Much Does It Cost To Go To The ER Without Health Insurance? 
Retail Costs : Urgent Care and Labs $ 217 ER Visit $ 1115 Drugs -LRB- steroid -RRB- $ 28 Radiology -LRB- chest X-ray -RRB- $ 152 Radiologist -LRB- to read chest X-ray -RRB- $ 54 Respiratory -LRB- nebulizer -RRB- $ 92 Take home prescriptions $ 76.06 -LRB- $ 45 was for the eye drop that I didnt have a sample of , darn ! -RRB- Total cost to be sick : $ 1734.06 Now , even though we have a high deductible and everything applies to that , I dont have to pay this cost out of pocket . Because the providers we used accept assignment , our insurance company sets a cap on how much they will pay for a service . Because of that , we get a discounted rate , which lowers the cost to $ 1308.51 , almost a 25 % discount . Whether you agree or not , those are the rules . Since we will pay with HSA money , this will also save about another $ 327 in taxes . If you have to pay any out of pocket costs for health care services or medicines , I strongly suggest looking into this type plan . What if You Dont Have Insurance ? If you dont have insurance , you could be looking at full price . I know for a fact that our hospital offers a 30 % discount if you pay all at once with a cash or a check . They also set up payment plans , but you lose the discount and get a penalty if you miss a payment . Not all hospitals will work with patients , so you could be forced to use credit or get sent to collections if you cant pay . This amount is not likely to bankrupt anyone , but what if my daughter had been admitted for pneumonia or something worse ? I think going without health insurance is just too much of a risk . Finally , it really makes me mad when I have to admit that I thought about costs and money before taking my sick kid to the emergency room . Honestly , I would have probably done the same thing , even if I knew it would have been $ 5000 or $ 10,000 , but how many people have to weigh getting needed health care with how much money they have in the bank ? I dont have an answer , but Im repeatedly reminded about the crazy cost of health care in the US , and right now , Id rather my tax dollars go toward some sort of solution rather than funding things that do me no good . 