Hospital cash plan

Low cost alternative to private medical insurance providing fixed cash benefits for various circumstances. For example, hospital day care is selectable in the range £12 to £48 per day up to 10 days in a year; hospital in-patient treatment ranges from £18 to £72 per day up to 91 days per year or longer in some cases. Other sections provide benefits for dental treatment, optical requirements, parental stay, acupuncture, stress counselling, etc. Exclusions: pre-existing medical conditions; war; intentional self-injury; alcohol or drug abuse; pregnancy or childbirth; mental diseases, disorders or breakdown; nuclear radiation; cosmetic surgery; treatment for infertility or pregnancy termination; AIDS; confinement for domestic reasons.

Hospital coinsurance

Cost sharing in which a Medicare Part A beneficiary must pay a daily amount for the 61st through 90th day of hospitalization. It is equal to one fourth of the inpatient hospital deductible. For lifetime reserve days, a Medicare beneficiary must pay a daily amount that is equal to one half of the inpatient hospital deductible. See lifetime reserve .

Hospital contract

Formal legal agreement between a managed care plan or insurance company with a hospital facility to provide inpatient and outpatient medical services to members of the plan with payment for the care by the plan.

Hospital day

Twenty-four-hour period when a patient is admitted to the hospital as an inpatient. The day of admission is considered a hospital day, but the day of discharge from the hospital is not. The time a patient spends receiving medical services as an outpatient is not considered as a hospital day.

Hospital days per 1000

Utilization measurement of the number of days per year of inpatient hospital care by members in a managed care plan. The formula is calculated by taking the total number of days spent in the hospital by the members and dividing it by the total number of members.