Overview

• Cleveland Clinic will require patients to pay copays before or at check-in for nonemergency outpatient services starting June 1, 2025.
• Appointments will be canceled or rescheduled if copays are not paid, a policy unique among major local hospitals.
• Exceptions include emergency care, surgeries, inpatient stays, cancer treatments, urgent or express care visits, and Medicaid patients.
• Critics, including health policy experts, warn the policy could delay critical care for low-income and chronically ill patients, exacerbating health disparities.
• The Clinic defends the change as essential for operational sustainability and seamless care delivery, while offering multiple payment methods, including cash, cards, and digital options like Apple Pay and MyChart.