimates of costs differ from National Health Expenditure Accounts

There are a number of differences between the costs cited in this Statistical Brief and spending as measured in the National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA), which are produced annually by CMS. c The largest source of difference comes from the HCUP coverage of ED treatment only in contrast to the NHEA inclusion of inpatient and other outpatient costs associated with other hospital-based outpatient clinics and departments as well. The outpatient portion of hospitals’ activities has been growing steadily and may exceed half of all hospital revenue in recent years. On the basis of the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, 2017 outpatient gross revenues (or charges) were about 49 percent of total hospital gross revenues. d

Smaller sources of differences come from the inclusion in the NHEA of hospitals that are excluded from HCUP. These include Federal hospitals (Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, Indian Health Services, and Department of Justice [prison] hospitals) as well as psychiatric, substance abuse, and long-term care hospitals. A third source of difference lies in the HCUP reliance on billed charges from hospitals to payers, adjusted to provide estimates of costs using hospital-wide cost-to-charge ratios, in contrast to the NHEA measurement of spending or revenue. HCUP costs estimate the amount of money required to produce hospital services, including expenses for wages, salaries, and benefits paid to staff as well as utilities, maintenance, and other similar expenses required to run a hospital. NHEA spending or revenue measures the amount of income received by the hospital for treatment and other services provided, including payments by insurers, patients, or government programs. The difference between revenues and costs includes profit for for-profit hospitals or surpluses for nonprofit hospitals.

Location of patients’ residence

Place of residence is based on the urban-rural classification scheme for U.S. counties developed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and based on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definition of a metropolitan service area as including a city and a population of at least 50,000 residents. For this Statistical Brief, we collapsed the NCHS categories into four groups according to the following:

Large Metropolitan

Large Central Metropolitan: Counties in a metropolitan area with 1 million or more residents that satisfy at least one of the following criteria: (1) containing the entire population of the largest principal city of the metropolitan statistical area (MSA), (2) having their entire population contained within the largest principal city of the MSA, or (3) containing at least 250,000 residents of any principal city in the MSA
Large Fringe Metropolitan: Counties in a metropolitan area with 1 million or more residents that do not qualify as large central metropolitan counties

Small Metropolitan

Medium Metropolitan: Counties in a metropolitan area of 250,000–999,999 residents
Small Metropolitan: Counties in a metropolitan area of 50,000–249,999 residents

Micropolitan:

Micropolitan: Counties in a nonmetropolitan area of 10,000–49,999 residents
Noncore: Counties in a nonmetropolitan and nonmicropolitan area

Community-level income

Community-level income is based on the median household income of the patient’s ZIP Code of residence. Quartiles are defined so that the total U.S. population is evenly distributed. Cut-offs for the quartiles are determined annually using ZIP Code demographic data obtained from Claritas, a vendor that produces population estimates and projections based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. e The value ranges for the income quartiles vary by year. The income quartile is missing for patients who are homeless or foreign.

Expected payer

Medicare: includes fee-for-service and managed care Medicare
Medicaid: includes fee-for-service and managed care Medicaid
Private insurance: includes commercial nongovernmental payers, regardless of the type of plan (e.g., private health maintenance organizations [HMOs], preferred provider organizations [PPOs])
Self-pay/No charge: includes self-pay, no charge, charity, and no expected payment
Other payers: includes other Federal and local government programs (e.g., TRICARE, CHAMPVA, Indian Health Service, Black Lung, Title V) and Workers’ Compensation

ED visits that were expected to be billed to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) are included under Medicaid.

Northeast: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas
South: Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
West: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii

Discharge status

Discharge status reflects the disposition of the patient at discharge from the ED and includes the following categories reported in this Statistical Brief: routine (to home); admitted as an inpatient to the same hospital; transfers (transfer to another short-term hospital; other transfers including skilled nursing facility, intermediate care, and another type of facility such as a nursing home); and all other dispositions (home healthcare; against medical advice [AMA]; died in the ED; or destination unknown).

Hospital characteristics

Data on hospital ownership and status as a teaching hospital was obtained from the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey of Hospitals. Hospital ownership/control includes categories for government nonfederal (public), private not-for-profit (voluntary), and private investor-owned (proprietary). Teaching hospital is defined as having a residency program approved by the American Medical Association, being a member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, or having a ratio of full-time equivalent interns and residents to beds of 0.25 or higher.

Hospital trauma level

Level I centers have comprehensive resources, are able to care for the most severely injured, and provide leadership in education and research.
Level II centers have comprehensive resources and are able to care for the most severely injured, but do not provide leadership in education and research.
Level III centers provide prompt assessment and resuscitation, emergency surgery, and, if needed, transfer to a level I or II center.
Level IV/V centers provide trauma support in remote areas in which no higher level of care is available. These centers resuscitate and stabilize patients and arrange transfer to an appropriate trauma facility.

For this Statistical Brief, trauma hospitals were defined as those classified by the ASC/COT as a level I, II, or III trauma center. This is consistent with the classification of trauma centers used in the NEDS. The ACS/COT has a program that verifies hospitals as trauma level I, II, or III. h It is important to note that although all level I, II, and III trauma centers offer a high level of trauma care, there may be differences in the specific services and resources offered by hospitals of different levels. Trauma levels IV and V are designated at the State level (and not by ACS/COT) with varying criteria applied across States.

The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP, pronounced "H-Cup") is a family of healthcare databases and related software tools and products developed through a Federal-State-Industry partnership and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). HCUP databases bring together the data collection efforts of State data organizations, hospital associations, and private data organizations (HCUP Partners) and the Federal government to create a national information resource of encounter-level healthcare data. HCUP includes the largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States, with all-payer, encounter-level information beginning in 1988. These databases enable research on a broad range of health policy issues, including cost and quality of health services, medical practice patterns, access to healthcare programs, and outcomes of treatments at the national, State, and local market levels.

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Services Association
Arizona Department of Health Services
Arkansas Department of Health
California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
Colorado Hospital Association
Connecticut Hospital Association
Delaware Division of Public Health
District of Columbia Hospital Association
Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Georgia Hospital Association
Hawaii Laulima Data Alliance
Hawaii University of Hawai’i at Hilo
Illinois Department of Public Health
Indiana Hospital Association
Iowa Hospital Association
Kansas Hospital Association
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Louisiana Department of Health
Maine Health Data Organization
Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission
Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis
Michigan Health & Hospital Association
Minnesota Hospital Association
Mississippi State Department of Health
Missouri Hospital Industry Data Institute
Montana Hospital Association
Nebraska Hospital Association Services
Nevada Department of Health and Human
New Hampshire Department of Health & Human
New Jersey Department of Health
New Mexico Department of Health
New York State Department of Health
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
North Dakota (data provided by the Minnesota Hospital Association)
Ohio Hospital Association
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
Oregon Office of Health Analytics
Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council
Rhode Island Department of Health
South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office
South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations
Tennessee Hospital Association
Texas Department of State Health Services
Utah Department of Health
Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
Virginia Health Information
Washington State Department of Health
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Health Care Authority
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Wyoming Hospital Association
About the NEDS

The HCUP Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) is a unique and powerful database that yields national estimates of emergency department (ED) visits. The NEDS was constructed using records from both the HCUP State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) and the State Inpatient Databases (SID). The SEDD capture information on ED visits that do not result in an admission (i.e., patients who were treated in the ED and then released from the ED, or patients who were transferred to another hospital); the SID contain information on patients initially seen in the ED and then admitted to the same hospital. The NEDS was created to enable analyses of ED utilization patterns and support public health professionals, administrators, policymakers, and clinicians in their decision making regarding this critical source of care. The NEDS is produced annually beginning in 2006. Over time, the sampling frame for the NEDS has changed; thus, the number of States contributing to the NEDS varies from year to year. The NEDS is intended for national estimates only; no State-level estimates can be produced. The unweighted sample size for the 2017 NEDS is 33,506,645 (weighted, this represents 144,814,803 ED visits).

For More Information

For other information on emergency department visits, refer to the HCUP Statistical Briefs located at www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb_ed.jsp .

HCUP Fast Stats at www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/faststats/landing.jsp for easy access to the latest HCUP-based statistics for healthcare information topics
HCUPnet, HCUP’s interactive query system, at www.hcupnet.ahrq.gov/

For more information about HCUP, visit www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/ .

For a detailed description of HCUP and more information on the design of the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS), please refer to the following database documentation:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Overview of the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Updated December 2019. www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/nedsoverview.jsp . Accessed February 3, 2020.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Nils Nordstrand of IBM Watson Health.

The HCUP Cost-to-Charge Ratios (CCRs) for NEDS Files were not publicly available at the time of publication, so an internal version was used in this Statistical Brief.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. HCUP Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) Database Documentation. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Updated April 27, 2020. www .hcup-us.ahrq.gov /db/nation/neds/nedsdbdocumentation.jsp . Accessed October 27, 2020.

For additional information about the NHEA, see Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). National Health Expenditure Data. CMS website. Updated December 17, 2019. www .cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems /Statistics-Trends-and-Reports /NationalHealthExpendData/index .html?redirect= /NationalHealthExpendData/ . Accessed February 3, 2020.

American Hospital Association. TrendWatch Chartbook, 2019. Table 4.2. Distribution of Inpatient vs. Outpatient Revenues, 1995–2017. www .aha.org/system/files /media/file/2019 /11/TrendwatchChartbook-2019-Appendices .pdf . Accessed March 19, 2020.

Claritas. Claritas Demographic Profile by ZIP Code. https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/. Accessed February 3, 2020.

American Trauma Society. Trauma Information Exchange Program (TIEP). www .amtrauma.org/page/TIEP . Accessed June 11, 2020.

MacKenzie EJ, Hoyt DB, Sacra JC, Jurkovich GJ, Carlini AR, Teitelbaum SD, et al. National inventory of hospital trauma centers. JAMA. 2003;289(12):1515–22. [ PubMed : 12672768 ]

American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Verification, Review, and Consultation Program for Hospitals. Additional details are available at www .facs.org/quality-programs/trauma/vrc . Accessed July 17, 2020.

Moore BJ (IBM Watson Health), Liang L (AHRQ). Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017. HCUP Statistical Brief #268. December 2020. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb268-ED-Costs-2017.pdf .

Cite this Page Moore BJ, Liang L. Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017. 2020 Dec 8. In: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2006 Feb-. Statistical Brief #268.
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The Costs of US Emergency Department Visits

The US population made 144.8 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2017, costing a total of $76.3 billion, estimated a recent statistical brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP).

That year, 13.3% of the US population incurred an expense for an ED visit, and more than half of hospital inpatient stays originated with an ED visit. More than half of 2017 ED costs for the entire US, $39.5 billion, were incurred in large metropolitan areas. Aggregate ED visit costs and share of ED visit volume were highest for hospitals in the South. (ED charges were converted to costs using HCUP Cost-to-Charge Ratios based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hospital accounting reports.)

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How ER became ‘the big box retailer of healthcare’—and why it’s costing us all

"Hypochondria: What’s Behind the Hidden Costs of Healthcare in America," by Hal Rosenbluth and Marnie Hall.

Just as most people never forget their first kiss, I’ll never forget my first trip to an emergency room. I was twelve years old and excitedly looking forward to having what I was certain would be the summer of my life, touring and hiking national parks with other boys my age.

As it turned out, it was a miserable experience. After departing Philadelphia and being jammed for days in a station wagon with seven other kids and two adults, we arrived in the Grand Tetons, where I was overwhelmed by abdominal pain and flown to a Denver hospital for a potential appendectomy.

My parents quickly secured tickets and flew from Philadelphia to Denver to be there for the operation. I was brought into the hospital emergency room hours ahead of them, unaware of the cause of my omnipresent pain.

By the time my parents were reunited with me in the ER, my terror had morphed into red-faced humiliation. “Hey,” I said with a sheepish look on my face when they found me.

My parents turned to the doctor, who said, “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rosenbluth. Your son will be fine. He was just suffering from not moving his bowels for days, but it’s all good now. You’re free to take him home if you wish.”

Fast-forward to my freshman year at the University of Miami, when I was rushed off the football field with similar symptoms and taken to the emergency room at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida. There, they found that my appendix had ruptured on the field and immediately operated, apparently saving my life. (Needless to say, my folks didn’t dare head to the airport for a repeat performance.)

These layered experiences of pain, fear, reassurance, and relief lay the groundwork for the emergency room (ER) of a hospital to become my go-to happy place as an adult. Whenever I experienced an inexplicable physical discomfort—headaches, stomach pains, mysterious backaches, dizziness, a racing heart—I could count on the ER being open 24/7 to save me from dying—or at least from worrying.

The feeling of being discharged with a nothingburger was always the best of all possible outcomes for me, even if, like most hypochondriacs, that sweet sense of relief lasted only until the next bout of anxiety. Of course, every time I use the services of a hospital ER for what turns out to be no reason, I’m costing myself—and every other healthcare consumer—unnecessary money. A lot of unnecessary money. And that’s a problem.

According to the most recent CDC statistics available, over 139.8 million Americans visit hospital emergency rooms each year. This translates to 42.7 visits for every 100 people. Of the people who are seen by an ER, only about 13 percent end up being admitted to hospitals. Not surprisingly, the ER visit rate for patients with private insurance was the lowest, while people who are on Medicaid or other state-based programs had the highest emergency room visit rate compared to other expected payment sources.

What do these numbers tell us? It’s tough to tease out how many people with health anxiety are driving up the number of ER visits, because there isn’t enough research available that reflects that number. But these statistics still reveal that a lot of people in the U.S. are going to the ER when they could be seen by a primary care doctor or an urgent care center provider instead—and that’s a real wallop to our healthcare system, both cost-wise and to the quality of care we can deliver.

One problem is that emergency rooms aren’t really set up to be “first come, first served,” so patients end up waiting longer. You might have a fever, but despite having already signed in with the triage nurse and waiting fifteen minutes, if a car accident victim comes in, you’ll be pushed down the line, and rightfully so. Wait times at urgent care clinics typically range from minutes to an hour, while patients in a busy ER can be sitting there two, three, or more than four hours, depending on who else shows up and what they’re presenting with.

There’s a domino effect that starts even sooner than that. Misuse or overuse of 911 calls for nonemergencies carries the risk of overwhelming emergency medical system services and threatens to increase ambulance wait time. This adds costs to municipal services. In addition, delayed EMS response time increases the risk to patients waiting for help.

As people stack up in the ER, wait times lengthen, contributing to overcrowding. This can negatively impact the quality of care. Prolonged wait times are directly associated with “higher risks of mortality, hospital admission, 30-day readmission, patient dissatisfaction, and costs,” according to one 2023 report in JAMA.

Another issue is cost. If you have insurance, you can typically get seen at an urgent care clinic for less than $150, which your insurance will cover if you’ve met your deductible. Your ER costs will always be much higher— maybe even six times as high—as what you would pay at an urgent care center. In fact, paying out-of-pocket for an urgent care appointment can be cheaper than your co-pay for an ER visit even if you have insurance, especially if an ambulance is involved. Plus, if too many people are trying to use the ER who shouldn’t be there, the overall cost skyrockets for everyone because of that pesky “supply and demand” truism.

The question of why so many people rush to the ER instead of waiting to see their primary care providers or going to an urgent care clinic is complex, but the underlying problem is usually a lack of access. For instance, some patients may seek out treatment in a hospital ER because they have no insurance or no primary care provider, and most emergency rooms won’t turn them away.

“People often have a logical reason for coming to the ER,” says Dr. Judd Hollander. This is true even for people who do have insurance, he added.

“Maybe they couldn’t get a doctor’s appointment in the near future and couldn’t find another way to get an evaluation,” he says. “Or maybe they couldn’t take time off work or find childcare during the day and had to see someone at night. But, let’s face it, people go to the ER a) when they have acute injuries, b) when their doctors are unavailable, or c) if they feel they need to be seen right away. Overall, I think the majority of patients who come to the ER are there because they’re uncertain about whether they do or don’t have a major problem.”

People also know they can get blood tests, imaging, or prescription medications through the ER right away, rather than having to wait for an appointment with their primary care provider or a specialist and have them order these things.

“The ER has become the big box retailer of healthcare,” Hollander says. “It’s the best one-stop healthcare shopping around.”

A recent study found that “in the United States, approximately 13% to 27% of ER visits can be addressed in ambulatory settings (including urgent care centers). Diverting these patients to the appropriate setting for care could decrease healthcare costs by $4.4 billion.” Slowing down the mad rush to emergency departments by people with low-acuity problems—or, as in my case, with health crises that are most likely in our own minds—is key if we’re going to stem the rising cost of healthcare. But how can we get more patients to get their complaints treated in more cost-effective settings, like urgent care centers?

We can learn something from Providence, Rhode Island, where an innovative, federally qualified health center facility called Providence Community Health Centers successfully executed a program to prevent avoidable ER visits. They freed up the EMS system to respond to true emergencies and life-threatening conditions by using their Mobile Health Unit to redirect nonemergency 911 callers to urgent care centers. During the twenty-six weeks of the Mobile Health Unit Diversion program under study, 8.4 out of every 10 patients who called 911 and were sent to an urgent care center were discharged home after treatment, avoiding a trip to the ER.

Easing the burden on our country’s emergency rooms could very well put us on the path to more effective, efficient patient care for everyone—including hypochondriacs. Accurate ER triage is essential if hospitals are going to devote their resources to providing top-quality care to the most critically ill patients. The most commonly used triage system in the U.S. is the Emergency Severity Index (ESI). This algorithm allows care providers to sort patients based on predicted acuity and resource needs. For instance, Level 1 patients need immediate care, Levels 2 or 3 need care within fifteen minutes, and Levels 4 or 5 require care within thirty minutes.

Currently, mis-triage (inappropriate care) happens nearly a third of the time—often when the emergency room is backed up or short-staffed. Not surprisingly, this occurs most often in poorer neighborhoods, where emergency rooms are more crowded, people are less likely to have private insurance, and many more patients crowd into the ER during nights and weekends.

Triage clinicians are often pressed for time. When that happens, they must make assignments with limited information, because there’s no time to truly get to know the patients’ histories.

Now let’s throw patients with illness anxiety disorder into the mix. When patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) arrive in the ER, clinicians are often stumped. This happens a lot, because MUPS patients comprise up to a third of all those seen in hospital outpatient clinics. In one landmark study of medical outpatients in North America with new complaints of common symptoms like chest pain, dizziness, and headaches, only 16 percent of the cases were found to have an organic cause.

This “somatization” of physical symptoms without any organic explanation is a manifestation of psychological distress—but feels all too real to the person experiencing it. Understandably, most physicians are trained to look for something physically wrong. Meanwhile, there’s a growing tendency in emergency medicine toward quickly ruling out the big, scary conditions such as ischemic heart disease, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis, among others. Patients who would otherwise wait several weeks for outpatient stress tests can complete assessments in the ER within hours. But this kind of testing is extremely costly.

Unfortunately, frequent flyers through the healthcare system might go to the ER again and again to ease uncertainties about this or that pain, and because they rarely see the same providers there, they continue to get testing and referrals to specialists. One solution to this is to ensure that historical records of past ER visits are readily available whenever these cases show up, and to have senior staff confer with junior staff about how to manage patients with chronic somatization by sending them to a primary care provider.

From the book Hypochondria: What’s Behind the Hidden Costs of Healthcare in America by Hal Rosenbluth and Marnie Hall. Copyright © 2024 by Hal Rosenbluth and Marnie Hall. Reprinted by permission of Rodin Books. Available June 18, 2024.

Hal Rosenbluth is CEO of New Ocean Health Solutions.

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Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room: When to Visit Each

Sep 21, 2022

A closer look at medical imaging

In some cases, clinicians need diagnostic imaging or pathology tests to get the whole picture of a patient’s healthcare needs and diagnose symptoms. Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Urgent Care gives you access to on-site labs and imaging, so you don’t have to leave the facility to get answers. On-site services include blood and tissue lab testing, ultrasounds and X-rays.

Go here for immediate needs

When your family needs care fast, you can trust the providers at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Urgent Care to quickly and expertly treat you. No appointment is needed to access fast, friendly and flexible care. Providers accept most insurance types, including Kaiser Permanente.

Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Urgent Care

1235 West Vine Street, Lodi, CA 95240

10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends

Urgent Care vs Emergency Room

If you’re sick or injured, should you visit an urgent care clinic or a hospital emergency room? Here’s how to know:

Visit an urgent care clinic for:

Ear infections
Sore throats, fevers, vomiting or diarrhea
Minor cuts and burns
Skin rashes or mild allergic reactions
Back pain
Sprains, strains and simple fractures
Mild to moderate asthma
Urinary tract infections
Eye irritation
Mild dehydration

Visit an emergency room for:

Chest pain or trouble breathing
Severe pain or headaches
Prolonged dizziness, sudden confusion, fainting or seizures
Severe bleeding or cuts that expose bone or tissue
Broken bones
Serious burns
Coughing up blood
Severe allergic reactions
High fevers, persistent vomiting or diarrhea

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Emergency department visits exceed affordability threshold for many consumers with private insurance

By Hope Schwartz Twitter , Matthew Rae Twitter , Gary Claxton , Dustin Cotliar, Krutika Amin , and Cynthia Cox Twitter

December 16, 2022

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Introduction

The high cost of emergency care may impact patients’ ability to afford treatment , with almost half of US adults reporting they have delayed care due to costs. Almost 1 in 10 Americans have medical debt , and about half of American households do not have the liquid assets to afford an average employer sponsored plan deductible. More than one third of US adults are unable to afford a $400 medical expense without borrowing.

Costs of medical emergencies present an additional financial burden on top of already costly health insurance premiums ranging $1,327 for single coverage and $6,106 for family coverage, on average, for workers with employer sponsored insurance. Variation in emergency department billing may make it difficult to predict the cost of an emergency department visit and subsequent financial liability. Recently, the No Surprises Act legislation aimed to curb unexpected emergency medical costs by prohibiting out-of-network billing for emergency services.

In this analysis, we use 2019 insurance claims data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, which captures privately insured individuals with large employer health plans. We look at the total and out-of-pocket costs of emergency department visits for this group, overall and by diagnosis and severity level. We also look at which services contribute most to the costs of emergency department visits and examine regional variation in emergency department costs. Finally, we look at the demographic profile of consumers who visited the emergency department and the relationship between emergency department spending and annual spending for enrollees.

We find that enrollees spend $646 out-of-pocket, on average, for an emergency department visit. Enrollees with high annual health spending were more likely to visit the emergency department; the majority of enrollees in the top 10% of annual health care spending had at least one emergency department visit during the year. The most expensive components of most emergency department visits include evaluation and management charges, imaging, and laboratory studies, and facility fees make up 80% of the cost of visits. Cost varies by disease, visit complexity, and geographic region.

Large employer plan enrollees’ emergency department visits cost $2,453, on average, with enrollees responsible for $646 in out-of-pocket costs

On average, enrollees in large employer health plans who have an emergency department visit spend $646 out-of-pocket on the visit. There is significant variation in emergency department spending, with 25% of visits costing over $907 out-of-pocket and another quarter costing less than $128 out-of-pocket. These out-of-pocket costs for a single emergency department visit may be more than some people with private insurance can afford and, in some cases, could entirely deplete a consumer’s savings. For example, about 1-in-5 people (21%) with private insurance living in single-person households have less than $1,000 in liquid assets.

How does medical inflation compare to inflation in the rest of the economy?

Charges for emails with doctors and other healthcare providers

These amounts only include out-of-pocket spending required by the insurer. Before the No Surprises Act went into effect in January 2022, privately insured patients who visited the emergency department frequently had out-of-network claims on their visit, putting them at risk of providers sending them surprise balance bills. The No Surprises Act now prohibits most surprise out-of-network billing, but does not apply to ground ambulances . Any balance bill that a patient received from a provider would not appear in claims data and therefore would have been in addition to the out-of-pocket amounts shown here.

In total, enrollees and insurers paid $2,453, on average, per visit, with one quarter of visits costing $970 or less and another quarter costing $3,043 or more. All the costs described in this analysis are for the emergency department visits only, including professional services and facility fees, and do not include any spending on subsequent hospitalizations.

Facility fees contribute significantly more than professional fees to total visit cost

Emergency department bills are categorized as facility fees or professional fees. Professional fees are for services provided by clinicians, and facility fees include bills for services rendered using equipment owned by the facility, including laboratory or imaging studies. These fees are considered “overhead” for emergency departments and help facilities maintain appropriate staffing levels and technical resources. Evaluation and management charges also have a facility fee component for the equipment, staffing, and administrative resources used by the physician in their management. We find that facility fees make up 80% of total visit cost.

Evaluation and management charges make up the largest share of costs

Including both the professional fee and facility fee components of charges, the largest contributor to spending on a typical emergency department visit is the evaluation and management charge, which accounts for almost half (44%) of average visit costs. Evaluation and management charges are bills for the assessment of a patient that are not related to specific procedures or treatments provided; these services cost over $1,100 per visit, on average.

Imaging charges, including radiologist interpretation fees, make up an additional 19% of the average emergency department visit charge and cost $483, on average. The highest cost routinely performed imaging services include x-rays of the chest and CT scans of the head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Over half of visits (55%) include a charge for imaging services. About half of patients (49%) are charged for laboratory studies, including blood tests, which cost $230 on average. Other high cost but less common charges include surgical charges for patients with appendicitis and other conditions requiring surgery without inpatient admission, as well as ambulance charges for transport.

Heart attacks and appendicitis among the most expensive common conditions treated in the emergency department

Costs of emergency department visits depend on diagnosis. We selected nine common reasons to visit the emergency department that vary in complexity of management. More severe conditions, or those with more intervention required, are the most expensive. Of the nine specific diagnoses that we evaluated, the lower-cost diagnoses were those that generally do not require imaging or extensive treatment in the emergency department. These included upper respiratory tract infections ($1,535 total, $523 out-of-pocket), skin and soft tissue infections ($2,005 total, $572 out-of-pocket), and urinary tract infections ($2,726 total, $683 out-of-pocket). While these diagnoses can occasionally require admission to the hospital, in otherwise healthy adults they are typically evaluated with basic laboratory studies and discharged with prescriptions.

The most expensive emergency department diagnosis among those we examined is appendicitis, which, on average, costs $9,535 ($1,717 out-of-pocket) per visit. Appendicitis is almost two times as expensive as the next most expensive diagnosis we looked at, heart attack. 11% of enrollees with a diagnosis of appendicitis had surgical charges associated with their emergency department visit. Surgical costs may be included in emergency department outpatient billing because these patients are often discharged after surgery without being admitted to the hospital. In contrast, other emergency department visits requiring surgery are often admitted to the hospital and have surgical charges during their inpatient visit. Enrollees who had surgery had more expensive visits by over $2,000 compared to those who did not; however even without surgery, visits for appendicitis were almost four times as expensive as the average emergency department visit (and more than twice as expensive out-of-pocket).

Enrollees with emergency department visits have variable annual spending depending on diagnosis

In addition to the costs of the emergency department visit itself, enrollees who visit the emergency department at least once during the year have higher annual health care spending. Annual spending includes the cost of all claims for each patient in 2019, either before or after their emergency department visit. Though appendicitis was the most expensive emergency department visit among the diagnoses we analyzed, enrollees with appendicitis in 2019 incurred an average of $24,333 in additional health care spending, which was comparable to lower cost diagnoses. Enrollees with heart attacks had at least two times more annual spending than any other diagnosis ($52,993), while enrollees with upper respiratory tract infections had the lowest annual spending ($13,727).

These differences in annual costs may reflect spending both directly related and unrelated to the emergency department visit. For example, enrollees with heart attack emergency department visits may have high annual spending because of follow-up, medications, or hospitalizations after their heart attacks. However, their high annual spending may also reflect more comorbidities and higher healthcare utilization at baseline. In contrast, appendicitis, the most expensive emergency department visit, is correlated with relatively lower annual costs; unlike heart attacks, appendicitis often occurs in younger, healthier people and requires comparatively little additional post-surgical follow-up or treatment.

The most complex emergency visits are more than 6 times as expensive as the least expensive visits, but insurers pay an increasing share of the visit as complexity increases

Emergency department visits are coded by complexity during the billing process, from 1 (least complex) to 5 (most complex). Each evaluation and management charge is associated with a procedure code ranging from level 1 to level 5 (99281 to 99285), which are generated by hospital coding professionals based on the physicians’ medical note. Criteria are defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS ) and based on the complexity of documentation and medical decision making. Patients with level 1 complexity codes require straightforward medical decision making, with self-limited or minor presenting problems, such as rashes or medication refills. Patients with level 5 codes require high complexity medical decision making and present with life- or limb-threatening conditions, such as severe infections or cardiac arrests.

The lowest complexity visits cost $592 on average, with enrollees responsible for $205, or about one-third of the total visit cost. As visits increase in complexity, both out-of-pocket costs and costs covered by insurance increase. For the highest complexity visits, the health plan covers $3,015 on average, or eight times the cost of the lowest complexity visits. On average, patients pay $840 out-of-pocket for the highest complexity visits, which is four times their out-of-pocket costs for the lowest complexity visits.

Higher complexity visits are more expensive for multiple reasons. In general, evaluation and management charges are higher cost for more complex patients. Also, patients with more complex medical conditions generally receive more diagnostic tests, medication, and other treatment, which increases the cost of the visit. For the lowest complexity visits, evaluation and management charges account for almost half (47%) of the overall visit cost. In contrast, evaluation and management charges for the highest complexity visits account for about one-fourth (27%) of the total visit cost, with additional services including tests and treatment making up a larger share of the cost.

Emergency department costs vary by geographic region

We analyzed the top 20 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) by population, where data are available. Overall, the San Diego, CA area had the most expensive average ED visits ($3,761 on average). San Diego ED visits were more than twice as expensive as Baltimore, MD, the least expensive MSA in our analysis ($1,645 on average). Expensive MSAs were geographically distributed in all regions of the country including the South, West, Northeast, and Midwest. Within each MSA, there was significant variation in visit costa. For example, 25% of visits in Oakland, CA cost less than $1,236 on average, while 25% cost more than $4,436 on average.

Some variation may be based on the distribution of diagnoses in each area, with more serious or complex diagnoses leading to higher cost visits. For example, if a metro area sees higher than average volume of appendicitis, heart attacks, or other high-cost diagnoses, that would drive up regional emergency department costs.

For common diagnoses, Texas and Florida MSAs are among the most expensive

If we examine costs for specific diagnoses, we can minimize some of this variation in reasons for visits and gain a better understanding of how prices and service intensity affect the rankings. We selected two common, moderate-cost reasons for emergency department visits: low back pain and lower respiratory infections. While these visits can range in complexity and treatment required, they usually do not require hospital admission or high-cost treatment. Low back pain includes patients who present with the symptom of low back pain, regardless of diagnosis. Lower respiratory tract infection includes infectious causes of pneumonia and bronchitis. This analysis was limited to MSAs in which there were >500 cases of each diagnosis in 2019.

Visit costs for both diagnoses in Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, Fort Worth, TX, and Orlando, FL are in the top five most expensive MSAs with >500 cases. For low back pain visits, the Orlando, FL, Fort Worth, TX, Dallas, TX, and Houston, TX areas are each more than twice as expensive as the Warren, MI and Detroit, MI areas, on average. This trend is similar for lower respiratory tract infections. Within MSAs, variation in costs exist for both diagnoses. For example, for low back pain visits, there is more than a $3,000 difference between the least expensive and most expensive quarter of visits in Fort Worth, TX, Dallas, TX, and Houston, TX.

12% of large employer group enrollees went to the emergency department in 2019

We find that 12% of large group enrollees under age 65 had at least one emergency department visit in 2019, and of enrollees with emergency department visits, 80% had only one visit. 20% had more than one visit, and 7% had more than two visits. Emergency department visits were associated with higher annual health care spending, with almost half of enrollees in the top 25% of annual spending having at least one emergency department visit during the year.

We find that the average emergency department visit exceeds the threshold that some consumers can pay without borrowing, and even one emergency department visit in a year may create financial hardship for enrollees in large employer plans. For example, one quarter of emergency department visits for large employer enrollees cost over $907 out-of-pocket. Meanwhile, about 1-in-5 people with private insurance do not have $1,000 in liquid assets, and almost half of US adults report that they would not be able to pay a $500 medical bill without going into debt. Emergency department visits range significantly in cost depending on diagnosis, visit complexity, and geographic area. These variations may present challenges for consumers trying to predict the cost of their emergency department visit prior to going to the emergency department.

Several factors contribute to the variability of emergency department charges. First, unlike other forms of outpatient care including primary care or urgent care visits, emergency departments charge facility fees to offset the cost of keeping emergency departments open and staffed 24/7. These fees vary widely and are increasing at a faster rate than overall health care spending. The facility component represented 80% of total emergency department spending in our analysis. Many hospitals and health care providers consider these costs necessary given their mandate to provide emergency triage and treatment to allcomers. A second contributor to variation is that services are often billed at different complexity levels, and visits that are billed as more complex are more expensive . In some cases, even similar services are billed at different prices by different facilities. Notably, surprise out-of-network medical bills from emergency departments have contributed to high emergency costs for consumers, though the cost of any balance bills would be outside the scope of our claims data. The implementation of the No Surprises Act in January 2022 will generally curb surprise medical billing for emergency care.

As seen in non-emergency spending , we find that emergency department costs vary by geographic area. Among the most expensive MSAs in our analysis were MSAs located in Texas, Florida, California, Colorado, and New York. Interestingly, the most expensive regions for ED care do not align with the most expensive regions for overall health care spending. These comparisons suggest that our findings are not solely related to overall high health care prices in these areas and may reflect other factors including the age and medical complexity of the population or differences in local norms and practice patterns. State-level emergency department regulation may also play a role—states with higher numbers of freestanding , non-hospital affiliated emergency departments (which are associated with higher spending on emergency care) were among the most costly in our analysis.

The financial implications of visiting the emergency department vary widely. Not all the variation in total charges is reflected in out-of-pocket costs, since differences in cost by complexity level are smaller after insurance covers its portion of the bill. However, the most complex emergency department visits have four times higher out-of-pocket costs than the least complex visits. Even the least complex visits, some of which could be treated by a primary care office or urgent care center, cost an average of $205 out-of-pocket ($592 total). Given facility fees and relatively high evaluation and management charges in emergency departments, insurers and patients are paying more when receiving care for these conditions at emergency departments than they would using primary or urgent care. These lower complexity visits may represent a substantial avoidable cost to patients and the health care system at large.

High health care costs are of foremost concern for US adults, leading people to skip recommended medical treatment or delay necessary care. Even in the era of new price transparency regulation , which aims to improve consumer access to prices for elective care, emergency department consumers often do not know what testing or treatment they will need, so it is difficult to assess the costs of a visit upfront. Further, in an emergency situation, patients may not be able to choose their provider or facility if they are brought in by ambulance or otherwise unable to direct their care. Lastly, lack of availability and standardization in data may make it difficult for patients to use price transparency data in real time to make decisions about accepting tests and treatment in an emergency. The high and variable cost of emergency department visits represents an opportunity for future policy changes to protect consumers from unaffordable medical bills.

This analysis is based on data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, which contains claims information provided by a sample of large employer plans. Enrollees in MarketScan claims data were included if they were enrolled for 12 months. This analysis used claims for almost 14 million people representing about 17% of the 85 million people in large group market plans (employers with a thousand or more workers) from 2004-2019. To make MarketScan data representative of large group plans, weights were applied to match counts in the Current Population Survey for enrollees at firms of a thousand or more workers by sex, age, state, and whether the enrollee was a policy holder or dependent.

Emergency department visits were flagged if an enrollee had an emergency department evaluation and management claim in the emergency department or the hospital on a given day. If an enrollee had either an emergency evaluation and management claim or another claim originating in the emergency department on the day prior to or after the flagged day, we added the previous and or following day’s outpatient spending to the visit cost. This was to capture all emergency department services for visits that may have spanned overnight or multiple days. Over half (53%) of the spending in this analysis occurred in the emergency department, with another 42% occurring in the hospital, which may occur when a patient receives a test or procedure in a location outside the emergency department during their visit.

Claims were included if they were above $100 and below the 99.5 th percentile of cost. Selected conditions were generated from a literature review of common emergency department diagnoses and defined using ICD10 codes. Enrollees were considered to have a certain diagnosis if the relevant ICD10 code appeared in the “Diagnosis 1” column in one or more claims on an emergency department visit day. While emergency department claims have up to four diagnoses, diagnoses listed in 2-4 were not used to identify relevant conditions because these diagnoses were most often incidentally found rather than related to the reason for presenting to the emergency department. For specific diagnosis definitions: Heart attack includes acute STEMI and NSTEMI, and excludes complications from prior heart attacks or angina; UTI includes acute cystitis, UTI and pyelonephritis; Kidney stone includes renal calculus in any location and renal colic; Lower respiratory infection includes pneumonia and bronchitis. Surgical charges for acute appendicitis include both open and laparoscopic surgical charges. Annual spending was defined as the total spending for each enrollee in the year 2019, which could occur before and/or after their emergency department visit depending on the time of year of the emergency department visit.

This analysis has some limitations. First, there is a chance that we could incorrectly include non-emergency outpatient care (such as a next-day, follow up primary care appointment) in our estimate of emergency department visit costs. Secondly, when accounting for annual spending, we do not control for health status prior to the emergency department visit. Therefore, the increase in annual health spending for patients who visit the emergency department for certain conditions may be because these patients are sicker and higher healthcare utilizers at baseline, rather than specific follow-up costs incurred for the emergency department visit itself. For selecting relevant diagnoses, we only include claims in which a particular diagnosis occurs as the primary diagnosis. Third, the MarketScan database includes only charges incurred under the enrollees’ plan and do not include balance billing to enrollees which may have occurred. Lastly, our findings only represent enrollees in large group employer sponsored plans and may not be generalizable to other groups.

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What are my care options and their costs?

When you or a family member needs care, there may be more options than you realize. Some options may save you time — others may save you money, particularly if you get health insurance through work. So, before you spend time waiting in the emergency room (ER) or maybe end up with an unexpected bill, consider these alternatives that could save you up to $2,500. 1

Compare your care options

Primary care provider, average cost.

$170 1 for in-person visits, $99 or less for virtual primary care visits

Hours open:

Weekday office hours, generally

Usually little wait with scheduled appointments

Your primary care provider may know your history best, they can quickly access your records and may offer in-person and virtual care .

Urinary tract infection

Sign in to find care

24/7 virtual visits.

Less than $49 2

Available all day, every day

Usually no wait

Connect with a care provider by phone 3 or video for diagnosis of common medical conditions and, if needed, Rx prescriptions.

Cold and Flu
Sinus problems
Yeast infections

Convenience care clinic

Nights and weekends, generally

30 minutes or less on average

Get care for common symptoms from nurse practitioners and physician assistants — without an appointment — at retail pharmacy clinics.

Minor injuries

Urgent care center

Get walk-in care for serious illnesses and severe injuries from physicians and care teams.

Muscle sprains or strains
Skin infections
Broken bones

Emergency Room

Available 24 hours a day, generally

Up to 2 hours on average

Get immediate care for life-threatening injuries or illnesses from physicians and care teams at hospital emergency departments.

Shortness of breath
Major burns
Severe injuries
Heavy bleeding

Choose network care providers to help avoid cost surprises

Freestanding emergency rooms, also called urgency centers, are facilities typically unattached or unaffiliated with a hospital. Although these facilities treat many of the same conditions as a traditional ER, they may come with higher costs because they're out of network.

Get a closer look at your care options

Watch a video presentation to get details about:

Care options
Costs for care
How to choose care

Emergency department services

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) usually covers emergency department services when you have an injury, a sudden illness, or an illness that quickly gets much worse.

Your costs in Original Medicare

You pay a copayment for each emergency department visit and a copayment for each hospital service you get.
After you meet the Part B deductible , you also pay 20% of the Medicare-Approved Amount for your doctor's services.
If your doctor admits you to the same hospital for a related condition within 3 days of your emergency department visit, you don't pay the copayment(s) because your visit is considered part of your inpatient stay.

Find out cost

To find out how much your test, item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like:

Other insurance you may have
How much your doctor charges
If your doctor accepts assignment
The type of facility
Where you get your test, item, or service

Things to know

Medicare only covers emergency services outside of the U.S. under rare circumstances.

Related resources

Ambulance services
Find hospitals
Inpatient hospital care
Outpatient hospital services

Is my test, item, or service covered?

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How to find the right balance between telemedicine and in-person care

FILE - A patient sits in the living room of her apartment in the Brooklyn borough of New York during a telemedicine video conference with a physician on Jan. 14, 2019. Patients can now see an array of doctors without leaving their recliner thanks to telemedicine. But that doesn’t mean trips to the office should end. Finding the right balance between virtual and in-person visits can be a key to getting good care. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - A doctor examines a patient at a clinic in Stanford, Calif., on April 9, 2019. Patients can now see an array of doctors without leaving their recliner thanks to telemedicine. But that doesn’t mean trips to the office should end. Finding the right balance between virtual and in-person visits can be a key to getting good care. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, file)

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Patients can now see an array of doctors without leaving their recliner thanks to telemedicine. But that doesn’t mean trips to the office should end.

Finding the right balance between virtual and in-person visits can be a key to getting good care.

Here’s what you need to know about which form of care may be right for you and when.

WHAT IS TELEMEDICINE?

This generally refers to diagnosing and treating patients remotely. It’s often done over a secure video connection provided by the doctor’s office. You can use your smartphone, tablet or computer.

But telemedicine also can involve telephone calls or trading secure messages with someone from your doctor’s office to discuss test results or follow-up steps after an appointment.

It can be used to diagnose new health problems and monitor existing, long-term issues like diabetes.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

These virtual visits can save time and give patients more doctor choices. That’s especially important for those who live where in-person care options are slim or for patients who can’t take time off work to get to the doctor or lack transportation.

Telemedicine use exploded after COVID-19 hit in 2020. It has cooled since, but it remains more popular than it was before the pandemic, particularly in specialties like dermatology or mental health care.

Kate Bulkeley uses her phone to print textbook pages while Sutton packs art materials ahead of a ski vacation, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. It is hard to be a teenager today without social media. For those trying to stay off social platforms at a time when most of their peers are immersed, the path can be challenging, isolating and at times liberating. It can also be life-changing. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Amazon now offers a telemedicine option in every state. And many companies sell subscription-based plans centered on virtual care. For those, patients pay a regular fee for doctor visits and mail-order prescriptions to treat high blood pressure, anxiety or hair loss, among other issues.

WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO A VALUABLE VISIT?

Test your phone or tablet before the visit starts. You will want to make sure both audio and video work properly. You may need time to adjust your device settings.

Make sure you’re in a room or location that offers privacy, especially for therapy sessions. That’s usually not a work cubicle, library or restaurant with public Wi-Fi.

Don’t drive, walk or eat while talking to the doctor. Aside from being unsafe, those habits also can be distracting for both the patient and physician, noted Dr. Jay Lee, a family physician who does both in-person and virtual visits.

WHAT ARE THE LIMITS?

Telemedicine needs a secure, fast internet connection, and some patients or doctors may lack the technology to do a virtual visit.

Sometimes physical exams are necessary.

Someone seeking help for a urinary tract infection — which can be treated by telemedicine — might actually have gallbladder problems. That could require an ultrasound during an in-person visit, noted Lee, a board member with the American Academy of Family Physicians.

There also may be limits to receiving telemedicine from doctors outside your state. Pandemic emergency declarations that made this easier have ended .

That can make follow-up care challenging if a patient travels to see a specialist.

“There aren’t that many pediatric specialists in all of the different conditions that can affect kids,” said Krista Drobac, founder of the Alliance for Connected Care, which advocates for telemedicine use.

WHAT’S THE RIGHT BALANCE?

That can depend on the patient’s comfort with telemedicine and the treatment they need.

In some cases, there is no balance if a patient lacks an in-person option or that visit is tough to schedule.

If possible, Lee recommends an initial visit in person and then telemedicine follow-ups. He says that first visit is important for any doctor or specialist you expect to see again.

Both the physician and patient need to determine whether they “have a vibe, that they can get along and that they can work together,” he said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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June 4, 2024 | Kim Krieger - UConn Communications

Emergency Room Visits for Self-Harm Skyrocket

Between 2011 and 2020, an increase of nearly 19%

Entrance to the Emergency Department at UConn Health.

(Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

The number of emergency visits to hospitals in the US for suicide attempts increased markedly between 2011 and 2020, a University of Connecticut researcher reports in the June 4 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry . The rise emphasizes the country’s enormous unmet need for mental health services.

The number of lives lost to suicide in the US has climbed alarmingly over the past decade, with close to a half-million between 2011 and 2022, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicide rates have risen by 35% since 2000. The rate of self-harm has risen too, even in age groups not previously considered at risk, such as children.

Out of all visits to the emergency department in 2011, only 0.6% involved self-harm. That number had risen to 2.1% of all emergency department visits by 2020, according to data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a yearly sampling of hospitals across the nation by the CDC. The data was analyzed by UConn School of Medicine psychiatric epidemiologist Greg Rhee and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic, Columbia University, Yale University School of Medicine, and the Veterans Administration Connecticut Healthcare System. The figures per 100,000 people increased from 261 per 100,000 in 2011 to 871 in 2020.

“When we translate the data to percent change, it is an 18.8% increase, which is huge,” Rhee says. Their most striking increase was in self-harm visits for adults over 65, which went up by 30% annually. But every age group saw double digits annual increases, including children ages 5 to 11.

The increase in suicide and suicide attempts has already been noticed by the US government, which introduced a new crisis phone number two years ago, 988, at which people can access crisis counseling and get referrals to further resources. But other recent analyses by Rhee and his colleagues have shown that there are still high barriers to mental health care.

“Intentional self-harm is preventable. We can potentially reduce suicide or suicide-related events. There are multiple ways. A lot of individuals undergoing mental distress could be taken care of so that they don’t harm themselves,” Rhee says.

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5 Common Emergency Expenses — And How Much They Cost on Average

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One thing in life is certain: things are unpredictable unimaginable ways. While you can’t know what the future holds, you can plan for it. Because being unprepared can drain your emergency fund empty and leave you in the poor house.

“If your car breaks down, the cost to fix it can vary greatly,” said Melanie Musson, a finance expert with Clearsurance . “If you have a flat tire, you may need to replace all your tires, which will cost about $600 or more. However, you can expect to pay $2,000 or more for a replacement if your transmission goes. A new radiator will cost around $1,000. If you need a new battery, you have an easy fix for about $100.”

Justin Godur, financial expert and CEO of Capital Max , says understanding these common emergency expenses and their potential impact on your finances is essential for effective financial planning.

“By anticipating these costs and preparing accordingly, you can protect your financial well-being and avoid significant stress during emergencies.”

Below, experts outline exactly how much some of these common emergency expenses will cost you on average .

Car Breakdown

“A car breakdown is one of the most frequent and costly emergency expenses,” Godur said. “The average cost for a major car repair, such as a transmission or engine replacement, can range from $3,000 to $7,000.”

He says even minor repairs, like fixing a brake system or replacing a fuel pump, can cost between $300 to $1,000.

“Regular maintenance and an emergency savings fund can help mitigate these unexpected costs,” Godur said.

According to experts, losing a job is a significant financial shock.

“The average duration of unemployment in the U.S. is about 22 weeks, during which time individuals need to cover living expenses without a steady income,” Godur said.

Musson notes the same.

“If you lose your job and are eligible for unemployment, you can expect to lose half of what you were making,” Musson said. “Unemployment services are a nightmare to work through in many parts of the country, so you can expect to have a lag time of several months, during which time you’ll have no income. So, if you were making $5,000 a month, in a best-case scenario, you’d lose $2,500 a month, and in a worst-case scenario, you’d lose $5,000 a month.”

Godur says that depending on your lifestyle and location, this could mean needing between $10,000 to $20,000 to stay afloat.

“Building an emergency fund with three to six months’ worth of expenses is crucial to weather such storms.”

Hospitalization

“Unexpected medical emergencies can be financially devastating,” Godur highlighted. “The average cost of a three-day hospital stay in the U.S. is around $30,000. Even with insurance, out-of-pocket expenses can be substantial, often ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for deductibles, co-pays, and non-covered services. Ensuring you have comprehensive health insurance and a health savings account (HSA) can provide a safety net.”

Musson agrees.

“You can count on a hospitalization costing you your maximum out-of-pocket in your insurance plan,” Musson said. “Hospital inpatient stays are costly, and expenses will increase quickly. If your maximum out-of-pocket is $1,500, you can expect to pay that much. If it’s $4,000, your hospital stay will probably end up costing you $4,000.”

“If you don’t have insurance, you can expect that a hospital stay will cost between $2,000 and $4,000 a day,” she added. “If you need surgery or specialized equipment, that cost will be higher.”

Pet Emergencies

“A pet emergency will cost between $500 and $10,000,” said Musson. “If you have pet insurance and your pet’s issue is covered under the plan, you can expect to pay about half of what you’d pay without insurance. If you have a higher level of coverage, you may pay even less.”

Dennis Shirshikov, finance expert and head of growth at GoSummer , similarly agrees.

“Pet emergencies can also incur significant costs,” Shirshikov said. “Emergency vet visits can range from $800 to $1,500 for serious conditions like surgeries or treatments for acute illnesses.”

Home Repairs

“Unexpected home repairs are another common emergency expense,” said Shirshikov. “Issues such as plumbing problems, roof leaks, or HVAC failures can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.”

He says that on average, homeowners might spend around $2,000 to $4,000 on major repairs.

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FACT SHEET: Biden- ⁠ Harris Administration Takes Action to Expand Access to Capital for Small- and Medium-Sized Climate Businesses

Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. is making the largest public investment in climate action in history. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the largest-ever investment in climate action, introduced and expanded grants, loans, tax incentives, and other programs to accelerate clean energy deployment, invest in resilience, and seed breakthrough innovative technologies. Combined with unprecedented executive action, these investments are setting the United States on a path to achieve President Biden’s ambitious climate goals — including cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. President Biden’s historic economic policies have spurred unprecedented levels of private investment into America’s clean energy economy. Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, the private sector has announced $866 billion in new investments in clean energy and manufacturing.

Creating economic opportunity for all American communities, entrepreneurs, and workers is central to President Biden’s economic and climate agenda. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed not only to catalyzing investment for climate and clean energy companies, but also to expanding access to that investment, ensuring all communities, including those historically left behind, benefit from these unprecedented resources.

Today, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, and Small Business Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman will host a Climate Capital Convening at the White House with investors, climate technology start-ups, small business owners, and entrepreneurs to discuss opportunities to mobilize capital for climate-focused businesses across America.

The Biden-Harris Administration will also announce new actions and resources to expand access to climate capital:

Releasing the new Climate Capital Guidebook:

The Biden-Harris Administration is releasing a new Climate Capital Guidebook to provide a simple, comprehensive map of capital programs across the federal government that are available to climate-related start-ups, small- and medium-sized businesses, and their investors. While larger, institutionally-backed climate companies may have the resources to identify and access federal funding opportunities, smaller enterprises may face greater challenges in navigating these federal programs.

The Guidebook includes financing and funding programs created and expanded by the Biden-Harris Administration, including those made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and longstanding annual appropriations. It inventories opportunities across the entire federal government, including the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Small Business Administration, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Together, these programs comprise hundreds of billions of dollars in grants, loans, loan guarantees, and other funding tools to spur the financing and deployment of new clean energy and climate projects — while simultaneously focusing on delivering cleaner air, good-paying jobs, and affordable clean energy to disadvantaged communities, energy communities , and other communities in need. The Guidebook also indicates programs that are part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative , which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Expanding financing to support small businesses’ adoption of clean energy:

Small businesses are a critical part of achieving net zero by 2050 and should have access to capital to deploy new clean energy and climate projects.

The Small Business Administration’s 504 Loan Program provides long-term, fixed rate loans of up to $5.5 million from Small Business Administration-approved lenders to small businesses for certain energy and manufacturing projects to support capital expenditures such as real estate or equipment. Previously, this program was capped at three loans per company, allowing each company to receive a total of $16.5 million in loans backed by the Small Business Administration. This month, the Small Business Administration is lifting its cap on the number of 504 loans that small businesses may receive for “energy public policy projects,” which include projects that reduce energy consumption such as retrofits and/or renewable energy projects such as adding solar. In lifting this cap, small businesses may now bundle multiple 504 loans to finance projects that leverage clean energy technologies to lower production costs, improve energy efficiency, and contribute to emissions reductions goals.

This change increases the total financing available to small businesses tackling climate change and investing in a clean energy future.

Today’s announcements build on prior Biden-Harris Administration actions to expand access to climate capital, including:

Expanding Financing for Clean Energy and Climate Solutions:

Thanks to the President’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency is implementing the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund , a first-of-a-kind national financing program to catalyze private investment in clean energy projects. The agency announced $14 billion for a National Clean Investment Fund , $6 billion for the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator , and $7 billion for the Solar for All Program . Together, these investments are creating new clean energy job opportunities and reducing pollution in low-income and disadvantaged communities, as part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative .
The Inflation Reduction Act contains new and expanded tax credits to support investment in new clean electricity generation projects, clean energy manufacturing plants, electric vehicle charging stations, and other clean energy projects. The law also contains new credit monetization provisions for direct pay and transferability , which are expanding eligibility to tax-exempt entities like cities, states, and nonprofit organizations and helping to lower the cost of financing clean energy investments.
Made possible by funding from the American Rescue Plan , the Department of the Treasury allocated nearly $10 billion through the State Small Business Credit Initiative to deliver funding to states, territories, and Tribal governments that spurs lending and support to small businesses. Several states are using funds from the State Small Business Credit Initiative to support climate-focused initiatives, for example: Connecticut is leveraging $89 million to launch a climate equity and venture capital program, Illinois is using $20 million to support its Climate Bank Finance Participation Loan Program, and New Jersey is committing $80 million to its Clean Energy Loans Program.
The Department of the Treasury, through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund), is promoting access to capital in low-income communities through monetary awards and tax credits to certified CDFIs. The program recently began collecting data on climate-centered financing by CDFIs — including projects related to climate resilience, extreme weather response or preparation, emission reduction, sustainability, energy or water efficiency, and clean energy projects.
The Department of Defense and the Small Business Administration are jointly rolling out the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technologies Initiative to increase capital investment in technologies critical to U.S. economic and national security. The initiative provides equity, debt, and other capital investments in specified critical technology areas, including renewable energy generation and storage.

Funding Clean Energy and Climate Projects Across the Economy :

The Small Business Administration’s flagship 7(a) Loan Program provides small businesses access to financing for a wide variety of projects, including acquiring new real estate, working capital, refinancing, and purchasing new equipment. In August 2023, the Small Business Administration announced its Affiliation Rule and SBLC Rule . This rule included changes to how affiliation is assessed and removed “control” as a factor in determining eligibility of a borrower under current size standards. In effect, this change will enable more small businesses, especially innovative venture-backed companies, to access the credit they need to start up and grow.
The Small Business Administration plans to establish a new Working Capital Pilot Program under its signature 7(a) lending program to provide lines of credit to small businesses, including clean energy and climate technology manufacturers, to support their domestic or export finance needs. The program will be paired with business counseling from the Small Business Administration.
The Department of Energy is accepting Round 2 applications on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service for the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit , funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. After $4 billion in tax credits were allocated to taxpayers in Round 1 in Spring 2024, the program will allocate an additional $6 billion in tax credits to projects in three areas: clean energy manufacturing, critical materials, and industrial decarbonization. A portion of the funds have also been set aside for projects in certain designated energy communities .
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act created the Clean Ports Program and the Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Program , both of which help advance the Justice40 Initiative . Through the Clean Ports Program, the Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $3 billion to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning projects at ports. Through the Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Program, the Department of Transportation is investing $400 million in port electrification and efficiency; $148 million in awards were made earlier in 2024, and companies can apply to a second funding opportunity that will go live later this year.
The Departments of Energy and Transportation are working together with states to build out the infrastructure for an electric mobility future while furthering the Justice40 Initiative . The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program is providing a total of $5 billion over five years to states to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure along corridors, and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program is providing an additional $2.5 billion over five years to fill gaps in the national network by installing chargers in various communities. The SMART Program is granting states $500 million over five years to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems that improve transportation efficiency and safety. And the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator Program is providing $54 million in funding for projects that expand community e-mobility access and provide reliable clean energy, accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, including in disadvantaged communities.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Energy are collaborating with state and local partners to ensure that funding for affordable housing development can also be used to deploy clean energy technologies like heat pumps. Programs like the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program ,theannual Innovative Housing Showcase , and the Buildings Upgrade Prize highlight how funds for affordable housing can simultaneously benefit clean energy and climate companies.

Building Federal Resource Hubs and Providing Technical Assistance:

The Small Business Administration launched its Investing in America Small Business Hub , a new digital resource to help small businesses identify and access industry-specific tax credit, rebate, contracting, and grant opportunities made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The Environmental Protection Agency published a list of Clean Energy Finance Tools and Resources to help state and local governments access financing for clean energy and climate programs. This includes a toolkit for state and local decision-makers on financing opportunities such as green banks, revolving loan funds, municipal bonds, and green bonds.
The Department of the Treasury launched the IRA Taxpayer Resource Hub , a one-stop-shop for information on the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax benefits. The Hub details how businesses can take advantage of clean energy tax credits to help finance new investments in clean power systems, energy efficiency upgrades, or electric vehicles.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development launched the Build for the Future Hub to connect users — including state and local governments, Tribal entities, private entities, and non-profits — to funding opportunities , technical assistance, and other information related to clean energy, climate resilience, energy efficiency, green workforce development, and more.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership provides a government-to-business and business-to-business portal for supplier scouting . Public and private organizations can access this portal for business or technology connections, including in clean energy and climate-related industries. Local Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers facilitate government, original equipment manufacturer, and small and medium-sized manufacturer matchmaking events for clean energy companies.
The Department of Labor offers workforce development opportunities for clean energy and climate technology companies. The Office of Apprenticeship connects employers with workforce and education partners and provides technical assistance to launch and expand Registered Apprenticeship programs. The Battery Workforce Initiative — an industry-driven, government-facilitated partnership coordinated by the Department of Energy — is accelerating the development and use of high-quality, standardized training materials in key occupations for companies and local training providers in the battery manufacturing industry.
The Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy jointly launched the Rural and Agricultural Income & Savings from Renewable Energy (RAISE) Initiative .This initiative provides technical assistance, funding for research and outreach, and resources to help farmers take advantage of clean energy to lower costs.

Seeding Commercial Innovation:

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provides business incentives and helps accelerate the examination of patent applications for innovations that mitigate climate change, including through the Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program and the Patents for Humanity: Green Energy Program .
The U.S. Economic Development Administration designated 31 communities across the United States as Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs)to drive regional innovation, private investment, and job creation to strengthen each region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy technology that advances national security. The hubs in Florida, Idaho/Wyoming, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New York, and South Carolina/Georgia cite a growing need for clean energy technologies to build global economic competitiveness.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build to Scale Program makes awards to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems that equitably support diverse technology innovators, entrepreneurs, and start-ups, including in clean energy and other climate-related industries.

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How CDC is monitoring influenza data to better understand the current avian influenza A (H5N1) situation in people

Updated June 7, 2024

CDC influenza (flu) surveillance systems show no indicators of unusual influenza activity in people, including avian influenza A(H5N1).

This page provides information on how CDC systems that monitor national, state, and local level influenza data are being used during the current avian influenza A(H5N1) situation

Influenza virus and illness activity are monitored year-round through a collaborative effort between CDC and many partners, including state, local, and territorial health departments; public health and clinical laboratories; clinics; and emergency departments.
Human cases of novel influenza, which are human infections with non-human influenza A viruses that are different from currently spreading seasonal human influenza viruses, are nationally notifiable. Every identified case is investigated and reported to CDC.
CDC is actively looking at multiple flu indicators during the current situation to monitor for influenza A(H5N1) viruses, including looking for spread of the virus to, or among people, in jurisdictions where the virus has been identified in people or animals.

Monitoring of Persons Exposed to Infected Animals*

CDC and state and local health departments monitor people exposed to infected birds, poultry or other animals for 10 days after exposure. Between February 2022 and now, there have been

At least 9,700 people monitored and
At least 350 people tested for novel influenza A

CDC and state and local health departments monitor people exposed to infected cattle for 10 days after exposure. Between March 2024 and now, there have been

At least 500 people monitored
At least 45 persons tested for novel influenza A
Three cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) identified

Main Findings from Surveillance Systems

CDC has multiple surveillance systems that are used year-round to monitor key flu indicators. These data are reviewed comprehensively each week. Taken together, as of June 7, 2024, these systems currently show no indicators of unusual flu activity in people, including avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses.

In 2024, three human cases of influenza A(H5N1) virus infection have been reported by two states (Texas, Michigan), following exposure to dairy cattle. A total of 4 human cases of A(H5N1) have been reported in the United States ever, with the first case occurring in 2022, following exposure to presumably infected poultry.

No novel influenza A positive test results, including for influenza A(H5N1) virus, were reported by public health laboratories for the week ending June 1, 2024.

CDC has not identified any unusual trends in reported clinical laboratory data at the national, state, or local levels.

CDC has not identified any unusual trends in emergency department visits associated with influenza or potentially related symptoms at the national, state, or local levels.

Monitoring for Novel Influenza A Virus Infections among People, including Influenza A(H5N1)

Rapid detection and reporting of human infections with novel influenza A viruses, including influenza A(H5N1), is important to facilitate prompt awareness and an effective public health response. For confirmed cases, the reporting jurisdiction completes a case report form, which is submitted to CDC. The information includes patient demographics, symptoms, the clinical course of illness, and exposure history. The reporting jurisdiction for influenza A(H5N1) cases reported in 2024 are summarized below.

Data presented through: 06/01/2024; Data as of: 06/06/2024

Additional novel influenza case surveillance information for current and past seasons: Surveillance Methods | FluView Interactive: Case Characteristics

Public Health Laboratory Reporting

Public health laboratories use CDC’s diagnostic tools to detect both seasonal influenza viruses and novel influenza A viruses including influenza A(H5N1). These diagnostic tools are used at more than 100 public health laboratories in all 50 U.S. states. The results of tests performed by these public health laboratories nationwide are summarized below.

*Influenza A(H5) presumptive positive results from public health labs will be suppressed until a minimum of 5 positives have been reported by public health labs.

Additional virologic surveillance information for current and past seasons: Surveillance Methods | FluView Interactive: National, Regional, and State Data or Age Data

Systems Used to Monitor Influenza Activity

Influenza activity is monitored year-round using multiple systems. These systems are used for monitoring seasonal influenza and, because influenza viruses are constantly changing in small, and occasionally more significant ways, these systems are also useful for monitoring signals and trends from novel influenza virus infections. Some examples are provided below.

Monitoring for Changes in Tests Positive for Influenza in Clinical Settings

Approximately 300 clinical laboratories located throughout all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the District of Columbia report the results of clinical testing for influenza through either the U.S. WHO Collaborating Laboratories System or the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS). The results of tests performed by clinical laboratories nationwide are summarized below. While these laboratories don’t test specifically for influenza A(H5N1) virus, by tracking the percentage of specimens tested that are positive for influenza A viruses, we can monitor for unusual increases in influenza activity that may be an early sign of spread of novel influenza A viruses, including H5N1.

Additional clinical laboratory surveillance information for current and past seasons: Surveillance Methods | FluView Interactive: National, Regional, and State Data

Monitoring for Changes in Emergency Department Visits for Influenza

The National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) collects, analyzes, and shares electronic data received from multiple health care settings, including emergency departments (ED). CDC uses syndromic surveillance in partnership with participating state and local health departments to capture data quickly, monitor for unusual trends, improve situational awareness, and inform decision making.

Data from NSSP on the weekly percentage of total emergency department visits associated with influenza-related diagnoses are summarized below and are closely monitored by the NSSP team. It’s important to note that these visits are among persons with any influenza diagnosis and are not specific to avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses. However, by tracking all influenza diagnoses, as well as symptoms potentially related to influenza virus infections, among patients in EDs, the chance of detecting unusual levels of influenza is improved, including in jurisdictions where A(H5N1) viruses have been identified in animals or in people.

Source : National Syndromic Surveillance Program: https://www.cdc.gov/nssp/index.html
There are no data available for the following states/territories: Guam, Missouri, New Hampshire, and South Dakota.
Additional information available at: Companion Guide: NSSP Emergency Department Data on Respiratory Illness

Additional emergency department surveillance information for current and past seasons: Surveillance Methods |Data.CDC.gov: NSSP Emergency Department Visit Trajectories

Monitoring for Influenza in Wastewater

Wastewater surveillance complements other existing human influenza surveillance systems to monitor influenza trends. CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) has more than 600 sites with a variety of partners reporting influenza A virus data to CDC. Current wastewater monitoring methods detect influenza A viruses but do not distinguish the subtype. This means that avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses are detected but cannot be distinguished from other influenza A virus subtypes. Wastewater data also cannot determine the source of the influenza A virus. It could come from a human or from an animal (like a bird) or an animal product (like milk from an infected cow). Efforts to monitor influenza A virus activity using wastewater data are likely to evolve as the methodologies and interpretation are evaluated and refined.

For monitoring influenza A virus in wastewater, CDC compares the most recent weeks of influenza A virus levels recorded at a wastewater site to levels reported between October 1, 2023 and March 2, 2024 for that same wastewater site, and those at ≥80th percentile are categorized as high (see Data Methods ).

For the week ending June 1, 2024, 242 wastewater sampling sites reported data meeting criteria for analysis for influenza A viruses, and 1 (<1%) site in one state was at the high influenza A virus level.
For the week ending May 25, 2024, 298 wastewater sampling sites reported data meeting criteria for analysis for influenza A viruses, and 1 (<1%) site in one state was at the high influenza A virus level.
Across these two most recent weeks, a total of 300 sites from 37 states reported data meeting criteria for analysis for influenza A viruses in both weeks or in either week and 2 (<1%) sites in two states were at the high influenza A virus level.

The data from these sites are being closely monitored by CDC and its partners to identify potential contributing factors, including assessing whether any of the high levels are related to any human illness, and looking more closely at available state or local level data from other human seasonal surveillance systems.

This interactive map shows current site-level data for influenza A virus levels in wastewater . Each dot on the map represents a wastewater sampling site. Sites are categorized based on current influenza A levels compared to past levels at the same site during the 2023-2024 influenza season. When influenza A virus levels are at the 80th percentile or higher, CDC will work with relevant partners to better understand the factors that could be contributing to these levels.

Data for the past two weeks can be viewed using the drop down menu below.

The influenza A virus level metric describes how current influenza A virus wastewater levels at a site compare to past levels at the same site during the 2023-2024 influenza season, October 1, 2023 to March 2, 2024. This metric is represented both categorically and as a percentile.

The percentile represents the position of the current level within the historical range. A value of 0 indicates that the current level is the lowest recorded at the site, while a value of 100 indicates that it is the highest.

The wastewater level for influenza A is categorized as follows:

Minimal = The site’s current influenza A virus level is minimal compared to data collected from the last influenza season. The current level is within the lowest 0-<20th percentile of influenza A virus levels recorded at that site or influenza A viruses were not detected in the most recent sample.
Low = The site’s current influenza A virus level is low compared to data collected from the last influenza season. Its current level is within the 20-<40th percentile of influenza A virus levels recorded at that site.
Moderate = The site’s current influenza A virus level is moderate compared to data collected from the last influenza season. Its current level is within the 40-<60th percentile of influenza A virus levels recorded at that site.
Above Average = The site’s current influenza A virus level is above average compared to data collected from the last influenza season. Its current level is within the 60-<80th percentile of influenza A virus levels recorded at that site.
High = The site’s influenza A virus level is high compared to data collected from the last influenza season. Its current level is at 80th percentile or higher for influenza A virus levels recorded at that site.
Insufficient Data = Site is testing for influenza A but does not have sufficient data for a comparison with the 2023-2024 influenza season or a site that has not submitted data in the last two weeks. For more information on these criteria, see Data Methods .

Wastewater sampling sites can encompass populations of varying sizes (also known as a sewershed population) that may extend across county or state boundaries.

What CDC is Doing with Influenza A Wastewater Data: Wastewater surveillance complements other existing influenza virus surveillance systems to monitor influenza trends. Sites with high influenza A virus levels (80-100th percentile) detected in wastewater are being closely monitored by CDC and its partners to identify potential contributing factors. This involves analyzing routine influenza virus and syndromic surveillance data to understand human influenza A infections and following up with the relevant jurisdiction to better understand the factors that could be contributing to these levels. Additionally, this could include reviewing other potential contributors of virus into wastewater. For instance, some states have identified non-human sources such as milk processing waste that contribute to wastewater sites.

Wastewater surveillance is an evolving science. Efforts to monitor influenza A virus activity using wastewater data are likely to evolve as the methodologies and interpretation are evaluated and refined.

Data Limitations:

Current wastewater monitoring methods detect influenza A viruses but do not distinguish the subtype. This means that avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses can be detected but cannot be distinguished from other influenza A virus subtypes.
Wastewater testing cannot determine the source of the influenza A virus. It could come from a human or from an animal (like a bird) or an animal product (like milk from an infected cow).

Data Source: CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) has over 600 sites from a variety of partners reporting influenza A virus data to CDC.

For more information on how CDC conducts Wastewater Surveillance, see  Data Methods .

For more information on Influenza A Virus wastewater data, see here .

Explore Deeper

Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report

Novel A FluView Interactive

Respiratory Virus Data Channel Weekly Snapshot

Influenza A Wastewater Monitoring

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Vladimir Putin repeats warning he could send weapons to adversaries of the West

Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin also says he does not see the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons as set out in Russia's nuclear doctrine - but adds he could not rule out a change to it.

Friday 7 June 2024 17:15, UK

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Live reporting by Andy Hayes and Ollie Cooper

Thank you for reading.

We will be back soon with more updates from the war in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has said he does not see the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons as set out in Russia's nuclear doctrine - but added he could not rule out a change to the doctrine.

"We have a nuclear doctrine which states that the use of nuclear arms is possible in an exceptional case, when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country is threatened," he told the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"But the doctrine can be changed.

"The same applies to nuclear tests. We will carry out tests if needed, but so far there is no such need."

Russia could send weapons to adversaries of the West, Vladimir Putin has warned for a second time.

The Russian president repeated the warning from earlier this week during the St Petersburg Economic Forum.

He did not say what countries or entities he was referring to, and he stressed that Moscow is not doing it currently.

"If they supply (weapons) to the combat zone and call for using these weapons against our territory, why don't we have the right to do the same?" he told the crowds.

"But I'm not ready to say that we will be doing it tomorrow, either."

On Wednesday, Putin told international journalists that Russia could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory.

He also reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to use nuclear weapons if it sees a threat to its sovereignty.

Joe Biden has apologised to Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the recent delay in approving new US aid for Ukraine.

Last month, following months of political disagreements, the Senate passed $95bn (£76.2bn) in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan .

"I apologise for those weeks of not knowing," the US president said.

"Some of our very conservative members [of Congress] were holding it up.

"But we got it done, finally. We're still in - completely, totally."

The Ukrainian president thanked his counterpart for American assistance.

"It's very important that you stay with us," he said.

"It's very important that in this unity, the United States of America, all American people stay with Ukraine, like it was during World War Two - how the United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe."

The two men were speaking in Paris, the day after D-Day commemorations in Normandy.

Russia needs to boost its use of non-Western currencies, Vladimir Putin said as he addressed the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

He also said his country needs to reduce imports while calling for a major expansion of its domestic financial markets.

Trade with Asia is soaring, he told delegates, adding that almost two fifths of Russian external trade is now in roubles.

The share conducted in US dollars, euros and other Western currencies has declined.

Russia will try to boost the share of settlements conducted in the currencies of BRICS countries - which include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Mr Putin said.

"Last year, the share of payments for Russian exports in the so–called 'toxic' currencies of unfriendly states halved, while the share of the rouble in export and import transactions is growing - it is approaching 40% today," the president said.

Russia has referred to nations that imposed sanctions on it as "unfriendly".

The session begins with an address by the Russian president.

Vladimir Putin says there is a race among world powers to establish sovereignty.

He speaks of the need for countries to both establish partnerships and also to look internally to tackle challenges presented by the current global economic landscape.

Despite all the "obstacles and illegitimate sanctions", Russia remains one of the world's economic leaders, he says.

He adds that "friendly countries" - those that have not joined sanctions against Moscow - account for three quarters of Russia's mutual trade turnover, and praises them for that.

Countries including India and China have strengthened economic ties since Mr Putin launched his war in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has taken to the stage in St Petersburg to address the International Economic Forum there.

He's joined by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwais and Bolivian President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora.

Chairing the session is Sergey Karaganov - a Russian political scientist.

We'll bring you any key lines here in this live blog.

A T-shirt is on sale at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum printed with a phrase attributed to Vladimir Putin, Sky News has discovered.

"If a fight is inevitable, throw the first punch," it says.

The Russian president reportedly said it in 2015.

He apparently explained that it was something he had learned while growing up on the streets of Leningrad - a former name of St Petersburg.

The Russian defence ministry has accused Ukraine of injuring 20 people, including children, in a missile attack on the Russian-controlled eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, using US-supplied ATACMS missiles.

Four of five missiles were shot down by air defence systems, the ministry said in a statement.

However, one of the missiles damaged two residential apartment blocks, it added, claiming it was deliberate.

Sky News is unable to verify the allegations.

There has been no immediate comment from Ukraine.

The European Commission supports starting EU accession talks with Ukraine, the country's prime minister has said.

Denys Shmyhal said the commission had confirmed in a report that Kyiv had fulfilled the remaining steps required to start negotiations.

"Now we expect our European partners to take the next step - to start negotiations on European Union membership this month," Mr Shmyhal said on Telegram.

Earlier (7.43am post) we reported that the commission was reportedly ready to recommend that accession talks get underway.

It is part of an attempt to signal support for Kyiv before Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the EU next month, the Financial Times reported.

The EU announced earlier this year that it was sending an additional £42bn in aid to Ukraine - but only after weeks of resistance from Hungary , which reportedly has concerns about minority rights in Ukraine.

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IMAGES

The Medical Costs of Childhood Injuries: Emergency Department Visits
Urgent Care vs Emergency Room Costs, Differences and Options
Emergency department visits exceed affordability threshold for many
Costs of Emergency Department Visits By Age
Costs for emergency room visits and inpatient stays per month and cost
Emergency Room Visit Cost Without Insurance in 2023

COMMENTS

How Much Does An Emergency Room Visit Cost? (2024)
An ER visit costs $1,500 to $3,000 on average without insurance, with most people spending about $2,100 for an urgent, non-life-threatening health issue. The cost of an emergency room visit depends on the severity of the condition and the tests, treatments, and medications needed to treat it. Average ER visit cost - Chart.
How Much Does an ER Visit Cost? Free Local Cost Calculator
The average cost for an urgent care visit is around $180, according to UnitedHealth. 3. Retail Health Clinics. You may have noticed small retail health clinics (RHC) popping up in national drugstore chains like CVS, Walgreens, and in big-box stores like Target and Walmart.
Cost of an Emergency Room Visit
With Health Insurance: $50-$150 Copay. Without Health Insurance: $150-$3,000+. Typical costs: An emergency room visit typically is covered by health insurance. For patients covered by health insurance, out-of-pocket cost for an emergency room visit typically consists of a copay, usually $50-$150 or more, which often is waived if the patient is ...
Emergency Room Visit Cost With And Without Insurance in 2024
Learn More. For patients without health insurance, an emergency room visit cost $2715 on average or more, depending on the severity of the condition and what diagnostic tests and treatment are performed. The least expensive is in Maryland at $682/visit and the most expensive is in Florida, $3,394/visit. The average copay for an ER visit is $625.
How Much Does an ER Visit Cost in 2022? What to Know
Average Cost for ER Visits. In 2019, the average cost for an ER visit by an insured patient was $1,082. Those who were uninsured spent an average of $1,220. Average costs can vary by state and illness but range from $623-$3,087.
Emergency Room Visit: ER Costs & Wait Times
Emergency Room (ER) costs can vary greatly depending on what type of medical care you need. How much you pay for the visit depends on your health insurance plan. Most health plans may require you to pay something out-of-pocket for an emergency room visit. A visit to the ER may cost more if you have a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and you ...
Why An ER Visit Can Cost So Much
You wouldn't believe what some emergency rooms charge, or maybe you would because you've gotten bills. For example, one hospital charged $76 for Bacitracin antibacterial ointment. One woman who ...
Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017
Aggregate costs for emergency department (ED) visits by patient sex and age group, 2017. Figure 1 presents aggregate ED visit costs by patient sex and age group in 2017 as well as number of ED visits. Estimates of aggregate cost use the product of the number of cases and the average estimated cost per visit to account for records with missing ED charge information.
Urgent care or emergency room: Differences and when to visit
The authors of the 2021 study state that the average cost of treatment at an urgent care center is $156, while the same treatment may cost $570 or more at an emergency room. Costs depend on ...
The Costs of US Emergency Department Visits
The US population made 144.8 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2017, costing a total of $76.3 billion, estimated a recent statistical brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). That year, 13.3% of the US population incurred an expense for an ED visit, and more than ...
Using the ER for Non-Emergencies Is Expensive
As noted, the average cost for an emergency room visit can be anywhere between $2,400 to $2,600. If you visit the ER without insurance, you could end up paying that entire amount — or more — yourself. According to Health System Tracker, 25% of ER visits cost $3,043 or more. People who have employer health plans still pay, on average, $646 ...
How ER became 'the big box retailer of healthcare'—and ...
A recent study found that "in the United States, approximately 13% to 27% of ER visits can be addressed in ambulatory settings (including urgent care centers). Diverting these patients to the ...
ER, urgent care or virtual visit? What to consider ...
If you are faced with a non-emergency health condition - like a migraine, possible COVID-19, sore throat or stomachache - but your doctor's office is closed, you may consider a virtual visit. This allows you to virtually chat face-to-face with a doctor, day or night, and may save you up to $1,500 when compared to a visit to the ER. 2.
Estimates of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2016-2021
This visualization depicts both counts and rates of emergency department visits from 2016-2021 for the 10 leading primary diagnoses and reasons for visit, stratified by selected patient and hospital characteristics. Rankings for the 10 leading categories were identified using weighted data from 2021 and were then assessed in prior years ...
Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room: When to Visit Each
Visit an emergency room for: Chest pain or trouble breathing. Severe pain or headaches. Prolonged dizziness, sudden confusion, fainting or seizures. Severe bleeding or cuts that expose bone or tissue. Broken bones. Serious burns. Coughing up blood. Severe allergic reactions.
Costs of Emergency Department Visits By Age
Costs of Emergency Department Visits By Age (PDF, 1.6 MB) Source: HCUP Statistical Brief #268, Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017 ( PDF, 326 KB). View the list of HCUP Data Partners. Page last reviewed March 2021. Page originally created March 2021.
Emergency department visits exceed affordability threshold for many
Large employer plan enrollees' emergency department visits cost $2,453, on average, with enrollees responsible for $646 in out-of-pocket costs. On average, enrollees in large employer health plans who have an emergency department visit spend $646 out-of-pocket on the visit. There is significant variation in emergency department spending, with ...
What are my care options and their costs?
24/7 Virtual Visits. Convenience care clinic. Urgent care center. Emergency Room. Average cost. $1701 for in-person visits, $99 or less for virtual primary care visits. $54 or less2. $1001.
Emergency Room Services Coverage
You pay a copayment for each emergency department visit and a copayment for each hospital service you get.; After you meet the Part B deductible , you also pay 20% of the Medicare-Approved Amount for your doctor's services.; If your doctor admits you to the same hospital for a related condition within 3 days of your emergency department visit, you don't pay the copayment(s) because your visit ...
Telemedicine or in-person doctor's visit? How to find the right balance
Test your phone or tablet before the visit starts. You will want to make sure both audio and video work properly. You may need time to adjust your device settings. Make sure you're in a room or location that offers privacy, especially for therapy sessions. That's usually not a work cubicle, library or restaurant with public Wi-Fi.
Understanding Hospital Charges and Price Transparency
How can families/ CHOP representatives reach Patient Cost Estimation? By email at [email protected]. By phone at 267-426-1467. Through MyCHOP Billing, if you are a MyCHOP user. To request a MyCHOP access code, contact your CHOP provider. Via CHOP.edu.
Emergency Room Visits for Self-Harm Skyrocket
The figures per 100,000 people increased from 261 per 100,000 in 2011 to 871 in 2020. "When we translate the data to percent change, it is an 18.8% increase, which is huge," Rhee says. Their most striking increase was in self-harm visits for adults over 65, which went up by 30% annually. But every age group saw double digits annual ...
5 Common Emergency Expenses
Car Breakdown. "A car breakdown is one of the most frequent and costly emergency expenses," Godur said. "The average cost for a major car repair, such as a transmission or engine replacement, can range from $3,000 to $7,000.". He says even minor repairs, like fixing a brake system or replacing a fuel pump, can cost between $300 to $1,000.
Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017
Highlights. There were 144.8 million total emergency department (ED) visits in 2017 with aggregate ED costs totaling $76.3 billion (B). Aggregate ED costs were higher for females ($42.6B, 56 percent) than males ($33.7B, 44 percent); 55 percent of total ED visits were for females.
FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Secure the Border
President Biden believes we must secure our border. That is why today, he announced executive actions to bar migrants who cross our Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum. These actions ...
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Final Thoughts. Navigating the financial aftermath of a car accident can be daunting, but understanding the common costs involved and planning accordingly can make a significant difference. Emergency room visits, surgeries, hospital stays, physical therapy, medications, and attorney fees are all potential expenses that can add up quickly.
FACT SHEET: Biden-
In lifting this cap, small businesses may now bundle multiple 504 loans to finance projects that leverage clean energy technologies to lower production costs, improve energy efficiency, and ...
How to Protect Yourself and Others
In addition, there are other prevention strategies that you can choose to further protect yourself and others. Wearing a mask and putting distance between yourself and others can help lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Testing for COVID-19 can help you decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness ...
How CDC is monitoring influenza data to better understand the current
During the two most recent weeks, (May 19, 2024-June 1, 2024), a total of 300 of 739 sites reported data meeting criteria for analysis for influenza A virus for both weeks or for either week, and 2 (<1%) sites from two states were at a high level (>80th percentile compared to levels recorded at that site between October 1, 2023 and March 2, 2024).
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Vladimir Putin repeats warning he could send
Joe Biden has apologised to Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the recent delay in approving new US aid for Ukraine. Last month, following months of political disagreements, the Senate passed $95bn (£76.2bn ...