Level 1 ER visit cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 14 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $159.84 to $504.60, with a median of $238.08. The lowest listed price is at Swedish Issaquah and 1 other hospital — $78.24 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $234.36 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 11 cities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish Issaquah lowest Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED OB FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $159.84 | $333.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED OB FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $159.84 | $333.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED OB FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $159.84 | $333.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Low Level Obed Visits Level 1 | $205.00 | $410.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $216.00 | $450.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED BH FAC E&M LEVEL 1 CDM | $216.00 | $450.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $216.00 | $450.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED BH FAC E&M LEVEL 1 CDM | $216.00 | $450.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $216.00 | $450.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED BH FAC E&M LEVEL 1 CDM | $216.00 | $450.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $221.52 | $426.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC ER FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $221.66 | $769.00 | $99.80–$576.75 | 71% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC ER FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $233.90 | $769.00 | $99.80–$576.75 | 70% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC ER FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $234.82 | $769.00 | $98.00–$692.10 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Low Level Ed Visits Level 1 | $235.50 | $471.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC ER FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $241.33 | $769.00 | $98.00–$576.75 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 ED - LEVEL ONE E & M, FAC | $252.96 | $496.00 | $297.60–$396.80 | 49% | — source file |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC ER FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $254.70 | $769.00 | $94.10–$576.75 | 67% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association Enumclaw, WA HC ER FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $271.74 | $769.00 | $130.73–$692.10 | 65% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC ER LEVEL 1 | $305.60 | $382.00 | $32.47–$343.80 | 20% | — source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1 | $367.20 | $459.00 | $144.00–$320.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $367.20 | $459.00 | $144.00–$320.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 ER Visit Level 1 | $504.60 | $504.60 | $127.16–$484.42 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $159.84, median $238.08, highest $504.60 — a 3.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $234.82. 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 8 of 10 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 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.