Urgent care services are a great option if you’re facing a minor injury but can’t get to the doctor and isn’t serious enough for a trip to the ER. The convenience of urgent care in Philadelphia is unmatched but if you’ve never utilized the services before, it could leave you feeling a bit confused. One of the primary questions people have about using urgent care is the cost. Read on to understand more about the cost related to visiting urgent care in Philadelphia.
What is Urgent Care and How Does it Differ from the ER?
Urgent care is a medical service that features hours outside of normal business hours and treats minor injuries. These facilities are open when doctor’s offices usually aren’t such as on nights, weekends, and some holidays. Minor injuries are those that require attention within 24 hours such as cold and flu, dehydration, urinary tract infection, minor burns, and more.
The major difference between urgent care in Philadelphia and the ER is the type of care provided. While urgent care is only equipped to handle minor injuries, the ER can handle both minor and major injuries. A few examples of major injuries include chest pain, uncontrollable bleeding, pregnancy-related problems, stroke symptoms, and more.
The varying level of care factors into the cost that you will pay at each medical center. ER visits are incredibly costly because they need to employ a broader spectrum of physicians to treat major injuries and the equipment associated with treatments. Urgent care doesn’t have that much of an overhead cost since they only treat minor injuries, which keeps the cost low.
If you are facing a minor injury, it’s best to visit an urgent care clinic. You would pay hundreds more for the same treatment at the ER compared to the same visit at urgent care.
Does Insurance Cover Urgent Care Visits?
In most cases, yes, insurance will cover a visit to urgent care in Philadelphia. How much you will pay depends on your individual health insurance plan. Some plans cover urgent care visits in full, some require a copayment, and others will require you to meet your deductible before covering urgent care costs.
Per the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health insurance plans must cover emergency services. However, not all insurance plans consider urgent care in the same benefit class as an emergency service. Health insurance plans tend to make two distinctions for emergency services related to urgent care:
- Urgent care could be defined as a minor medical condition that requires attention within 24 hours but not immediate medical attention.
- Urgent care may carry a different copay compared to the ER. The copay amount could likely be the same at urgent care as it would be at your doctor’s office.
How Much Does Urgent Care Cost Without Insurance?
Without insurance, urgent care in Philadelphia is a much more affordable option than an ER visit. While the cost ranges between $100
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