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

These high prices lead to more spending on cancer drugs, and higher co-payments and deductibles for patients with cancer. —Mark J. Ratain, STAT, 3 Mar. 2026

These included prohibiting states and territories from charging families’ co-payments above 7 percent of their income and allowing states to eliminate co-payments for more families. —Joseph Choi, The Hill, 5 Feb. 2026

So far, his TV ads have been biographical, including a 30-second spot on having Type 1 diabetes and his push in the Legislature to cap insulin co-payments. —Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 2 Feb. 2026

Even with no-cost premiums, ACA plans typically require a deductible or co-payments. —Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 17 Nov. 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