Emergency room or ER Visits in the US are extremely expensive. This is true even for minor non-emergency problems like allergy or sore throat and fever. The ER charges are notoriously high because the 24 hours running cost of all medical equipment and personnel are pretty high. Just for using the ER facility, you end up paying a lot more even for simple procedures like X-Rays and Blood Work. The same procedures can be done in an urgent care or doctor’s clinics at a lot much less cost.

ER Charges Covered for Major Emergency situations:
Most visitors Insurances cover the ER charges for any major medical emergency situations. However, expenses incurred in an emergency room, for non-emergency situations, may not be fully covered or may have limitations. Read and understand your policy for benefits related to ER.

Go to ER Only for Major Emergencies:

If someone has a major injury or a life-threatening sickness, they should go to the ER.  For example if someone has a heart attack, head injury, or has a major accident, you should take them to an ER. The ERs of bigger hospitals are better at dealing with such life threatening situation, which might require multiple specialist physicians and surgeries.

Choose an Urgent Care Center for Non-Emergency Medical Situations

Not only are ER visits expensive, wait time in emergency room on an average is quite long. If someone has a serious but non- life threatening medical condition like a fever and vomiting, allergies or minor injuries, that can be treated at a physician’s office, then it is better to go to the Urgent Care. Not only does it save you money, it also saves you from the hassles of long wait of being in the ER.

If you go to an Urgent Care, and the doctors there determine that the situation is indeed life-threatening, they would themselves call the ambulance, and send you to the nearest ER. In that situation the insurance company would pay for the ER charges for covered services.

You should make the right assessment of medical situation and make the right decision.