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Copayment

Insurance

A fixed dollar amount paid at the time of service for specific healthcare visits or prescriptions. You might pay $30 for a doctor's visit or $15 for a generic prescription. The predictability of copays helps budget for routine care, though they typically don't count toward your deductible.

More Insurance Terms

Accident Insurance

Supplemental insurance that pays benefits if the policyholder is injured in a covered accident. Pays a lump sum or scheduled benefits for accidents resulting in emergency room visits, hospitalization, fractures, or other specified injuries.

Actuarial Value

The percentage of total average costs for covered benefits that a health plan pays. Bronze plans have 60% actuarial value, Silver 70%, Gold 80%, and Platinum 90%. The remaining percentage is what consumers pay through deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.

Affordability Test

Under the employer mandate, coverage is considered affordable if the employee s share of self-only premium for the lowest-cost plan does not exceed 9.12% (2023) of household income. If coverage is unaffordable, the employee may qualify for marketplace premium tax credits.

Age Rating

The practice of charging different premiums based on age. Under the ACA, insurers can charge older adults up to 3 times more than younger adults (3:1 ratio). Some states impose stricter limits on age rating.

Aggregate Deductible

A family plan structure where the entire family deductible must be met before insurance begins cost-sharing for any family member. All family members' expenses count toward the single family deductible amount.

Allowed Amount

The maximum payment your insurance plan negotiates with providers for specific services. In-network providers agree to accept this rate as full payment. If a provider charges more than the allowed amount and is out-of-network, you may face balance billing for the difference.

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