Northern Utah Urgent Care Prices: A Little too Pricey

Let's Push Through the Taboo and Talk About Money

I called different urgent cares in Northern Utah, and getting a price out of any of them was like pulling teeth. The only way to get a price was to forgo using any health insurance plans in favor of cash pay pricing. Even then, some refused. This makes going to the doctor tough... "you’re not gonna tell me how much it costs? I’m guessing that means it’s not gonna be a small number."

The Issue of Price Transparency

Maybe it’s considered tacky to discuss price since health is... well, priceless, and therefore any price can be justified, right? This line of thinking certainly lays the groundwork for high and undisclosed prices. So, if price doesn’t matter, then why are you asking, and why should I tell you? I agree, health and life are worth any amount of money, but medicine, clinicians, nurses, and hospitals have inherent costs, and frankly, my wallet can’t handle any price. So, let’s discuss healthcare pricing as it relates to urgent care.

Comparing Costs

Consumers have a keen eye for a bargain and a rip-off. Gas under $2 a gallon? Pull over! Socks $10 a pair? Forget that! That innate sense flares up for healthcare bills just the same. An urgent care visit—15 minutes of a clinician’s time and a simple test—for $500? I don’t think so. Even half that feels like too much. You might justify it because you’re miserable or worried, but you won’t feel good about it. You just know you’re getting ripped off.

If the clinician spends 15 minutes with you and is paid $100 an hour (which is more than most urgent care providers get), that works out to $25 for your visit. Double it to cover the building, receptionist, malpractice insurance, lights, and add a bit for the test. There is no way your visit should cost more than $100. Contemplating this topic while heading home from an urgent care visit not too long ago, I asked my wife—who’s not in healthcare but is business savvy—how much she thought the visit was worth. She said, “Around $80 feels right.”

Cash Pay Prices of Major Urgent Care Providers in Northern Utah

1. Ogden Clinic: An urgent care appointment costs $150 at minimum depending on what you are seen for. This does not include any testing. For example, a flu test costs $30 according to their website.

2. Tanner Clinic: Urgent care prices start at a minimum $115 with an additional $30 fee for any visits after 5 PM. Testing is an additional cost. For example, a strep throat test is $55, according to their website.

3. IHC “Instacare”: They can’t provide a cost estimate over the phone, but they require a $100 payment upfront, and you will receive an invoice for the rest afterward. Lab testing prices are not easily found on their website.

4. Revere Health: Their billing department declined to state a price for urgent care appointments over the phone. Lab prices were not easily found on their website.

5. Cobia Clinic: Charges $85 for their urgent care appointments. Common tests needed for an urgent care appointment, such as strep, flu, COVID-19, and urinalysis, are included in the price of the visit. Certain time or material intensive cases, such as suturing, can cost more. However, a price will be provided and agreed upon before giving the service.

Now with Insurance

No one spends your money as thriftily as you do. That is true with your health insurance as well. These clinics bill your insurance at a different, higher rate than the cash pay price. Then, the insurance company references the complicated contract with you and decides which part of the bill they are obligated to cover…or not cover. The rest of the bill is your responsibility.

Conclusion

To conclude, less money could be spent and wasted if prices were out there in the open and visible. Taking control of our money, we could be as frugal with our healthcare dollar as we are with our other dollars. For a long time, my family’s health insurance premium was our second biggest monthly bill next to the mortgage. And that doesn’t even include the deductible! I felt like we were being conned. My goal with the Cobia Clinic is to provide healthcare that doesn’t feel like a rip-off, with a provider you know and trust. So, with any healthcare questions or problems, I await your call at (801) 407-9595.