Level 1 ER visit cost in Louisville, KY
In Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, 18 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $60.34 to $551.74, with a median of $249.01. The lowest listed price is at Norton Clark Hospital — $188.67 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $199.16 at 78 hospitals.
- The median here, $249.01, is 12% above the US median of $222.62.
- That is 2.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($86.15).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 9 cities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 9, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Clark Hospital lowest Jeffersonville, IN · (812) 283-2147 HB ER LEVEL 1 File of Jun 3, 2026 · source file | $60.34 | $431.00 | $92.24–$1,312.00 | 86% |
| University of Louisville Hospital Louisville, KY · (502) 562-3000 SAFE SERVICES LEVEL 1+2 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $63.84 | $266.00 | $44.69–$266.00 | 76% |
| Saints Mary & Elizabeth Hospital Louisville, KY SAFE SERVICES LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $75.24 | $209.00 | $35.11–$209.00 | 64% |
| UofL Health -Shelbyville Shelbyville, KY · (502) 647-4000 SAFE SERVICES LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $79.42 | $209.00 | $27.99–$209.00 | 62% |
| UofL Health - Jewish Hospital and Mary & Elizabeth Hospital Louisville, KY · (502) 587-4011 SAFE SERVICES LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $119.70 | $266.00 | $44.69–$266.00 | 55% |
| UofL Health-Louisville – South Hospital Shepherdville, KY EMERGENCY ROOM LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $119.70 | $266.00 | $44.69–$266.00 | 55% |
| Our Lady of Peace Louisville, KY EPS LEVEL ONE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $149.49 | $266.00 | $47.88–$266.00 | 44% |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 ED VISIT MEDICAL SCRN TRIAGE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $216.60 | $361.00 | $3.65–$33.30 | 40% |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 ED VISIT LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $217.20 | $362.00 | $3.65–$33.30 | 40% |
| CHI Saint Joseph Flaget Memorial Hospital Bardstown, KY · (502) 350-5000 HC ED Level 1 File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $238.01 | $564.00 | $83.08–$449.51 | 58% |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 ED VISIT LEVEL 1 W/ PROCEDURE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $251.40 | $419.00 | $3.65–$33.30 | 40% |
| Norton West Louisville Hospital Louisville, KY HB ER LEVEL 1+2 more lines at this price File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $260.00 | $1,300.00 | $82.54–$1,693.00 | 80% |
| Norton Children's Hospital Louisville, KY HB EXPRESS ER LEVEL 1+2 more lines at this price File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $260.00 | $1,300.00 | $82.54–$1,105.00 | 80% |
| Norton Hospital Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB ED LEVEL I DIRECT ADMIT+2 more lines at this price File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $260.00 | $1,300.00 | $82.54–$1,648.00 | 80% |
| Norton Women's and Kosair Children's Hospital Louisville, KY HB ED LEVEL I DIRECT ADMIT+2 more lines at this price File of Feb 13, 2026 · source file | $260.00 | $1,300.00 | $82.54–$1,648.00 | 80% |
| Norton Brownsboro Hospital Louisville, KY HB ED LEVEL I DIRECT ADMIT+2 more lines at this price File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $260.00 | $1,300.00 | $82.54–$1,648.00 | 80% |
| Harrison County Hospital Corydon, IN · (812) 738-4251 Emergency department visit for problem that may not require health care professional File of Jul 16, 2026 · source file | $289.80 | $483.00 | $78.80–$483.00 | 40% |
| Norton West Louisville Hospital Louisville, KY HB KIDS EXPRESS LEVEL 1 File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $301.60 | $1,508.00 | $82.54–$1,693.00 | 80% |
| Norton Women's and Kosair Children's Hospital Louisville, KY HB KIDS EXPRESS LEVEL 1 File of Feb 13, 2026 · source file | $301.60 | $1,508.00 | $82.54–$1,648.00 | 80% |
| Norton Children's Hospital Louisville, KY HB KIDS EXPRESS LEVEL 1 File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $301.60 | $1,508.00 | $82.54–$1,281.80 | 80% |
| Norton Brownsboro Hospital Louisville, KY HB KIDS EXPRESS LEVEL 1 File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $301.60 | $1,508.00 | $82.54–$1,648.00 | 80% |
| Norton Hospital Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB KIDS EXPRESS LEVEL 1 File of Feb 11, 2026 · source file | $301.60 | $1,508.00 | $82.54–$1,648.00 | 80% |
| Baptist Health Louisville Louisville, KY · (502) 897-8100 Emergency department visit for problem that may not require health care professional File of Sep 25, 2026 · source file | $551.74 | $735.65 | $80.92–$1,997.00 | 25% |
| Baptist Health LaGrange La Grange, KY · (502) 222-5388 Emergency department visit for problem that may not require health care professional File of Sep 25, 2026 · source file | $551.74 | $735.65 | $66.21–$1,471.30 | 25% |
| Baptist Health Floyd New Albany, IN · (812) 944-7701 Emergency department visit for problem that may not require health care professional File of Sep 25, 2026 · source file | $551.74 | $735.65 | $35.00–$1,727.00 | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $60.34, median $249.01, highest $551.74 — a 9.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $249.01. 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 17 of 18 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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.