Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Despite significant progress in research, practice, and policy, disparities in youth health risk behaviors persist. Populations can be defined by factors such as race or ethnicity, gender, education or income, disability, geographic location (e.g., rural or urban), or sexual orientation. Health disparities are inequitable and are directly related to the historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources. (also see Social Determinants of Health)

 

Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health irrespective of personal characteristics.

Available to those enrolled in a high-deductible health insurance plan, an HSA is a savings account used to set aside pre-tax funds to pay for qualified medical expenses, including prescription drugs (as well as certain OTC drugs), such as deductibles and copayments. The IRS sets a limit each year on the tax-deductible dollar amount that may be contributed to an HSA, which is indexed to inflation. The contribution limit for HSAs is higher than the limit for FSAs and, unlike an FSA, the funds in an HSA carry over from year to year. Additionally, HSA dollars can be invested, unlike FSA dollars.

A plan with a higher deductible than a traditional insurance plan. The monthly premium is usually lower, but plan participants pay OOP for more health care costs before their insurance company starts to pay its share. A high-deductible plan, also called an HSA-eligible plan, can be combined with an HSA for patients to pay for certain medical (and related) expenses with pre-tax money. Deductible limits are adjusted annually by the IRS.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) established rules banning the use of pre-existing condition exclusions for those with continuous health insurance coverage. It also required HHS to issue a regulation governing the use and disclosure of personally identifiable health information, including electronic information. Typically, the phrase HIPAA refers to the privacy and security requirements under the rule promulgated per HIPAA by the HHS Secretary.

HIPAA standard transactions are exchanges involving the electronic transfer of information between two parties for specific purposes. HIPAA regulations set up the following standard transactions for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) of health care data: 1) claims and encounter information, 2) claims status, 3) coordination of benefits and premium payment, 4) eligibility, enrollment, and disenrollment, 5) payment and remittance advice, and 6) referrals and authorizations.

These three terms are often used interchangeably and may refer to either:  (i) pharmacies that solely ship self-administered drugs (such as insulin and oral medications) directly to a patient’s home, typically dispensing  a longer days’ supply for the treatment of chronic or longer-term health conditions, and (ii) pharmacies that dispense prescriptions and deliver them to patients’ homes (or other designated locations) by mail, common carrier, or other delivery service.