Level 1 ER visit cost in San Antonio, TX
In San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $108.75 to $234.30, with a median of $171.53. The lowest listed price is at University Health System — $62.78 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $239.79 at 98 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 14, 2025 and Jan 13, 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT LEVEL 1 VISIT LIMITED/MINO | $108.75 | $435.00 | $82.68–$1,087.50 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| Santa Rosa Hospital - Westover Hills San Antonio, TX HC 99281 EMERGENCY VISIT LEVEL 1 | $234.30 | $710.00 | $51.36–$1,053.00 | 67% | Jan 13, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $108.75, median $171.53, highest $234.30 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $108.75. 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 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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 it is
This is the lowest of five emergency department visit levels, used for a minor problem that needs little care. Since 2023 this level may apply even when no physician or similar clinician needs to see the patient. The level is assigned after the visit: doctors pick it by the complexity of their medical decision making, and hospitals pick the facility level by the care and resources used, so a patient cannot choose it in advance.
What the price covers
The hospital price for this code is the facility fee for the ER visit. The emergency physician bills separately, and lab tests, imaging, medicines and procedures are added on top.