co-payment

noun

co-pay·​ment ˈkō-ˌpā-mənt 

ˌkō-ˈpā-

variants or co-pay

ˈkō-ˈpā 

or copay or less commonly copayment

plural co-payments or co-pays or copays also copayments

: a relatively small fixed fee that a health insurer (such as an HMO) requires the patient to pay upon incurring a medical expense (as for a routine office visit, surgical procedure, or prescription drug) covered by the health insurer

… patient out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and co-payments have grown alongside overall [health care] costs.

—kvtz.com

… you can put away tax-sheltered dollars that can be used to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as your doctor visit co-pays or other medical expenses not otherwise covered by your insurance.

—Philadelphia Inquirer

… employees currently have a 10% copay for prescriptions, whether they are purchased at the in-house pharmacy or a network pharmacy.

—Joyce Frieden

Examples of co-payment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the past five years, U.S. spending on insurance premiums, out-of-pocket co-payments, pharmaceuticals and hospital services has also increased, government data show. —Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 22 May 2025

That can vary by health plan, depending on deductibles, co-payments, and other fees. —Daniel Chang, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025

One potential option for the Trump White House would be to require insurers to cover this cost, without co-payments, for all who want it. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025

At least 25 states and the District of Columbia have implemented monthly co-payment caps to help offset expenses for diabetics. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for co-payment

• copayment
• embayment
• nonpayment
• prepayment
• repayment
• claimant
• payment
• overpayment
• underpayment

Medical Definition

co-payment

noun

co-pay·​ment (ˈ)kō-ˈpā-mənt 

: a relatively small fixed fee that a health insurer (as an HMO) requires the patient to pay upon incurring a medical expense (as for a routine office visit, surgical procedure, or prescription drug) covered by the health insurer