What Is An Emergency?
Life happens. One minute you’re making dinner and the next you slice your finger. Luckily, your health care coverage puts you in control of your health care and costs.
You have choices when it comes to choosing care. Just because your finger is hurt doesn’t mean you need to go to the emergency room (ER). And in some cases, if you do go to the ER, your visit isn’t covered. This means you could end up paying part or all of the bill.
Knowing what is — and isn’t — an emergency can help you plan for the unexpected.
When The ER Should Be Used
You should go to the ER for life-threatening symptoms, such as:
- Heart problems
- Breathing problems
- Heavy bleeding
- Broken bones
- Severe pain
When The ER Shouldn't Be Used
You have choices other than the ER for health concerns like:
- Colds, sore throat and flu symptoms
- Ear or sinus pain
- Rashes
- Cuts that don’t need stitches
- Constipation
- Tolerable pain
Call Our 24/7 Bilingual Nurseline
Bilingual (English and Spanish) nurses are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 1-800-299-0274 for help identifying some options when you or a family member has a health problem or concern.
Estimate Your Costs
Before going for any care, you can log in to your account and use the cost estimator tool to compare costs.