The Alliance For Health Reform: Suggest an Edit

T
TAX CREDIT - A flat amount that can be subtracted from taxes owed. Under some health care reform proposals, tax credits would be given to moderate-income individuals/families to subsidize health insurance premiums. A tax credit is more progressive in its impact than a tax deduction of the same amount, since the value of a deduction is greater for those whose tax rates (and usually incomes) are higher.

TAX DEDUCTION - An amount that can be subtracted from taxable income if spent on a specific purpose. Currently, businesses and the self-employed can deduct the cost of health insurance provided to employees, but health expenses (including insurance) are a deduction for families with group health insurance only after they reach 7.5 percent of income.

TAX PREFERENCE (FOR HEALTH BENEFITS) - Employer-paid health benefits are treated under federal tax law as a deductible business expense for the employer, and excluded from taxable income for the worker. This creates incentives for some employers and workers to prefer extra compensation in the form of more health coverage rather than wages.

TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) - The block grant program that, in 1996, replaced categorical welfare assistance such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Under TANF, time limits are set for cash benefits, and recipients are expected to accept work or be enrolled in training programs. TANF was reauthorized in 2005 as part of the DRA with $16.4 billion in annual funding through FY 2010. Click here for more information.

TERTIARY CARE - Health care services provided by highly specialized providers such as neurosurgeons, thoracic surgeons, and intensive care units. These services often require highly sophisticated technologies and facilities.

THERAPEUTIC SUBSTITUTION - Replacement of one drug with another drug from the same therapeutic class that the Food and Drug Administration has determined to be equivalent - the substitute has the same active ingredient with the same absorption rate as the original drug. Often, this results in prescribing the less costly compound.

THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR (TPA) - A professional firm that provides administrative services to employers who want to self-insure their employees. The TPA does not underwrite the financial risk of providing coverage.

THIRD PARTY PAYER - Organization, public or private, that pays or insures medical expenses on behalf of enrollees. An individual pays a premium, and the payer organization pays providers' actual medical bills on the individual's behalf. Such payments are called third-party payments and are distinguished by the separation among the individual receiving the service (the first party), the individual or institution providing it (the second party), and the organization paying for it (third party).

TRADE ACT HEALTH INSURANCE SUBSIDY- Premium subsidy program that covers a portion of the cost of health insurance for early retirees, their families and other workers who have lost their employer-sponsored health coverage as a consequence of company failure due to trade practices or bankruptcy. The subsidy to former workers is provided in the form of a federal tax credit either to be claimed when the income tax return is filed, or sent directly to the beneficiary's health insurance provider each month.

TRANSITIONAL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (TMA) - Medicaid coverage for up to one year for families leaving welfare to become self-supporting through work. During this transition period, states are required to continue Medicaid benefits even if earnings increase. Click here for more information.

TRIAGE - The classification of sick or injured persons according to severity in order to direct care and ensure the efficient use of medical and nursing staff and facilities.

TRICARE - Program providing medical care to the dependents of active duty members of the military and to retired members of the military. Formerly known as the Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPUS), the program is run by the Department of Defense. For more information, see www.health.mil/.

TRUST FUNDS - Federal trust funds are created in the U.S. Treasury to account for all program income, such as Social Security and Medicare taxes, and disbursements, such as benefit payments and program administrative costs. Revenues not needed in a particular year are invested in special non-marketable government securities; therefore, the trust funds represent the total value, including interest, of all prior program annual surpluses and deficits. There are two Social Security trust funds: the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, which pays retirement and survivors benefits, and the Disability Insurance Trust Fund, which pays for disability benefits. There are also two Medicare trust funds: the Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund, which pays for inpatient hospital and related care, and the Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund, which pays for physician and outpatient services. Medicare Part D prescription drug expenditures are paid out of the SMI Trust Fund. See HI Trust Fund and SMI Trust Fund in glossary.