By Josh Nakka
Most people guess a couple thousand dollars, but the reality can be far more shocking. An ER bill can sometimes top $20,000.
Above is a snapshot of UnitedHealthcare’s negotiated facility fees for over 1,500 emergency rooms. Notice anything? The fees are all over the place, even for the exact same level of care.
Facility fees cover the basic cost of visiting an ER and are categorized into five levels, from minor issues to complex cases. But here’s the issue: hospitals and ERs often charge vastly different rates for identical care levels. Some hospitals charge more for minor visits than others charge for severe emergencies. Additionally, there’s often a professional fee component added to these facility fees which can add, on average, an additional ~20% to the total bill.
Why does this matter?
In an emergency, you don’t get to choose your hospital, you go wherever the ambulance takes you. Afterward, you can be left with unexpected bills that create significant financial stress.
We’re sharing this data because healthcare needs real transparency. Clear pricing isn’t just helpful, it’s absolutely necessary. No one should face financial hardship because they needed emergency care.
At PriceMedic we keep track of negotiated rates like facility fees from over 200 payors nationwide. We’re committed to making healthcare pricing transparent so patients, providers, and payers can make smarter decisions.
Want to know more about facility fees in your area, or how your reimbursements compare? Drop a comment or message. We’re here to help.
These reimbursement rates represent the average contracted facility fee per city for Level 3 emergency room visits with UnitedHealthcare across its commercial and exchange plans. Data is sourced from UHC’s publicly available transparency files (June 2025) and reflects contracted rates at the time of publication taken directly from PriceMedic’s reporting tool.
