out-of-pocket health expenditure

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the direct payments made by individuals and households for healthcare services, medicines, and equipment at the point of use, which are not reimbursed by any public scheme, private insurance, or employer health plan; out-of-pocket expenditures are the primary means by which households in many low-income countries finance healthcare, in the absence of effective risk-pooling mechanisms; high out-of-pocket spending is associated with financial hardship, catastrophic health expenditure, impoverishment, delayed care-seeking, and avoidance of necessary treatment; the World Health Organization tracks out-of-pocket spending as a proportion of total health expenditure as a key indicator of health system financial protection, with high shares indicating inadequate public financing and insurance coverage