co-payment

noun

co-pay·​ment ˈkō-ˌpā-mənt How to pronounce co-payment (audio)
ˌkō-ˈpā-
variants or co-pay 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 Even those with Medicare must pay deductibles and co-payments. Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Insurance coverage and a patient assistance program to help with co-payments are critical to access. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Coverage with lower premiums often carry high deductibles and co-payments. Noah Weiland, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2024 If a family receives a state subsidy, their co-payment is capped at 7% of their household income. Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 5 Jan. 2024 Managing risk Students will analyze different types of insurance, the factors that affect premiums — such as co-payments and deductibles — and compare plans. Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023 Some took the opportunity to permanently change their co-payment schedules moving forward so that families will face lower costs. Bryce Covert, The New Republic, 25 Oct. 2023 Medigap, which is purchased from a private health insurance company, helps cover out-of-pocket expenses such as co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2023 Your Medicare supplement plan — also known as a Medigap plan — is designed to cover some or all of the costs not paid by traditional Medicare, including co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles. Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'co-payment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of co-payment was in 1966

Dictionary Entries Near co-payment

Cite this Entry

“Co-payment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-payment. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

co-payment

noun
co-pay·​ment (ˈ)kō-ˈpā-mənt How to pronounce co-payment (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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