If you’re hurt in a car accident, you could end up in the emergency room. Certainly, you’re not thinking about the price. You’re just thinking about getting treatment quickly. You’ll worry about the cost later.
However, it is good to know how much an emergency situation is going to cost you. It is important to note that every case is different. It depends, to a large degree, on what injuries you have and what type of care you need.
Still, some experts note that it usually costs between $50 and $150 if you have health insurance. If you don’t have insurance, the range leaps dramatically to anywhere between $150 and $3,000.
Many additional charges may apply, so your total bill could cost more than that. One study put the average at $1,233, which means there were plenty of people who needed to pay far more than that to get care. Even this average did not include lab fees, diagnostic tests and other similar charges.
On top of that, your stay in the hospital could cost you a lot more than the trip to the ER. If you have serious injures, you may wind up staying in the hospital for days or weeks while you heal. You may need medications, emergency transportation, special medical equipment, around the clock care and more. These costs can all dramatically increase the overall bill for an accident that probably took just two or three seconds to happen.
If you are facing high bills in the wake of a crash caused by another driver, it might be wise to look into your rights to financial compensation.
Source: FastMed, “How Much Does an Emergency Room Visit Cost?,” accessed Feb. 24, 2017