By Staff Reporters
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Health Insurance Co-Payments Upfront or Lose Your Appointment
Definition: A co-payment is a fixed amount you pay each time you get a particular type of healthcare service, and co-pays will generally be quite a bit smaller than deductibles. However, deductibles and co–pays are both fixed amounts, as opposed to coinsurance, which is a percentage of the claim.
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On some health plans, certain services are covered with a co-pay before you’ve met the deductible, while other health insurance plans have co-pays only after you’ve met your deductible. And, the pre-deductible versus post-deductible co-pay rules often vary based on the type of medical service you’re receiving.
PRE-PAID PLANS: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2025/04/17/health-insurance-pre-paid-plans/
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Starting in June 2025, Cleveland Clinic patients who can’t pay their co-pay on the spot will have non-emergency appointments rescheduled or cancelled. This new policy could make it harder for low-income people who prefer to be billed to see a clinic doctor, and create delays that could lead to medical emergencies down the road.
For example, a delay in care can mean six to eight more weeks of a tumor growing or a blood clot developing or an infection brewing.
Source: Julie Washington, cleveland.com [5/13/25]
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Filed under: Ask a Doctor, Ethics, Funding Basics, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Health Insurance, Healthcare Finance | Tagged: Cleveland Clinic, co-insurance, co-pay, co-payment, deductible, Health Insurance, Julie Washington, post-deductible, pre-deductible, pre-paid insurance | Leave a comment »














