Level 1 ER visit cost in Duluth, MN
In Duluth, MN-WI, 12 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $76.80 to $280.26, with a median of $195.70. The lowest listed price is at Community Memorial Hospital — $118.90 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $203.65 at 85 hospitals.
- The median here, $195.70, is 12% below the US median of $222.62.
- That is 2.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($86.15).
- Duluth, MN ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Minnesota by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 9 cities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Duluth, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Memorial Hospital lowest Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 ER TRIAGE/NURSING FEE ONLY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $76.80 | $120.00 | $120.00–$271.00 | 36% |
| Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 MINOR SERVICE THROUGH ER File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $104.32 | $163.00 | $120.00–$271.00 | 36% |
| Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 ER-EVAL & MGMT, LEVEL 1 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $104.64 | $163.50 | $120.00–$271.00 | 36% |
| Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet, MN · (218) 879-4641 EMERGENCY ROOM LEVEL I File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $173.44 | $271.00 | $120.00–$271.00 | 36% |
| Essentia Health Virginia Virginia, MN · (218) 741-3340 FACILITY EMERGENCY LEVEL 1 VISIT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $177.10 | $282.00 | $64.86–$254.93 | 37% |
| Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital Duluth, MN · (218) 249-2449 Fac Emergency Level I File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $180.06 | $331.00 | — | 46% |
| Essentia Health Duluth Duluth, MN · (218) 786-2652 FACILITY EMERGENCY LEVEL 1 VISIT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $186.12 | $282.00 | $93.34–$242.52 | 34% |
| Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center Duluth, MN · (218) 786-3574 FACILITY EMERGENCY LEVEL 1 VISIT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $186.12 | $282.00 | $93.34–$242.52 | 34% |
| Essentia Health St. Mary's Children's Hospital Duluth, MN FACILITY EMERGENCY LEVEL 1 VISIT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $186.12 | $282.00 | $93.34–$242.52 | 34% |
| Range Regional Health Services Hibbing, MN · (218) 362-6730 HC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT LEVEL 1 File of Jan 29, 2026 · source file | $205.28 | $483.00 | $82.11–$770.00 | 57% |
| The Cook Hospital Cook, MN · (218) 666-5945 EMERGENCY ROOM LEVEL 1 File of Aug 10, 2026 · source file | $207.57 | $314.50 | $286.00 | 34% |
| Essentia Health Moose Lake Moose Lake, MN · (218) 786-1367 FACILITY EMERGENCY LEVEL 1 VISIT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $208.40 | $282.00 | $112.24–$255.21 | 26% |
| Essentia Health St Marys Hospital-Superior Superior, WI · (715) 817-7000 FACILITY EMERGENCY LEVEL 1 VISIT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $208.40 | $282.00 | $90.24–$255.21 | 26% |
| Essentia Health Northern Pines Aurora, MN · (218) 229-4222 FACILITY EMERGENCY LEVEL 1 VISIT File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $208.40 | $282.00 | $108.26–$282.00 | 26% |
| Range Regional Health Services Hibbing, MN · (218) 362-6730 HC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT LEVEL 1 W PROCEDURE File of Jan 29, 2026 · source file | $219.73 | $517.00 | $82.11–$770.00 | 57% |
| Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital Ely, MN · (218) 365-3271 Emergency department visit for problem that may not require health care professional File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $280.26 | $346.00 | $118.30–$346.00 | 19% |
Outpatient: lowest $76.80, median $195.70, highest $280.26 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $186.12. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What level 1 ER visit is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Level 1 ER visit explained.