Federal legislation signed and passed on August 5, 1997, that changes sections of the Social Security Act. Its purpose is to reduce spending, balance the federal budget, and fight fraud and abuse. It introduced provisions and improvements to protect program integrity such as permanent exclusion for those convicted of three health care–related crimes on or after the date of enactment and mandated prospective payment systems for outpatient and home health services. Sometimes the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 is informally pronounced as “bubba.”

To group life insurance policies according to death benefit amounts for the intent of calculating loading.

Condition under which a person or corporation is declared unable to pay debts.

Religious record of an individual’s birth or baptism that is used to establish age in certain situations.

Suspension of barium sulfate injected into the lower bowel to render it radiopaque, usually followed by injection of air to inflate the bowel and increase definition for the purposes of identifying disorders or early signs of cancer.

Specific dollar amount per member per month (PMPM) in a managed care plan that covers medical costs. Usually this excludes administrative costs, mental health services, pharmacy, and substance abuse services.

Specific dollar amount from the Medicare fee schedule that is allowed for a participating provider according to the specialty. Commonly referred to as participating provider’s fee .

Updated approximation of the most recent historical year.