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

Medicaid patients will also have a new $35 co-payment to contend with. About 71 million Americans use Medicaid, and 40 million benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly known as food stamps. —Andrew J. Campa follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2025

There's also a first of its kind co-payment requirement, adding another potential barrier for those who are already low-income. —Keyla Holmes, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

Those with Medicaid usually don’t pay anything for covered medical expenses, according to the department, but may owe a small co-payment for some items or services. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 1 July 2025

The plan calls for work requirements for able-bodied childless adults and co-payments for those above 100% of the federal poverty level. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 5 June 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