social history (SH)

Age-appropriate review of a patient’s past and current activities (e.g., marital status, employment history, sexual history, level of education, smoking, diet intake, alcohol use). Depending on the category of evaluation and management (E/M) service, documented review of two or all three past, family, and/or social history (PFSH) is required. For comprehensive assessments, all three areas are required.

Social insurance supplement policy

1. Additional medical insurance coverage to protect against losses when the insured wage earner’s income is interrupted or terminated because of illness or accident and the loss is not covered by workers’ compensation, disability income benefits, or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). 2. Insurance plan that complements the benefits from a specified government health insurance program.

Social Security

Concept in which an individual works, the worker pays taxes into the system, and when the worker retires or becomes disabled, the worker, his or her spouse, and his or her dependent children receive monthly benefits based on the reported earnings. Also, the worker’s survivors can collect benefits if the worker dies.
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A general term used to refer to the programs mandated by the Social Security Act of 1935. With the amendments made to the act since then, it is now sometimes called Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance. Through social security, programs that provide assistance to certain segmentds of the public are administrated, such as Public Assistance.

Social Security Act

Public Law 74-271, enacted on August 14, 1935, with subsequent amendments. The Social Security Act consists of 20 titles, four of which have been repealed. The health insurance (HI) and supplementary medical insurance (SMI) programs are authorized by Title XVIII of the Social Security Act.