The Cost Factor: When Retail Clinics Are The Best Deal

Posted Tue, 2009/08/18 - 03:42 by Amer Kaissi

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Previously, I discussed the differences between retail clinics and urgent care clinics in terms of location, staffing, care provided, and waiting time. One other important consideration is that of out-of-pocket cost to the patient/consumer.

Retail clinics have an upfront menu style pricing that is not typically found in any other healthcare setting, such as urgent care clinics. For example, MinuteClinic charges $62 for allergies, $67 for bladder infections, and $77 for step throat. Minor burns also cost $62 while wart removal costs just $69. Therefore, if you do not have health insurance or prefer to pay out-of-pocket, the prices range between $60 and $70 for most conditions.

Urgent care clinics are not that transparent when it comes to prices, and though cheaper than your typical emergency room visit, the average cost per visit is around $102.

There are generally two types of people with no health insurance: those that can afford it but decide not to get it because they consider themselves mostly healthy, and those that want it but cannot afford it. If you’re in the first category, $60, 70$ or even $100 per visit might not be a big deal, but retail clinics seem to be a better bang for your buck. If you are uninsured because you are unemployed, have low income, work for a small company or are self-employed, even $60 per visit might constitute a substantial cost and therefore even the retail clinic may be beyond your means.

If you have health insurance either through your employer or privately, you will be charged your primary physician co-pay when you seek care from the retail clinic. This obviously varies by insurance plan. Mine for example is $30 per visit. However, most insurance plans have a special co-pay for urgent care visits, usually much higher than the primary care co-pay. Mine is at $75. Therefore, even if you are insured, retail clinics are a much better deal than urgent care ones for minor health conditions.

In summary, if you have a minor condition, retail clinics are cheaper and require less time than urgent care clinics regardless of whether you are insured or not. For more major conditions, urgent care clinics are the safest bet. As for life-threatening conditions, the emergency room is without a doubt the best option.

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