What percentage of patients have $0 out-of-pocket cost?

• A. About one-third
• B. All patients
• C. About two-thirds
• D. None

Answer: (C)

Out-of-pocket costs are the amounts patients pay when receiving care, and many insurance designs waive these costs for covered preventive services or basic benefits. Because a large portion of common preventive and essential services are provided with zero cost-sharing, a sizable share of patients end up paying nothing for those covered items. In many real-world settings, this results in roughly two-thirds of patients having zero out-of-pocket costs for the services in question. The other one-third may still face co-pays, deductibles, or services not deemed preventive, which is why not everyone pays nothing. So the choice reflecting about two-thirds being zero out-of-pocket is the best fit.