Emergency rooms are expensive. It takes a lot of resources to keep a well-staffed and supplied medical facility operating constantly. Hospitals charge a premium for the services provided at an emergency room.
In some cases, health insurance policies may apply a higher deductible to emergency room visits or may decline to cover them at all if they determine that the visit was not necessary and that someone should either have seen their primary care physician or gone to an urgent care facility instead.
Whether you fell down the stairs at your apartment building because of dirty floors or you broke a bone in a car crash, you may require emergency medical care. How much will that medical treatment set you back in Pennsylvania, as compared to other states?
Pennsylvania falls in the middle of the price spectrum
Every facility charges different prices, and every medical condition requires different kinds of treatment. However, researchers can look at the average expense for a moderately severe condition requiring treatment at an emergency room by comparing a broad range of different cases and different states.
What they found shows that Pennsylvania falls in roughly the middle of the spectrum when it comes to emergency room care costs. Pennsylvania is among the more expensive states when it comes to the average cost for an emergency room visit. According to a recent report by CBS News, Pennsylvania ranks 23rd in the country for the highest emergency room costs.
Visitors can expect their bills to average $1,645 before they apply their health insurance. That is substantially less than the $3,102 bill people have to pay in the most expensive state, Florida, but it is also much more than the $952 charges on average in Maine, the least expensive.
What does that information mean for you?
As someone who may have a right to file a premises liability or car insurance claim, recognizing the cost of different care might help you realize that pursuing compensation is worthwhile. If you learn this information before an accident, it might inspire you to review your personal automotive insurance and other coverage to ensure you have as much protection as possible if you do get hurt.
Exploring your options for personal injury compensation can help you pay for emergency room care and other medical treatment.