If you need medical attention right away, wondering how to pay for the cost of urgent care with or without insurance shouldn’t deter you from getting the help you need. Here is some basic information about urgent care and emergency room costs to help ease any worry about a future emergency. Show
Start a GoFundMe Urgent care vs emergency room: What are the main differences?The main differences between urgent care and emergency room visits are cost and the severity of your illness. To start, both of these options should only be utilized when you are not able to make an appointment with your primary care physician or need medical attention right away. If you aren’t able to schedule an appointment with your doctor, but the illness or injury you’re experiencing is something that you would normally see them for, urgent care is your best option. Many people will visit urgent care centers to treat things such as a minor injury requiring a few stitches, or treatment for the flu or a cold . Urgent care clinics are not intended to provide emergency services and they are often much cheaper than emergency room visits. Emergency room visits should be reserved for serious medical conditions or injuries that need immediate attention, such as heart attack symptoms, shortness of breath, deep cuts, or head injuries. Now, how do emergency room costs compare to the cost of an urgent care visit? We’ll dive into that below. How much does urgent care cost?
How much does a trip to the emergency room cost?
Ways to cover the cost of your urgent care visit or ER costsEnormous health care bills after an ER visit or urgent care trip are an unfortunate reality for many uninsured Americans. In fact, according to Nasdaq, among people who filed for bankruptcy between 2013 and 2016, medical bills caused 58.5% of those bankruptcies. The last thing that anyone should have to worry about when healing from an illness or injury is the possibility of medical bankruptcy. Here are a few different ways you can pay medical bills so that you can get back to focusing on your recovery: 1. See if there are any ways to decrease your bill
2. Crowdfund to pay your medical billsIf you’re having trouble figuring out how to pay for an emergency room visit, crowdfunding can help. Share your experience with your network of friends and family by starting a fundraiser and asking them if they can please help. When your community sees the struggle you’re going through, they may want to make a donation to help you get back on your feet. It’s also important to note that while government assistance programs and grants can take a long time to come through, you can receive funds to your bank account in a matter of days through fundraising online. Before you get started, read through these medical fundraising tips and look through existing crowdfunding campaigns for ideas on how to tell your story as well as some of the benefits of using crowdfunding. Below are three stories of people who used online fundraising to help pay their medical bills: Cody’s Medical Bills27-year-old Cody slipped and hit his head when he was at his friend’s house. At first, he thought nothing of it and got up and went about his day. A few hours later, he struggled to maintain consciousness and he was rushed to the hospital where they found that he had a brain bleed. While Cody is recovering, a family friend started a GoFundMe to help pay for his stay in the hospital. So far, friends and family members have raised over $80,000 for Cody. Jon’s bike accident medical fundJon had an accident on his bike, leaving him with a broken collarbone and shoulder. With the cost of surgery on top of already
high emergency room costs, medical bills just kept growing for the Christenson family. To help out, a family member started a GoFundMe and raised over $7,000 to help pay off Jon’s unexpected medical bills. Jen’s ER VisitJen took a trip to the emergency room when she started experiencing concerning symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, vomiting, migraine, and neck pain. Without insurance, the cost of her trip to the emergency room quickly added up. A friend started a GoFundMe for Jen and raised nearly $7,000 to help her pay for her medical bills. 3. Apply for government assistanceWhile the US government typically does not offer financial assistance in covering past medical bills, there are a few programs that can help reduce your bills so that you can put more toward outstanding medical costs.
Folks are using crowdfunding to cover coronavirus related medical billsAs the coronavirus continues to burden the United States healthcare system, emergency room visits will likely continue to increase. While coronavirus tests are for all Americans, CNBC estimates that uninsured folks who are hospitalized with the coronavirus will likely pay between $42,000 and $74,000 for their hospital stay. To mitigate those costs as much as possible, many people have turned to fundraising for coronavirus medical expenses: Angela Primo pregnant and sick with Covid-19Angela was diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to the hospital at 33 weeks pregnant. While she has since been discharged and is back home, Angela’s twin sister started a GoFundMe and raised over $50,000 to help cover medical expenses incurred from Angela’s stay at the hospital. Pray for LauraLaura came down with coronavirus while visiting her parents in Massachusetts. After a few days of life-threatening COVID-19 symptoms, Laura was flown to a different hospital, which ultimately saved her life. Through GoFundMe, $85,000 has been raised to help cover Laura’s hospital bills. Related reading:
Don’t let financial hardship stop you from getting the medical attention you needFinancial costs affiliated with emergency medical assistance should never stand in the way of getting access to the help and treatment you need. There are a number of different ways to get emergency financial
assistance—from government grants to crowdfunding. GoFundMe is here to help make sure that you have all of the resources you need to pay off your medical bills so that you can stay focused on your recovery. Start your fundraiser today. Start a GoFundMe Additional coronavirus crowdfunding resources
How much does an emergency room cost without insurance in us?For patients without health insurance, an emergency room visit can cost less than $2200. If your treatment is extensive, an ER visit can exceed this price. For instance, 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.
Why does it cost so much to go to the emergency room?The average co-pay for insured patients can be as much as four times more expensive than an urgent care co-pay. Emergency centers are much more expensive than urgent care services because the resources are sparse and intended to only be used for serious, life-threatening issues.
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