Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The act or process of extinguishing a debt, usually by equal payments at regular intervals over a specific period of time.  

The whole range of health, nutritional housing and social services designed to keep persons, particularly the aged, disabled and retarded, out of institutions like skilled nursing facilities which provide care on a long-term basis. The goal is to provide the range of services necessary to allow the person to continue to function in the home…

items or elements of an institution’s costs which are reimbursable under a payment formula. Both Medicare and Medicaid reimburse hospitals on the basis of certain costs, but do not allow reimbursement for all costs. Allowable costs may exclude, for example, uncovered services, luxury accommodations, costs which are not reasonable, expenditures which are unnecessary in the…

Generic term referring to the maximum fee that a third party will use in reimbursing a provider for a given service. An allowable charge may not be the same as either a reasonable, customary or prevailing charge as the terms are used under the Medicare program.  

A provision in an insurance policy under which payment for certain benefits (such as miscellaneous hospital and medical services like X-rays, dressings and drugs) will be made at a rate for each specified (scheduled) in the provision. Usually there is also a maximum that will be paid for all such expenses. An allocated benefit is one…

Specially trained and licensed (when necessary) health workers other than physicians, dentists, podiatrists and nurses. The term has no constant or agreed upon detailed meaning: sometimes being used synonymously with para-medical personnel: sometimes meaning all health workers who perform tasks which must otherwise be performed by a physician; and sometimes referring to health workers who…

The maximum dollar amount payable for any disability, period of disability, or covered service under an insurance policy.  

An agreement (usually formal) between two or more otherwise independent programs or individuals which defines how they will relate to each other. Affiliation agreements may specify: procedures for referring or transferring patients from one facility to another; joint faculty and/or medical staff appointments; teaching relationships; sharing of records or services; or provision of consultation between…

One which is affiliated in some degree with another health program, usually a medical school. Some definitions in fact limit the term to mean hospitals with close or extensive affiliations with medical schools.  

Disproportionate insurance of risk who are poorer or more prone to suffer loss or make claims than the average risk. It may result from the tendency for poorer risks or less desirable insureds (sick people) to seek or continue insurance to a greater extent than do better risks (healthy people), or from the tendency for…