doctor visit insurance plans

How Much Does a Doctor Visit Cost With and Without Insurance?

Without insurance, medical care can get pricy fast. Where you live, what doctor you’re going to, and what tests you need will all figure into your doctor’s visit bill. In this article, we’ll break down those costs and give you some tips for saving money.

What Goes into the Cost of a Doctor’s Visit?

Geography is one of the biggest factors in the price of a doctor’s visit. Most medical facilities pass some of their overhead expenses onto their patients. If you live somewhere with a higher cost of living, like California or New York City, you’ll likely pay more for doctors’ visits. The practice has to pay more for utilities and rent, and those costs show up in your bill. For example, Mayo Clinic’s Patient Estimates tool quotes $846 for a 60-minute office visit in Jacksonville, Florida, but $605 for the same visit in Wisconsin.

Like the cost of living, supplies and equipment will also end up on your tab. Say you need a strep test, blood draw, or Pap smear. The supplies needed for the test plus the cost of the lab fees will all figure into the price.

Bills for the same exams and procedures can also vary depending on what kind of facility you’re going to. Smaller practices and public health centers are often a lot cheaper than university or private hospital systems. This is due in part to their buildings being smaller and their overhead fees being lower.

Price of Out-of-Pocket Doctors’ Visits

The cost of a doctor’s office visit also depends on what kind of doctor and the procedure you need to have done. For example, an in-office general wellness checkup will be cheaper than a specialist procedure. If you have an emergency, an urgent care center will be much more affordable than the emergency room.

Primary Care Physician — Physical Exam

Physicals usually include blood pressure readings, cholesterol measurements, and vaccines. Prostate exams for men and Pap smears and breast exams for women are also often included. Pediatric physicals focus on the growth milestones for your child’s age. Doctors check height, weight, sleep patterns, diet, and the vaccines required by public schools.

The range for a yearly physical can be anywhere from $100 to $250 or more without insurance. A CVS Minutecare Clinic may charge just $59 for a sports physical, but not all organizations will accept this as proof of physical health.

Primary Care Physician — Procedures

On top of the base cost for physical exams, you may have extra charges for any specific tests or procedures you need. According to the Cardiometabolic Health blog, the most common procedures in primary care medicine include bloodwork, electrocardiograms, and vaccines/injections.

Bloodwork is one of the biggest cost wild cards. Certain tests can run you from as little as $10 to as much as $10,000 . Large national labs like Labcorp offer pricing on their website, so you know what to expect going in. For example, Labcorp’s General Health Blood Test , which includes a metabolic panel, complete blood count (CBC), and urinalysis, costs $78.

Electrocardiograms or EKGs check your heart health and can find cardi ac issues. This quick procedure involves monitoring your heartbeat through electrodes placed on your skin. While it’s a painless and accurate way to detect heart conditions, the costs can add up without insurance. Expect to pay as little as $410 or as much as $1700 for this procedure, depending on local prices.

Vaccines are often required before sending your kids to school. The CDC publishes a vaccination price list annually to give you an idea of what to expect. For example, they quote $19-$132 for DTaP, $21 for Hepatitis A, and $13-$65 for Hepatitis B. The COVID-19 vaccine, however, is free of cost, regardless of insurance status.

Urgent Care Visit

If you have an emergency but are stable, urgent care is much cheaper than the emergency room. According to Scripps , most urgent care centers and walk-in clinics can at least treat dehydration, cuts or simple fractures, fever, flu, strep, and UTIs. Note that if you have chest pain, a serious injury, seizures, a stroke, or pregnancy complications, you should go straight to the ER .

For a base exam at an urgent care facility, expect to pay between $100-$150 . That price will go up depending on what else you need. For example, Advanced Urgent Care in Denver quotes $80 for an X-Ray, $50 for an EKG, $135 for stitches, and $5 for a urinalysis. In comparison, expect to pay $1,000-$1,300 for the same procedures in the emergency room.

How to Lower Your Out-of-Pocket Medical Costs

Healthcare expenses may seem overwhelming without insurance. Luckily, there are many resources available to help you cover the costs.

Free & Low-Cost Immunization and Wellness Clinics

For standard vaccines and checkups, look for local free or low-cost clinics. Check out The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics’ search tool to find a location near you. Your city’s public health department should also offer free or low-cost vaccines and basic medical care services.

Certain large vaccine manufacturers also offer vaccine programs. For example, Merck’s patient assistance program offers 37 vaccines and medicines free to eligible patients. The program includes albuterol inhalers and vaccines for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, MMR, and HPV.

Cash Negotiations

Most health systems offer lower rates for patients paying cash. Some even have free programs for low-income families. For example, Heritage UPC in North Carolina has a yearly membership for low-cost preventative care. In Northern California, the Sutter Health medical system offers full coverage for patients earning 400% or less of the Federal Poverty Income Guideline .

As of January 1, 2021, all hospitals in the United States now have to follow the Hospital Price Transparency Rule . That means they have to list procedure prices clearly on their website. You can also call medical billing before your appointment to discuss cash pay options.

Federal Medical Payment Support

If all else fails, there are federal programs to help you cover the cost of medical bills.

Organizations like The United Way and United for Alice offer grants for ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) patients. These are people living above the poverty level, making them ineligible for other government programs but below the basic cost-of-living threshold.

Medicaid is available for children, pregnant women, and adults under a certain income threshold. If your income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but you can’t afford private insurance for your children, you may be eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover your children’s medical care.

Use Compare.com for the Best Doctors’ Visit Prices

Navigating bills for a doctor’s visit can feel overwhelming, but Compare.com is here to help. With our price comparison tool, you can search all clinic and doctors’ office prices in your area. Compare makes sure you’re prepared for the cost of your checkup long before you schedule your appointment.

Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more.

As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.

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Everyone is feeling the squeeze of rising health care costs. Now, more than ever, you want to know what a doctor visit or medical test costs. Before you go, before the bill comes. And you don't want to pay more than you have to.

Our Estimate cost of care tool can help you plan ahead and save money. Get average network and out-of-network costs for tests (X-rays and MRIs), office visits (including specialists), selected surgeries and procedures (such as colonoscopy, sinus surgery), routine physicals, and emergency room visits. If you have a chronic condition, such as asthma, diabetes or high blood pressure, you can find out the yearly costs, on average, associated with your condition.

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• Deductibles

Copay, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum

Using your insurance plan may be easier when you understand common health care terms and what they mean. It also may make it easier to manage your health care costs when you learn what the cost terms mean for your wallet. So, let’s take a closer look and learn the difference between copays, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums.

What is a copay?

A copay (or copayment) is a fixed amount you may pay for a covered health care service, usually at the time you receive the service

How does a copay work?

You might remember times when you went in for a doctor visit and maybe paid a $15 or $20 copay before or after your visit. Copay amounts can vary depending on the provider and service. With health plans that have copays (not all do), you’ll know exactly what you have to pay ahead of time – which can help you budget your health care costs. For most plans, your copay does not apply toward your deductible. Also, some services may be covered at no additional cost, or $0 cost share, such as annual wellness exams and certain other preventive care services.

What is copay?

Video transcript

It’s a fixed amount you pay for health care services.

A copay is often paid right at the doctor’s office.

For example, a copay may be $15, $25 or another amount.

The amount can vary by the type of covered health care service.

Copays made clear

What is coinsurance?

Coinsurance is a percentage of the cost of a covered service. Until you reach your deductible, you’ll pay for 100% of out-of-pocket costs. After you meet your deductible, you and your insurance company each pay a share of the costs that add up to 100 percent. Typical coinsurance ranges from 20% to 40% for the member, with your health plan paying the rest. But cost-sharing percentages will vary depending on your plan.

How does coinsurance work?

If your doctor visit costs $100 and you’ve met your deductible, your coinsurance payment of 20% would be $20 out of pocket. Your insurance would then pay the rest of the allowed amount ($80). Keep in mind, your coinsurance benefit doesn’t apply until after you’ve reached your deductible. Until then, you’ll need to pay 100% of the cost.

ON-SCREEN TEXT:

It’s your share, or % you pay, of the cost for covered services after you meet your deductible.

For example, if your office visit is $100 and your coinsurance is 20%, then you would pay $20.

Your health insurance plan would pay the other 80%.

Coinsurance made clear

What is an out-of-pocket maximum or limit?

You might have heard terms like out-of-pocket maximum or limit. But good news — they actually mean the same thing. So your out-of-pocket maximum or limit is the highest amount of money you could pay during a 12-month coverage period for your share of the costs of covered services. Typically, copays, deductible, and coinsurance all count toward your out-of-pocket maximum. Keep in mind that things like your monthly premium, balance-billed charges or anything your plan doesn’t cover (like out-of-network costs) do not.

When a provider bills you for the difference between the provider’s charge and the allowed amount. For example, if the provider’s charge is $100 and the allowed amount is $70, the provider may bill you for the remaining $30. A preferred provider may not balance bill you for covered services.

How does an out-of-pocket maximum work?

If you meet your out-of-pocket maximum, your plan will usually pay 100% of your covered health care costs (up to the allowed amount ). Let’s say you have an annual out-of-pocket maximum of $6,000. That means once you’ve paid $6,000 out of pocket that year for your covered health care, usually including deductibles, copays and coinsurance, your plan will cover any future (covered, in-network) health care services during your coverage period.

The maximum amount a plan will pay for a covered health care service. May also be called “eligible expense,” “payment allowance,” or “negotiated rate.” If your provider charges more than the plan's allowed amount, you may have to pay the difference (balance-billed charge).

What is out of pocket limit?

What is an out-of-pocket limit?

It’s the maximum amount you could pay for covered services in a plan year.

After you meet your out-of-pocket limit, your health plan usually pays for 100% of the rest of your covered

services for the rest of the year.

That helps you plan ahead for health care costs.

Out-of-pocket limits made clear

Compare how copays and coinsurance work

There's a lot to understand when you're sorting out the difference between copays and coinsurance. Here's a quick view to help explain how these two types of payments work differently. 

Knowing how copays, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums work can help you add up your potential costs more accurately when you're planning for the year or when you're choosing your health plan during open enrollment . 

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Back to Basics: What to Know About Basic Health Insurance

By Shannon Lorenzen HealthCare Writer

Shannon Lorenzen HealthCare Writer

Shannon Lorenzen is a freelance writer based out of Los Angeles, California. For more than ten years, she’s been creating content for health advocates like Walgreens and HealthCare.com. When she isn’t writing, Shannon can usually be found working out, reading, listening to true crime podcasts, or cooking.

We want to help you make educated healthcare decisions. While this post may have links to lead generation forms, this won’t influence our writing. We adhere to strict editorial standards to provide the most accurate and unbiased information.

Why does “basic healthcare” seem anything but, well…basic?

There are few topics as hard to navigate as basic medical insurance. Much information and technical jargon make finding health insurance coverage seem overwhelming.

What coverage is right for you? Is a cheap and simple plan enough? For that matter, what do healthcare terms even mean?

It feels like a lot, but it’s something you can – and should – figure out. At the very least, knowing how long health insurance lasts and understanding which local plans are available to you is important.

Do You Need Basic Health Insurance?

YES. Even if you’re young and healthy, basic health insurance coverage is a must.

There are numerous reasons why it’s critical for you to have health coverage.

“Medical bills can be shocking,” warns Dr. Jordan Hollsten, a practicing surgeon in San Antonio, Texas. “Everything from medications to hospital fees to surgical center fees to medical equipment must be covered. And accidents and unexpected illness happen, which require care whether insurance is available or not.”

It would be nice to plug “basic health insurance” into our Amazon search bar, add the top-rated option to our cart, and have immediate coverage. Unfortunately, healthcare doesn’t work that way.

There are lots of different types of health insurance to consider. It’s personal to you and your specific healthcare wants and needs.

What Exactly Is “ Basic Health Insurance” ?

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) guarantees basic health insurance by ensuring plans provide minimum essential coverage, sometimes called “qualifying health coverage.” This is any insurance plan that meets the Affordable Care Act requirement for health coverage. Obamacare plans are designed to help protect you and your family from the cost of routine and unexpected medical expenses. Under this law, all Obamacare plans include coverage for ten essential health benefits you’d expect – including emergency services, doctor visits, rehabilitation, maternity, and more.

Many plans encompass this basic health coverage — including private insurance, job-based plans, and Medicare — but you are not automatically enrolled. You need to find the best plan for you and your family and take steps to enroll.

It should be noted, however, that not all healthcare plans provide the minimum essential coverage outlined in Obamacare. Short-term health insurance and supplemental insurance plans do not offer the same benefits.

What Are Basic Health Insurance Costs?

The total cost of health insurance can vary greatly from plan to plan. Things like your current health and the size of your family all play a part in determining what you pay out of pocket for healthcare throughout the year.

Here are a few terms to know when choosing your plan. You must consider all costs when deciding where to enroll.

Monthly Premium

Your monthly premium is what you pay each month just to have health insurance coverage. Like car insurance or a gym membership, you pay for it even if you don’t need medical care during the month.

Deductibles

Your deductible is the amount of money you agree to pay for treatment before your health insurance policy begins to pay. Typically a higher deductible means a lower monthly premium.

So if your deductible is $500, you’ll pay 100% of your healthcare expenses until you’ve hit $500. After you meet your deductible, you’ll be responsible for any cost-sharing (copayments or coinsurance) the plan requires.

Coinsurance

Some insurance plans may include coinsurance , which means you’ll pay a percentage of the bill even after you’ve met your full deductible. It’s a way to share the cost of your healthcare service.

Let’s say you’ve met your deductible for the year. The next time you go to the doctor, instead of paying all costs, you and your plan will share the cost. So if your coinsurance rate is 20% and the cost of a doctor’s visit is $100, you’ll pay $20, and your insurance will handle the remaining 80% of the bill.

A co-payment is a set fee you pay for a healthcare service. You might have different copayments for doctors, hospital stays, prescription medication, and other types of care.

Your plan determines what your copay is for each service. It’s important to note that your copay can be independent of your deductible and coinsurance.

What’s the Difference Between the Various Types of Health Insurance?

Outside of cost, there are many things to consider when you’re looking for basic medical insurance. Your age, your health history, the size of your family, and the state you live in are all factors that can affect finding the right plan.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the types of healthcare plans you may consider.

Marketplace (“on-exchange”) and Non-Marketplace (“off-exchange”) Plans

Both Marketplace and Non-Marketplace plans offer full coverage, adhere to ACA standards, and include the ten essential health benefits. There are similarities between the two, but the key difference is whether or not you qualify for a subsidy.

• Marketplace (“on-exchange”) plans are available on government websites and price comparison sites like HealthCare.com. If you qualify for a monthly premium subsidy, these plans will be your best option. However, not everyone qualifies for financial assistance.
• Non-Marketplace (“off-exchange”) plans are those available in the open market (outside of the public exchange environment.). There are a greater number of plans available, giving you more options.

Both options provide you with a metal-tiered system of coverage options: Catastrophic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. In general, the out-of-pocket cost for each of these tiers is higher as you go up the list, but the deductible and premiums will increase as you go down the list. It’s also important to note that different plans offer different coverage on each level, so you’ll want to compare plans carefully.

Short-Term Health Insurance

Short-term health insurance is a temporary solution to pay medical bills. It’s an option to consider if you’re between jobs, are without health insurance, are outside the nationwide enrollment period , or are waiting for other coverage to begin.

Most short-term plans do not cover pre-existing conditions or adhere to the ACA standards. Short-term health insurance will typically provide some level of coverage for doctor visits, urgent care, emergency care, preventive care, and, maybe, prescriptions.

Medicare 

Medicare is a Federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, or younger people with certain disabilities. It generally pays 80 percent of your medical bills, while private Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage plans help cover the costs that Medicare does not pay.

How to Find Basic Health Insurance That’s Right for You

Now that you have a more basic understanding of your options, it’s time to find the plan for you.

To get started, search Healthcare.com’s database. Our online tools make it easy to plug in your information and compare the prices and coverage of the different plans available in your area.

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Consumers beware: Not all health plans cover doc visits before deductible is met

If you buy one of the less expensive insurance plans sold through the health law’s marketplaces, you may be in for a surprise. Some plans will not pay for a doctor visit before you meet your annual deductible, which could be thousands of dollars.

“This could be the next shoe to drop, as people don’t realize that if they’re buying a bronze plan, they may have to pay $5,000 out of pocket before it contributes a penny,” said Carl McDonald, senior analyst with Citi Investment Research, speaking at a Washington, D.C., conference last month.

Experts worry that some enrollees will be discouraged from seeing doctors if they have to pay the full charge, rather than simply a copayment.

Those who’ve bought their own insurance have always had to pay a set annual sum, called a deductible, before policies begin paying their claims. But first-time insurance buyers may not realize they’re on the hook for additional costs before benefits kick in, and may choose a plan based solely on the monthly premiums.

Bronze and silver plans — which have lower monthly costs but typically, higher deductibles — are the most likely to require consumers to spend that amount themselves before the insurer pays any claims. 

There is no nationwide data on how many do that. But in seven major cities, half of bronze plans on average require policyholders meet the deductible before insurers help with the cost of a doctor visit, according to an analysis of data from online insurance broker eHealthinsurance.com for Kaiser Health News. Patients in those plans who haven’t yet met their annual deductible would have to pay the full cost of the visit, unless it was for a preventive service mandated by the law. A typical office visit can run $65 to $85, while more complex visits can cost more.

Silver plans, which generally have higher monthly premiums, are more generous, with more than three-quarters paying for doctor visits before the deductible is met. The analysis included most or all of the plans available through the health law marketplaces in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Miami, Chicago and Phoenix.

Meeting the deductible before most coverage kicks in is common in the individual market, but differs sharply from job-based health insurance. More than three-fourths of the insurance plans offered to Americans with coverage through their jobs pay a substantial chunk of the cost of doctor visits without the worker having to meet the annual deductible first, according to the annual survey of employers by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

All plans must cover preventive services Under the law, Congress granted insurers leeway in how they design their plans, so long as bronze plans cover at least 60 percent of the costs of a typical policyholder, silver plans cover 70 percent, gold plans cover 80 percent and platinum plans cover 90 percent – with consumers on the hook for the remainder. Gold and platinum plans were not included in the eHealth/KHN analysis because they generally cover more services with less cost-sharing by consumers. 

All new plans must cover some defined preventive services with no copayment by the consumer and without having to meet the deductible first. Those include some vaccinations, mammograms and other cancer screenings, contraception, including birth control pills, and periodic physicals. But prevention services do not include treatment for an illness, such as the flu. Charges could also apply if, during a preventive care visit, the patient is also treated for a medical condition or a minor injury.

In addition to doctor visits and preventive care, some plans may also offer limited coverage for some prescription drugs.

So policyholders get some coverage simply by paying their monthly premiums. 

But “consumers need to look closely at plan design,” said Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor at Consumer Reports. “If you have someone without a lot of money and they have a $4,000 or $6,000 deductible before anything [beyond preventive services] is covered, I have concerns about access to care.”

Sixty-four percent of bronze plans offered in Dallas, for example, require policyholders to meet the full deductible before insurance coverage kicks in, according to the eHealth/KHN analysis, which included all insurers except one, Molina Healthcare. The average deductible in those plans was $5,400, according to the data provided to eHealth by insurers.

In Philadelphia, by contrast, 33 percent of bronze plans require policyholders to pay the deductible first, the smallest percentage among the cities studied. The average bronze deductible there was $5,689.

Among silver plans, the analysis showed that far more provide some coverage before the deductible is paid. Of 14 plans examined in Chicago, for example, only one required the deductible to be fully met before the consumer could see a primary care doctor for a small copayment. All but one insurer, Land of Lincoln Mutual, were included in that analysis.

In Florida, 90 percent of silver plans offered in Tampa and 89 percent in Miami allowed coverage for at least some doctor visits before the deductible was met. In Florida, however, the database did not include one major insurer, Florida Blue, which has more than 18 plans in the Miami market alone. Florida Blue did not respond to requests from KHN for information about which of its plans cover doctor visits before the deductible is met.

Don’t assume   lowest premium plan is best Cigna spokesman Joe Mondy said that the insurer sought to offer consumers a range of choices. Some of Cigna’s plans, for example, allow in-network visits with primary care doctors before the deductible is met, typically for a $30 to $45 copayment, while others do not.

“We structured the plans with the recognition that a lot of the new customers have never had a primary care or family doctor,” Mondy said. Plans that allow primary care visits for a small copayment are expected to foster doctor-patient relationships, he said.

Under the law, there are special provisions for lower-income Americans who purchase a silver plan but not a bronze plan. People who earn less than 250 percent of the poverty level – about $28,700 for an individual – get extra help from the federal government in the form of lower copayments for doctor visits and smaller annual deductibles. For the lowest-income residents, that can mean plans with little or no deductible and copayments as small as $3 for primary care doctor visits.

“Be very careful before you take a bronze plan over a silver plan” if you are in the subsidy-eligible income range, said Linda Blumberg, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Those earning less than twice the federal poverty level, about $23,000 a year for an individual, get the most help, with subsidies ratcheting down sharply after that.

Consumer advocates say shoppers should consider a wide range of plans – and not assume that the plan with the lowest monthly premium is the best for them. Still, finding out about what services – other than preventive care – are covered before the deductible is met can take some digging.

Generally, any plan that can be linked with a “health savings account” — a way to put money aside tax-free to cover medical costs — will not cover much except preventive care before the deductible is met because of rules governing those accounts. For all other plans, consumers can check insurers’ websites for details or log onto healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace that covers residents of 36 states. A new feature added to healthcare.gov shows each policy’s monthly premium, annual deductible and the copayments required for doctor visits, drugs and emergency room care.

Plans that list a price for a doctor visit followed by the phrase “after the deductible is met” mean the consumer must pay the full deductible before getting doctor visits for a small copayment. Additional information can be found by clicking the “details” button and reading the summary of benefits. Consumers can also call insurers directly or look up the information under the policy name on an insurers’ website.

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UK election latest: Starmer makes 'hugely important' visit to Scotland as he kicks off first tour of UK

New PM Keir Starmer is embarking on a "reset" tour of the UK, as he seeks to improve the UK government's relations with the devolved administrations.

Sunday 7 July 2024 22:40, UK

• General Election 2024

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• Starmer kicks off UK tour in Edinburgh
• PM holds first meeting with Scottish first minister
• New Northern Ireland secretary rules out border poll
• Home secretary launches search for border security commander
• Senior Tories 'likely putting teams together' for leadership bids
• Analysis: Could Tories take their time to pick new leader?
• Live reporting by Tim Baker

Election fallout

• Starmer's challenges: Tackling exhausted NHS | Looming chaos abroad | Defence to dominate early days | Small boats plan? | Rift with scientists needs healing
• Listen: Politics At Jack And Sam's - what's in Starmer's in-tray?
• Results in every constituency

That's all for tonight from the Politics Hub.

We'll be back tomorrow for Labour's first full week in power.

Before you go, here were today's main stories:

Sir Keir Starmer has met with Scotland's first minister, John Swinney.

Speaking to broadcasters afterwards, both men were asked if Scottish independence had come up in the talks.

After losing the vast majority of their seats last week, the SNP are arguing the Holyrood results in 2021 still give them a mandate to work towards leaving the UK.

Sir Keir - whose party grew sizeably in Scotland - has said he is targeting the next Holyrood election in 2026 to win even more of a mandate.

On the talks today, Sir Keir said he would not go into details of what was discussed - but said that the two "can work constructively together".

He added that he has made a commitment to deliver for Scotland, and that he plans to make good on it.

Sir Keir added that he took the opportunity to "reset relations" with the first and deputy first ministers.

He conceded there were "clearly differences of opinion" between them on constitutional matters, but the meeting was still constructive.

Mr Swinney said he "very much welcomed" the engagement and was committed to improving the relationship between the Scottish and UK administrations.

He said the SNP made clear they have "different views" on the constitution - but also that the SNP is taking time "to reflect and consider" the issues posed by the election.

They lost 39 of their 48 seats on Thursday.

Mr Swinney said the party intends to focus on issues like economic growth, child poverty, public services and net zero ahead of securing independence. 

By Tim Baker , political reporter

The government is to divert tens of millions of pounds from the Rwanda scheme to set up a new Border Security Command (BSC), as it announces its plans to tackle illegal migration.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has also announced an audit of the monies sent to Kigali as the Labour administration looks to find ways to save or recoup cash committed under the Conservatives.

Ms Cooper plans to raise the issue of illegal migration with her European colleagues at the European Political Community Summit on 18 July.

Before the general election, Sir Keir Starmer said his party wanted to send around £75m a year to their new border scheme, from the scrapped Rwanda deportation programme.

The prime minister described the Conservative-era plans to send asylum seekers to Africa as "dead and buried" earlier this weekend.

However, it is understood Labour has not reached out to Kigali to discuss the way forward, as the previous UK government promised hundreds of millions of pounds for migrants to be sent to Rwanda.

Read more below:

Defence Secretary John Healey has already met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the Labour government making a new pledge on sending arms to Ukraine.

Mr Healey also promised that the equipment Rishi Sunak announced in April will be delivered within the first 100 days of the new government.

He said: "Our commitment to stand with the Ukrainian people is absolute, as is our resolve to confront Russian aggression and pursue Putin for his war crimes.

"This government is steadfast in our commitment to continue supplying military assistance and will stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian friends for as long as it takes."

The newly promised package of aid includes: 

• A quarter of a million of 50 calibre ammunition;
• 90 anti-armour Brimstone missiles;
• 50 small military boats to support river and coastal operations;
• 40 de-mining vehicles;
• 10 AS-90 artillery guns;
•  61 bulldozers to help build defensive positions;
• Support for previously gifted AS-90s.

The new home secretary has wasted little time in getting started in her role - launching the promised Border Security Command (BSC) just days after her appointment. 

The BSC was one of the cornerstones of Sir Keir Starmer's manifesto - Labour's solution to the small boats crisis.

The set-up is being at least partly funded by diverting £75m from the now cancelled Rwanda scheme. 

Yvette Cooper has set out the first steps for establishing the BSC, which promises to "strengthen Britain's borders security and smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings".

The plan includes the rapid recruitment of an "exceptional leader", which begins tomorrow. 

'We can't carry on like this'

The new recruit, who is expected to take up their post in the coming weeks, will report directly to the office of the home secretary. 

They will be tasked with providing a "strategic direction" across agencies, including the National Crime Agency, police, immigration enforcement, and the Border Force.

Ms Cooper is also preparing early legislation which will introduce new counter-terror style powers for the BSC, and has commissioned an investigation into the routes and tactics used by smuggling gangs.

She said it would be a "major step change" in the UK's efforts to tackle organised immigration crime, working "across Europe" and co-ordinating with prosecutors on the continent.

"We can't carry on like this," she said, adding the BSC will act as a "major upgrade" on the immigration system Labour have inherited. 

Sunday might be a day of rest for many of us, but for prime ministers and political journalists there's no such thing.

Sir Keir Starmer has had a busy day, kicking off a tour of the UK, and there's been plenty else keeping us busy.

Here are the main things you need to know from today:

• Sir Keir Starmer has headed to Edinburgh for the start of a UK tour, where he'll meet with First Minister John Swinney;
• Speaking to Scottish Labour supporters beforehand, he promised to "serve every single person in Scotland" no matter who they voted for;
• The PM hopes his visits to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will signal a "reset in relations" between Westminster and the devolved administrations;
• It comes after Labour enjoyed a revival in Scotland to become the largest party north of the border, and kept that status in Wales too.
• New government ministers are settling into their roles and were quick to rule out introducing ID cards to tackle illegal immigration this morning;
• Labour's top team distanced themselves from the suggestion made by former party leader and prime minister Sir Tony Blair ;
• The new Northern Ireland secretary, Hilary Benn, also denied there was a case for a border poll on the island of Ireland after Sinn Fein became the largest Northern Irish party at Westminster.
• Meanwhile, the Tory leadership race may well be under way after several former ministers refused to rule themselves out;
• Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman were among those on the media round this morning who indicated they could be up for replacing Rishi Sunak;
• But our political correspondent Darren McCaffrey says there are some in the party who want them to take their time before deciding, rather than rushing towards a right-wing candidate looking to stave off the threat from Reform UK.

You can also get the lowdown on the new prime minister's first few days from our Politics At Jack And Sam's podcast below:

Sir Keir Starmer has just spoken alongside the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who introduced the new PM to a rapturous applause of party supporters in Edinburgh.

After a long intro from his Scottish colleague, Sir Keir says it's "hugely important" for him to visit the devolved nations as soon as possible. 

"That was an incredible election result, a historic result and a real mandate for change - we start here," he says. 

He says there's nothing "inevitable" about an election win, adding "we won because we campaigned as changed Labour". 

"We [will] govern in the same spirit… we will serve the entirety of Scotland, we will serve every single person in Scotland because that change matters to everyone."

Our political correspondent  Amanda Akass   says the speech was a reminder of the unique opportunity Sir Keir has to unite the UK's devolved administrations.

Scottish Labour "really rose out of the ashes of their previous defeats" in this week's general election, she says, going from one MP to 37.

The PM wants those new MPs "to be a big part of the government in Westminster to deliver for the people of Scotland as part of that mandate for change".

He'll also be meeting First Minister John Swinney, as part of what he hopes will be a "reset" in relations between Westminster and Holyrood.

Sir Keir Starmer is giving a speech following a meeting with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in Edinburgh this afternoon.

It comes at the start of the PM's first UK tour - once he's finished north of the border he'll be going to Wales and Northern Ireland.

His Scotland visit will also include a meeting with John Swinney, the first minister and SNP leader.

You can watch his speech in the stream above.

The prime minister has welcomed comments made by the Irish Taoiseach during an interview with Sky News. 

You can see Simon Harris and Sir Keir Starmer's interaction in the embedded X post below… 

It comes after Mr Harris promised he and fellow EU leaders would give the new prime minister a "fair hearing" when it comes to possible changes to the post-Brexit trade deal.

Sir Keir has repeatedly described it as "botched" and said during the election campaign he'd look to improve it - but with no return to the single market, customs union, or freedom of movement.

You can read Ireland correspondent  Stephen Murphy 's full interview with Mr Harris here . 

It's been a busy week and weekend - so it's easy to miss key moments. 

Need a catch-up on the last few days of history-making political drama?

Watch below… 

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