Which statement best distinguishes co-pay from deductible?

Which statement best distinguishes co-pay from deductible?

• A. Co-pay is the full price of the medication
• B. Deductible is the fixed fee charged by the pharmacist
• C. Co-pay is the monthly premium
• D. Co-pay is the patient’s fixed payment per prescription; deductible is the amount paid before coverage starts

Answer: (D)

Understanding how cost sharing works in prescription coverage: a co-pay is a fixed amount you pay for each prescription at the time you get it, no matter the drug’s price, with the insurer covering the rest according to the plan. A deductible, on the other hand, is the amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurance starts paying toward covered medications. So the statement that co-pays are your fixed per-prescription payment and deductibles are the amounts paid before coverage begins correctly captures the distinct roles of these two features. The other options mix up what each term represents: the full price of the medication isn’t the fixed co-pay, the deductible isn’t a fee charged by the pharmacist, and the monthly premium is a separate cost from the per-prescription co-pay.

Understanding how cost sharing works in prescription coverage: a co-pay is a fixed amount you pay for each prescription at the time you get it, no matter the drug’s price, with the insurer covering the rest according to the plan. A deductible, on the other hand, is the amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurance starts paying toward covered medications. So the statement that co-pays are your fixed per-prescription payment and deductibles are the amounts paid before coverage begins correctly captures the distinct roles of these two features. The other options mix up what each term represents: the full price of the medication isn’t the fixed co-pay, the deductible isn’t a fee charged by the pharmacist, and the monthly premium is a separate cost from the per-prescription co-pay.