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copayment

copayment

2 3.5
A small fixed amount you pay for a health service while insurance pays the rest
  • noun
  • /ˈkoʊpeɪmənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : copago
  • The health insurance plan has a $30 copayment for specialist visits.
  • high copayments
  • copayment and deductible

Examples

  • I did get back to his people, though, and I negotiated a more reasonable copayment—half of that originally billed.

    Academic text (2003)
  • You know that your insurer has agreed to pay your bill, and you are only responsible for the copayment.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Me: That is quite a copayment for one day.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Somehow, though, this particular copayment did not seem like such a good thing to me.

    Academic text (2003)
  • One of the reasons they abuse the ER is because there is no copayment for ER care.

    Blog text (27)
  • The goal is to ensure that patients have a greater stake in keeping costs down through increased copayments and other forms of cost sharing.

    Academic text (2011)
  • For example, a patient covered by insurance may be unable to pay required deductibles and copayments.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Then for the remaining 80-day benefits, Medicare pays subject to a copayment due from the insured.

    Blog text (13)
  • Minnesota's main cost-containment strategies are managed through its deductibles and copayment policies.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Twenty-three percent were Medicaid patients who needed assistance with copayments, referrals, and follow-up.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

copay
vscopayment
  • Specialized
8 4.1

A small fixed amount you pay for a doctor's visit or medicine, with insurance paying the rest

is a fixed payment for medical services in general not only prescriptions

How Expensive

catastrophic illness
  • Specialized
1 4.9
major surgery
  • Specialized
12 4.0
copayment
  • Specialized
2 3.5

Surface Forms

copayment singular
copayments plural

Morphology

copayment = payment (transparent) = co + pay + ment

The word is a regular prefixation of 'payment' with 'co-', meaning a payment made jointly with another payer.

Etymology

Copayment comes from co- meaning 'together' and payment meaning 'money paid'. It shows the idea of a shared cost at the doctor or pharmacy: you pay a fixed part while the insurance pays the rest.