What is the term for the cost of services rendered that the patient must pay after meeting the deductible?

The term for the cost of services rendered that the patient must pay after meeting the deductible is coinsurance. Coinsurance refers to the percentage of costs of a covered healthcare service that the patient is responsible for after they have paid their deductible. For example, if a patient has a plan where they cover 20% of the costs after the deductible is met, that 20% is their coinsurance responsibility.

This concept illustrates how health insurance works as a means of sharing the financial burden between the insurer and the insured, allowing the insured to manage health costs more effectively over time.

In contrast, the other terms represent different aspects of healthcare expenses: a premium is the amount paid for an insurance policy; a copayment is a fixed amount paid for a specific service; and a deductible is the total amount a patient must pay out-of-pocket before insurance begins to cover costs. Each of these plays a distinct role in medical billing and patient financial responsibility.