Hospital ER charges

Relative recently spent an entire day in the ER waiting for a hospital bed after being triaged. Most hospitals in Seattle are the same story…over loaded. Can he expect to pay the same rates at a all hospitals if he can find one with shorter wait time. Only has Medicare insurance.

Pretty sure that if a hospital or Dr accepts Medicare, Medicare sets the rates. Should be the same anywhere it’s accepted.

Agree for straight Medicare, but if he has a Supplement policy, Aetna, Humana, UHC. Cigna, etc. could make a difference depending on the type of supplement.

We are with Kaiser… worth looking at.
They have urgent care facilities and will transport you to a hospital if needed.

With more than 35 Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout Western Washington and the Spokane area , and affiliated providers across the state, you’ll have access to the right care when and where you need it.

Advantage plans definitely have hospitals that are in-network and others that are not.

There might be differences in copays in the case of true emergencies, where the closest is where you need to go, and triage will put you at the front of the line vs a less serious emergency where you presumably have time to go to a farther, but in-network facility.