Urgent care is an important health care option that can save you money on non-life-threatening health emergencies over a visit to an emergency room. Compared to an emergency room, you can save significantly. For example, the average cost for a visit to the emergency room for an earache is $400, as opposed to $110 for urgent care. For strep throat, an emergency room visit averages $531, while an urgent care visit is $111. It's important to know what your local urgent care options are so in the case of an emergency, you're already familiar with where you need to go and which places will accept your health insurance coverage. It's also important to ensure that you know what to bring with you.
Identification
Of course, the most important thing you'll need to have with you is a form of government ID. There are several forms that will work, including a driver's license, passport, or military ID. Some urgent care facilities may also accept a student ID or employment ID badge if it contains a recent photo. Additionally, if you're not the patient but you're accompanying a child under the age of 18, you'll need to make sure you have your photo ID on you as well.
Health Insurance Card
The next most important item to bring with you in addition to your photo ID is your health insurance card. If you're fully insured but you don't have your information, your visit may not be billed correctly, and that can cause a bureaucratic headache when you try to sort out the billing at a later date. You may even be improperly billed and saddled with an unnecessary bill that your insurance would have easily covered if you'd just had your insurance card with you. One exception to this rule is if you've been injured on the job. Then it's the responsibility of your employer's health insurance to cover the cost of your visit, and you won't be required to show an ID card for your employer's coverage.
Medical History
If you have a history of allergies to medications or health complications, it's also a good idea to bring in your medical history when you go to urgent care. This includes a list of your current prescriptions and medications. The best way to make sure this is possible is to have your history in an easy to retrieve place in your home at all times, like a file folder or accordion document box. Then it will be easy to retrieve if an urgent healthcare situation arises and you need to leave quickly.
