cost sharing
In healthcare, cost sharing occurs when patients pay a portion of a healthcare cost that is not covered by health insurance. The out-of-pocket payment varies among healthcare plans and depends on whether the patient chooses to use a healthcare provider who is contracted with the healthcare plan's network.
Common forms of cost-sharing include deductibles, coinsurance, and co-payments. Balance-billed charges for out-of-network physicians are not considered cost-sharing.