1
: from cash on hand : with one's own money rather than with money from another source (such as an insurance company)
With so many people willing to pay out of pocket most insurance companies do not pay for the procedure, because they regard it as "cosmetic" …—
Kenneth Chang
Kenneth Chang2
chiefly British
a
: in the position of having lost money
On Oct. 7, the government suddenly pulled the plug on Railtrack PLC, the privatized owner of Britain's railway infrastructure, leaving the company's 250,000 shareholders out of pocket.—Kerry Capell
Kerry Capell
b
: out of funds : without money
My wife and I are already consumers of Straus's organic yogurt, butter, cream and ice cream, although I admit when I am feeling out of pocket I opt for a slightly cheaper competitor.—Larry Gallagher
Larry GallagherExamples of out-of-pocket in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThe Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Among the accomplishments highlighted by Biden and Sanders were the Inflation Reduction Act provisions capping insulin costs at $35 for Medicare patients and out-of-pocket spending on brand-name drugs for Medicare beneficiaries to $2,000 yearly.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Potential cost savings for individuals without insurance coverage or high out-of-pocket expenses.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
The company advertises that patients could lose 5% of their body weight in just three months, 10% in six months and 15% in a year.
Sesame, available to most Costco members, advertises services with low out-of-pocket payments.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
The company also said out-of-pocket costs vary based on a patient’s insurance plan.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Amidst untenable drug prices, there's finally some good news: Several pharmaceutical companies are capping the out-of-pocket price of select inhalers at $35.
—Korin Miller Updated, Verywell Health, 26 Mar. 2024
These out-of-pocket repairs are not recalls, warranty fixes or maintenance updates such as windshield wiper blades but, rather, problems related to worn out or broken parts.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans are required to cover certain types of contraceptives at no out-of-pocket cost.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 14 Mar. 2023
Biden will also propose benefit changes that includes limiting to $2 how much a Medicare recipient must pay out of pocket for certain generic drugs.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023
When the coupon expires, she and other patients will be forced to pay out of pocket.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2023
For people in those situations, paying for health care out of pocket or applying to public programs are not viable options.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 30 Dec. 2022
When starting a varsity team just depended on procuring a mat, Benson paid thousands out of pocket.
—Aj Traub, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Dec. 2022
Wegovy, for example, costs over $1,300 per month and is taken over the long term, so many patients can’t afford to pay for it out of pocket.
—Elaine Chen and Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2022
Visitors would need to pay out of pocket, with the Financial Times reporting one couple paid $170 each for a dose.
—Bloomberg, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2022
The costs are usually rolled into the mortgage, meaning borrowers won't have to pay them out of pocket — though this does reduce the loan amount available to them.
—Becca Stanek, The Week, 19 Dec. 2022
Adjective
In Tucson, the public utility spent over $30 million out-of-pocket to deal with PFAS contamination across its distribution area.
—The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Among the accomplishments highlighted by Biden and Sanders were the Inflation Reduction Act provisions capping insulin costs at $35 for Medicare patients and out-of-pocket spending on brand-name drugs for Medicare beneficiaries to $2,000 yearly.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Potential cost savings for individuals without insurance coverage or high out-of-pocket expenses.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
The company advertises that patients could lose 5% of their body weight in just three months, 10% in six months and 15% in a year.
Sesame, available to most Costco members, advertises services with low out-of-pocket payments.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
The company also said out-of-pocket costs vary based on a patient’s insurance plan.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Amidst untenable drug prices, there's finally some good news: Several pharmaceutical companies are capping the out-of-pocket price of select inhalers at $35.
—Korin Miller Updated, Verywell Health, 26 Mar. 2024
These out-of-pocket repairs are not recalls, warranty fixes or maintenance updates such as windshield wiper blades but, rather, problems related to worn out or broken parts.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans are required to cover certain types of contraceptives at no out-of-pocket cost.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Seniors on Medicare will pay no more than $35 per month out of pocket, thanks to a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that went into effect Jan. 1.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 14 Mar. 2023
Biden will also propose benefit changes that includes limiting to $2 how much a Medicare recipient must pay out of pocket for certain generic drugs.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023
When the coupon expires, she and other patients will be forced to pay out of pocket.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2023
For people in those situations, paying for health care out of pocket or applying to public programs are not viable options.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 30 Dec. 2022
When starting a varsity team just depended on procuring a mat, Benson paid thousands out of pocket.
—Aj Traub, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Dec. 2022
Wegovy, for example, costs over $1,300 per month and is taken over the long term, so many patients can’t afford to pay for it out of pocket.
—Elaine Chen and Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2022
Visitors would need to pay out of pocket, with the Financial Times reporting one couple paid $170 each for a dose.
—Bloomberg, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2022
The costs are usually rolled into the mortgage, meaning borrowers won't have to pay them out of pocket — though this does reduce the loan amount available to them.
—Becca Stanek, The Week, 19 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'out-of-pocket.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near out-of-pocket
Cite this Entry
“Out-of-pocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-of-pocket. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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