My daughter went to the ER in January to get something for her terrible coughing due to bronchitis. Saw the doc for 20 minutes. Bill for said doc is $1,300, even after the Blue Shield adjustment.
Yep, very sad. Those ripoffs are where Hospitals are recouping part of the cost of treating illegals.
There are urgent care facilities for just this kind of thing - far cheaper than ER visits. Did you contact your PCF? Normally they have an on-call nurse that can also provide information and directions on how to handle things - again cheaper and without tying up the ER.