1
: allowing customers to pay for goods or services without assistance (as by using a payment kiosk)
a self-pay parking garage
self-pay gas stations
2
: making payment (as of a medical bill) with one's own money rather than money from another source (such as a health insurance company)
Self-pay patients who are uninsured will typically pay roughly 25 to 40 percent of the total price for ER visits—so the larger the charge, the larger the out-of-pocket bill.—
Anna Wolfe
: relating to or involving payment (as of a medical bill) with one's own money
Anna Wolfe
self-pay treatments/procedures
the hospital's self-pay options
The increase in insurance deductibles and self-pay portions of costs for outpatient services …—Pamela Sherrod
Pamela Sherrod
… the hospital said the MRI price in the survey was too high. But it would not disclose what it said would be the self-pay price.—Anna Werner
Anna Werner
self-paid ˈself-ˈpād 
; self-paying; self-pays
; self-paying; self-pays
: to pay (something, such as a medical bill) with one's own money rather than money from another source (such as a health insurance company)
The average person cannot afford to self-pay for bariatric surgical procedures …—Neil Hutcher
Neil Hutcher
Examples of self-pay in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jay Sparks, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 Patients opting for self-pay will be able to get Foundayo starting at $149 for the lowest dose, Lilly said. —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Apr. 2026 The program is for self-pay patients and is expected to save injection users up to $1,200 per year and pill users up to $600 per year, the company said, with lower prices for people who sign up for longer subscriptions. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2026 And an assignment to a hallway bed may reflect triage bias against patients who are on Medicaid or who self-pay. —Jay Baruch, STAT, 18 Mar. 2026 The big-box warehouse chain is partnering with Sesame and IVI RMA to offer self-pay patients expanded access and more affordable care. —Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026 Meanwhile, Zepbound self-pay vials are Eli Lilly’s most popular offering and make up a third of new patients starting on any brand-name obesity drug, the company said during its earnings call on Wednesday. —Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026 The new pill will cost $25 or less in copay per month if covered by insurance and between $149 and $299 per month for self-pay, according to the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026 The pill version is less expensive than the injectable one, which carries a $349 monthly price tag for self-pay consumers, though new patients can receive two months of the lowest two doses for $199 each until March under a company promotion. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 5 Jan. 2026
Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2023 Vasectomy services are available at Planned Parenthood for insurance or self-pay, and there are no grants or financial aid available, officials say. —Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Novo Nordisk offers self-pay pricing through its NovoCare pharmacy, with some doses starting at $149 per month. —Jay Sparks, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 Patients opting for self-pay will be able to get Foundayo starting at $149 for the lowest dose, Lilly said. —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Apr. 2026 The program is for self-pay patients and is expected to save injection users up to $1,200 per year and pill users up to $600 per year, the company said, with lower prices for people who sign up for longer subscriptions. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2026 And an assignment to a hallway bed may reflect triage bias against patients who are on Medicaid or who self-pay. —Jay Baruch, STAT, 18 Mar. 2026 The big-box warehouse chain is partnering with Sesame and IVI RMA to offer self-pay patients expanded access and more affordable care. —Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026 Meanwhile, Zepbound self-pay vials are Eli Lilly’s most popular offering and make up a third of new patients starting on any brand-name obesity drug, the company said during its earnings call on Wednesday. —Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026 The new pill will cost $25 or less in copay per month if covered by insurance and between $149 and $299 per month for self-pay, according to the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026 The pill version is less expensive than the injectable one, which carries a $349 monthly price tag for self-pay consumers, though new patients can receive two months of the lowest two doses for $199 each until March under a company promotion. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
The cost for the procedure at the University of Maryland Medical Center ranges from $28,000 to $30,000 for patients like Carlson who self-pay, according to a spokeswoman for the medical center. —Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2023 Vasectomy services are available at Planned Parenthood for insurance or self-pay, and there are no grants or financial aid available, officials say. —Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Self-pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/self-pay. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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