When something goes wrong with your health, the last thing you should be doing is mental math. But the reality is that cost matters — and for a lot of families in the Oro Valley, Catalina, and north Tucson area, the question of what this is going to cost is part of the decision about where to go.

The good news: urgent care is almost always the more affordable option for non-emergency conditions, and at Arizona Primary & Urgent Care, we’ve built our practice around accessible, transparent pricing — whether you have insurance or you’re paying out of pocket.

Here’s everything you need to know about what we accept, what it costs, and why choosing us over the ER is one of the smartest healthcare decisions you can make.

Why Urgent Care Costs Less Than the ER — By a Lot

This isn’t a rounding difference. The cost gap between urgent care and an emergency room visit for the same condition is substantial, and it affects both insured and uninsured patients.

For insured patients, your plan’s cost-sharing structure treats urgent care and ER visits as separate benefit categories — almost always with very different out-of-pocket exposure. A typical insurance plan might assign a $35–$75 copay to an urgent care visit, while the same plan charges a $250–$500 ER copay plus coinsurance on top. If you haven’t met your deductible, those ER costs can escalate quickly into the thousands.

For uninsured or self-pay patients, the difference is even starker. An ER visit for something like a sprained ankle, UTI, or ear infection — conditions that require no emergency-level resources — can result in a facility bill of $800 to $3,000 or more, before any physician or lab charges. An urgent care visit for the same condition is a fraction of that.

The clinical outcome is identical. The financial outcome is not.

Insurances We Accept

Arizona Primary & Urgent Care accepts a wide range of insurance plans. If your coverage is listed below, you can walk in and use your benefits — no pre-authorization or referral required for urgent care services.

Medicare

We proudly accept Medicare, including Medicare Part B for outpatient services. If you’re 65 or older — or enrolled in Medicare due to a disability — you’re covered here. For many Medicare patients in the SaddleBrooke, Catalina, and Oro Valley area, our clinic is the closest, most convenient walk-in option for the care they need.

Tricare

We accept Tricare for active-duty military, retirees, and their families. North Tucson is home to many veterans and military families, and we’re committed to serving that community. Bring your Tricare card and walk in — no appointment needed.

UnitedHealthcare (UHC)

We accept UnitedHealthcare plans, including UHC commercial, Medicare Advantage, and employer-sponsored UHC plans. UHC is one of the most widely held plans in Arizona, and coverage for urgent care visits under UHC is typically very favorable — often a straightforward copay with no surprise billing.

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)

We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and most national BCBS plans. BCBS is among the most common carriers for individuals, families, and employer groups in the region. If you have a BCBS card, you’re covered here.

Aetna

We accept Aetna commercial plans, including Aetna employer plans and many Aetna Medicare Advantage products. If you’re unsure whether your specific Aetna plan is in-network, call us before your visit and we’ll verify your coverage.

Additional Plans

We accept several additional insurance carriers beyond those listed above. Call our office or stop by and we’ll verify your coverage before you’re seen — we want you to walk in knowing exactly what to expect.

No Insurance? Our Self-Pay Rate Makes It Simple.

Being uninsured — or underinsured — shouldn’t mean avoiding care you need. At Arizona Primary & Urgent Care, we offer a flat-rate self-pay visit fee of [$INSERT RATE] for standard urgent care visits. That rate covers your provider consultation and examination. Lab tests (such as urinalysis, strep swabs, or flu testing) and X-rays, if needed, are billed separately at transparently disclosed rates.

There are no surprise facility fees, no hidden charges, and no bill that arrives weeks later for an amount you weren’t expecting. We tell you what it costs before we start. Full stop.

For uninsured patients, here’s what that means in practice: a visit for a UTI — including the office visit, on-site urinalysis, and prescription sent to your pharmacy — will cost you a fraction of what an ER would charge for the same encounter. A visit for a sprained ankle with X-ray is similarly straightforward. You pay a known amount, you get the care you need, and you leave.

What the Cost Difference Looks Like Side by Side

Visit TypeWith InsuranceSelf-Pay (Uninsured)
Urgent Care (Arizona Primary & Urgent Care)Typically a copay of $35–$75*Flat visit rate + transparent lab/X-ray fees
Emergency Room$250–$500+ copay, plus potential coinsurance$800–$3,000+ before physician & ancillary charges

*Actual copay depends on your specific plan. We recommend calling to verify your benefits if you’re unsure.

The math is hard to ignore. For any condition that doesn’t require emergency-level intervention — and the vast majority of urgent health situations don’t — coming to us instead of the ER is a straightforward financial decision.

Common Conditions We Treat (Where Urgent Care Beats the ER on Cost and Speed)

To make this concrete: here are everyday conditions where an ER visit is unnecessary and costly, and where our clinic provides the same diagnostic and treatment capability at a fraction of the cost and wait:

For all of these, you’ll be seen faster, pay less, and get equivalent care at our clinic compared to any ER in the area.

A Note for Medicare and Senior Patients

We want to specifically address the large community of Medicare-enrolled patients in the SaddleBrooke and Oro Valley area: you have full access to our clinic under Medicare Part B, and urgent care is typically a covered benefit with your standard cost-sharing.

Many Medicare patients default to the ER out of familiarity or because they’re unsure whether urgent care will “take their insurance.” We absolutely do — and a visit here will cost you considerably less out of pocket than an ER copay under most Medicare plans. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, your benefits may be even more favorable. Call us with your plan information and we’ll confirm your coverage before you come in.

Serving the 85739 Area and Beyond

If you’re searching for the most affordable urgent care near you in the 85739 zip code — whether in Oro Valley, Catalina, SaddleBrooke, or surrounding north Tucson communities — Arizona Primary & Urgent Care is your answer. We’re open Monday through Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM, and we never require an appointment.

Walk in. Get care. Pay a fair price. That’s the whole promise.

Our Hours

DayHours
Monday7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Thursday7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
SundayClosed

Quality Care at a Price That Makes Sense

Healthcare shouldn’t be a financial gamble. Whether you’re covered by Medicare, Tricare, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, or you’re paying out of pocket, Arizona Primary & Urgent Care is committed to making the cost of care clear, fair, and as affordable as possible.

You deserve to know what you’re walking into — financially and medically. We’ll take care of both.

Sanova Urgent Care | North Tucson / Oro Valley Monday – Saturday | 7 AM – 7 PM Walk-ins always welcome | Most major insurances accepted | Transparent self-pay rates

What insurance plans do you accept? We accept a wide range of major insurance plans, including Medicare, Tricare, UnitedHealthcare (UHC), Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), and Aetna. We also accept several other plans. If you are unsure if your specific network is covered, simply give us a call to verify your benefits before you come in.

Do you take patients without insurance? Yes! We believe healthcare should be accessible to everyone. We offer a transparent, flat-rate self-pay visit fee that covers your provider consultation and examination. If you need additional services like lab tests or X-rays, those are billed separately at clearly disclosed rates so you never have to worry about surprise bills.

Is urgent care cheaper than the emergency room? Yes, by a significant margin. For insured patients, a typical urgent care copay is between $35 and $75, whereas an ER copay is often $250 to $500 or more. For uninsured patients, an ER visit for a minor issue can result in thousands of dollars in facility fees, while our clinic provides the exact same care for a fraction of that cost.

Do you accept Medicare? Absolutely. We proudly accept Medicare (including Medicare Part B) and many Medicare Advantage plans. For our neighbors in SaddleBrooke, Catalina, and Oro Valley, we offer a highly convenient and covered walk-in option for non-emergency care.

Do I need a referral or an appointment? No appointment or pre-authorization referral is ever required. You can walk into our clinic anytime Monday through Saturday, between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM, to get the care you need.