All procedures / ER Visit
How much does an ER visit cost?NPI VERIFIED
It depends on the visit level. Without insurance, hospitals that publish a self-pay price list a median of $495 for a level 3 (moderate) visit to $1,160 for a level 5 (most severe) visit. With insurance, the median rate hospitals negotiated runs from $307 for a level 3 (moderate) visit to $712 for a level 5 (most severe) visit, across 1,220–1,224 US hospitals that publish federally required price files. Hospitals disagree more than the ER visit levels do: for a level 4 (high severity) visit, the priciest tenth negotiated more than $1,426, 5.8× the cheapest tenth (under $247).
ER visit prices by visit level, side by side
middle half of hospitalsmedian insurance ratemedian cash priceMedicare rate · one shared scale, $0–$1,200
Codes ER Visit (Level 3) 99283 · ER Visit (Level 4) 99284 · ER Visit (Level 5) 99285 · Source: hospital machine-readable files (45 CFR §180), file dates 2022-11-12 to 2026-09-28 · Medicare baseline: CMS OPPS Addendum B, July 2026 · Data extracted 2026-10-06 · Page updated 2026-10-15
Insurance rate
$307–$712
median by visit level · 3 ER visit levels
Without insurance
$495–$1,160
median cash price by visit level
Cash ÷ insurance
1.6×
median cash price over median negotiated rate
Medicare baseline
$279–$608
CMS OPPS national · July 2026
These are contract reference rates, not your bill. A median across hospitals is not a quote for your plan or network. Your out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible, coinsurance and network status.
You don't pick the level — the hospital assigns it after the visit, based on how complex your care was. Levels 1 and 2 (minor problems) are not in our procedure list.
This is the hospital's facility fee for the visit level only. Tests, imaging, medication and the emergency physician's own fee are billed separately.
Coverage: 1,220–1,224 of the 5,419 hospitals in the CMS roster have an identity-verified price file with these services in our data. It is not a random sample, and a hospital missing here has not been judged non-compliant — we may simply not have its file yet. Up to 96 of these hospital files were more than 12 months old at extraction; we keep the figures and say so.
Each ER visit level, by state and insurance type
Reuse: the price statistics on this page are licensed CC BY 4.0 — use them for anything, including commercial work, crediting "HospitalPriceGrid (ArtiLabs)". Site text, design and paid data extracts are not covered.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an ER visit cost without insurance?
- Hospitals that publish a self-pay (cash) price list a median of $495 for a level 3 (moderate) visit up to $1,160 for a level 5 (most severe) visit (995–997 hospitals list one, depending on the visit level). That is the hospital's facility charge for the visit level — tests, imaging, medication and the emergency physician bill separately.
- How much does an ER visit cost with insurance?
- With insurance, the hospital's negotiated rate is what your plan is billed. Median negotiated rates run from $307 for a level 3 (moderate) visit to $712 for a level 5 (most severe) visit. Until you meet your deductible you typically pay that negotiated amount; after it, your coinsurance or copay applies. Your plan's own rate can sit above or below these figures.
- Which ER visit costs the most?
- Of the 3 ER visit levels here, a level 5 (most severe) visit has the highest median negotiated rate ($712) and a level 5 (most severe) visit the highest median cash price ($1,160); a level 3 (moderate) visit has the lowest negotiated rate ($307). Each one has its own page with state and insurance-type breakdowns.
- Why does the same ER visit cost so differently from hospital to hospital?
- Each hospital negotiates separately with each insurer. For a level 4 (high severity) visit, the priciest tenth of hospitals negotiated more than $1,426 — 5.8 times the cheapest tenth (under $247).
- Is the cash price cheaper than using insurance?
- Usually not, but sometimes. Median cash prices here are 1.6× the median negotiated rates. Still, at 31%–33% of the hospitals that list a cash price (depending on the visit level), it is lower than that hospital's own median negotiated rate. If you have a high deductible, ask the hospital for its self-pay price before you book.
- What is the Medicare rate shown here?
- It is the CMS national outpatient (OPPS) payment rate (July 2026): $279–$608 depending on the visit level. We show it as a government baseline: median negotiated rates are 1.1–1.2 times it.
See all 30 procedures →