Terms Used In California Codes > Health and Safety Code > Division 107 > Part 2 - HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING

• Administrative costs and profits: means the total sum of all expenses not included in the numerator of the medical loss ratio calculation under state or federal law, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127500.2

• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Advisory committee: means the Health Care Equity Measures Advisory Committee established pursuant to Section 127376. See California Health and Safety Code 127371
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Affordability for consumers: means considering the totality of costs paid by consumers for covered benefits, including the enrollee share of premium and cost-sharing amounts paid towards the maximum out-of-pocket amount, including deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and other forms of cost sharing for public and private health coverage. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Agency: means the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. See California Labor Code 18.5
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Alternative payment model: means a state or nationally recognized payment approach that financially incentivizes high-quality and cost-efficient care. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Board: means the Health Care Affordability Board established by Section 127501. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• Charity care: means free health services provided without expectation of payment to persons who meet the organization's criteria for financial assistance and are unable to pay for all or a portion of the services. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• City: includes city and county. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 15
• City: includes "city and county. See California Insurance Code 15
• Codicil: An addition, change, or supplement to a will executed with the same formalities required for the will itself.
• Commission: means the Public Utilities Commission created by §. See California Public Utilities Code 20
• Commissioner: means the Insurance Commissioner of this State. See California Insurance Code 20
• Committee membership: Legislators are assigned to specific committees by their party. Seniority, regional balance, and political philosophy are the most prominent factors in the committee assignment process.
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Community: means the service areas or patient populations for which the hospital provides health care services. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• community benefit: means a hospital's activities that are intended to address community needs and priorities primarily through disease prevention and improvement of health status, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127345

• Community benefits plan: means the written document prepared for annual submission to the Department of Health Care Access and Information that shall include, but shall not be limited to, a description of the activities that the hospital has undertaken in order to address identified community needs within its mission and financial capacity, and the process by which the hospital developed the plan in consultation with the community. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• Community needs: means those requisites for improvement or maintenance of health status in the community. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• Community needs assessment: means the process by which the hospital identifies, for its primary service area as determined by the hospital, unmet community needs. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Complaint: means a complaint or cross-complaint. See California Code of Civil Procedure 426.10
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• County: includes "city and county. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• County: includes city and county. See California Financial Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Health and Safety Code 14
• County: includes "city and county. See California Insurance Code 14
• County: includes "city and county. See California Labor Code 14
• county: includes "city and county". See California Penal Code 7
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Department: means the Department of Boating and Waterways. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 651
• Department: means the Department of Health Care Access and Information. See California Health and Safety Code 127400
• Department: means the Department of Health Care Access and Information. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
• Department: means Department of Industrial Relations. See California Labor Code 19
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Director: means the Director of Boating and Waterways. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 651
• Director: means the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
• Director: means Director of Industrial Relations. See California Labor Code 20
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Disparity reduction: means a reduction in variation in disease occurrence, including communicable diseases and chronic conditions, as well as health outcomes for vulnerable populations. See California Health and Safety Code 127371
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Domestic: means organized under the laws of this State, whether or not admitted. See California Insurance Code 26
• Embezzlement: In most states, embezzlement is defined as theft/larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a position of trust or responsibility over those assets. Embezzlement typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings. ^{Source: OCC}
• Emergency care: means emergency medical services and care, as defined in Section 1317. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Emergency physician: means a physician and surgeon licensed pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000) of Division 2 of . See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Energy Commission: means the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission. See California Public Utilities Code 20
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Equity report: means a written document prepared for annual submission to the Department of Health Care Access and Information pursuant to this article. See California Health and Safety Code 127371
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Essential living expenses: means , for purposes of this subdivision, expenses for any of the following: rent or house payment and maintenance, food and household supplies, utilities and telephone, clothing, medical and dental payments, insurance, school or child care, child or spousal support, transportation and auto expenses, including insurance, gas, and repairs, installment payments, laundry and cleaning, and other extraordinary expenses. See California Health and Safety Code 127400
• Essential living expenses: means , for purposes of this subdivision, expenses for all of the following: rent or house payment and maintenance, food and household supplies, utilities and telephone, clothing, medical and dental payments, insurance, school or child care, child or spousal support, transportation and auto expenses, including insurance, gas, and repairs, installment payments, laundry and cleaning, and other extraordinary expenses. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Exempted provider: means a provider that meets standards established by the board for exemption from either of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127500.2

• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a set of United States statutes added as Title VIII of the Consumer Credit Protection Act. Its purpose is to ensure ethical practices in the collection of consumer debts and to provide consumers with an avenue for disputing and obtaining validation of debt information in order to ensure the information's accuracy. It is often used in conjunction with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Federal poverty level: means the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under authority of subsection (2) of Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code. See California Health and Safety Code 127400
• Federal poverty level: means the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under authority of subsection (2) of Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• Financially qualified patient: means a patient who is both of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127400

• Financially qualified patient: means a patient who is both of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127450

• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Foreign: means not organized under the laws of this State, whether or not admitted. See California Insurance Code 27
• Fully integrated delivery system: means a system that includes a physician organization, health facility or health system, and a nonprofit health care service plan that provides health care services to enrollees in a specific geographic region of the state through an affiliate hospital system and an exclusive contract between the nonprofit health care service plan and a single physician organization in each geographic region to provide those medical services. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Health care cost target: means the target percentage for the maximum annual increase in per capita total health care expenditures. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Health care entity: means a payer, provider, or a fully integrated delivery system. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• high medical costs: means any of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127400

• high medical costs: means any of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127450

• Hospital: means a private not-for-profit acute hospital licensed under subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250 and is owned by a corporation that has been determined to be exempt from taxation under the United States Internal Revenue Code. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• Hospital: means an acute hospital licensed pursuant to subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250. See California Health and Safety Code 127371
• Hospital: means a facility that is required to be licensed under subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250, except a facility operated by the State Department of State Hospitals or the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. See California Health and Safety Code 127400
• Hospital: means a facility that is required to be licensed under subdivision (a) of Section 1250, except a facility operated by the State Department of State Hospitals or the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Hospital system: means an entity or system of entities that includes or owns two or more hospitals within the state, of which at least one is a general acute care hospital, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1250. See California Health and Safety Code 127371
• Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Insurance broker: means a person who, for compensation and on behalf of another person, transacts insurance other than life, disability, or health with, but not on behalf of, an insurer. See California Insurance Code 33
• Insurance market: means the public and private health insurance markets. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Integrated system: means an entity or system of entities that includes one or more hospitals and is related to one or more hospitals, health plans, or physician groups through parent-subsidiary relationships, contractual relationships, or common boards and shared senior management. See California Health and Safety Code 127371
• isomer: includes optical and geometrical (diastereomeric) isomers. See California Health and Safety Code 11033
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Line of business: means the different individual, small, and large group business lines, as defined in Section 1348. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Manufacturer: means any person engaged in any of the following:

  California Harbors and Navigation Code 651

• Material change: means any change in ownership, operations, or governance for a health care entity, involving a material amount of assets of a health care entity. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Mission statement: means a hospital's primary objectives for operation as adopted by its governing body. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See California Penal Code 7
• Mortgage: includes a trust deed, "mortgagor" includes a trustor under such trust deed, "mortgagee" includes a beneficiary under such trust deed, or a trustee exercising powers or performing duties granted to or imposed upon him thereunder, and "lien" in respect to real or personal property includes a charge or incumbrance arising out of a trust deed. See California Insurance Code 29
• National Credit Union Administration: The federal regulatory agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions. (NCUA also administers the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, which insures the deposits of federal credit unions.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Oath: includes affirmation. See California Military and Veterans Code 15
• Operator: means the person aboard a vessel who meets any of the following:

  California Harbors and Navigation Code 651

• Oral argument: An opportunity for lawyers to summarize their position before the court and also to answer the judges' questions.
• Original bill: A bill which is drafted by a committee. It is introduced by the committee or subcommittee chairman after the committee votes to report it.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Owner: is a person having all the incidents of ownership, including the legal title, of a vessel whether or not that person lends, rents, or pledges the vessel. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 651
• patient with high medical costs: means a person whose family income does not exceed 400 percent of the federal poverty level, as defined in subdivision (b). See California Health and Safety Code 127400
• patient with high medical costs: means a person whose family income does not exceed 350 percent of the federal poverty level if that individual does not receive a discounted rate from the emergency physician as a result of their third-party coverage. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Payer: means private and public health care payers, including all of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127500.2

• Person: means an individual, partnership, firm, corporation, limited liability company, association, or other entity, but does not include the United States, the state, or a municipality or subdivision thereof. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 651
• Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Person: includes any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, limited liability company, syndicate, estate, trust, business trust, or organization of any kind. See California Financial Code 18
• Person: means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or company. See California Health and Safety Code 19
• Person: means any person, association, organization, partnership, business trust, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Insurance Code 19
• Person: means any person, association, organization, partnership, business trust, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Labor Code 18
• person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Penal Code 7
• Physician organization: includes any of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127500.2

• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plaintiff: means a person who files a complaint or cross-complaint. See California Code of Civil Procedure 426.10
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Process: signifies a writ or summons issued in the course of a judicial proceeding. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• property: includes both real and personal property. See California Penal Code 7
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Provider: means any of the following that delivers or furnishes health care services:

  California Health and Safety Code 127500.2

• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Purchaser: means an individual, organization, or business entity that purchases health care services, including, but not limited to, trust funds, trade associations, and private and public employers who provide health care benefits to their employees, members, and dependents. See California Health and Safety Code 127500.2
• Reasonable payment formula: means monthly payments that are not more than 10 percent of a patient's family income for a month, excluding deductions for essential living expenses. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Reasonable payment plan: means monthly payments that are not more than 10 percent of a patient's family income for a month, excluding deductions for essential living expenses. See California Health and Safety Code 127400
• Related cause of action: means a cause of action which arises out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences as the cause of action which the plaintiff alleges in his complaint. See California Code of Civil Procedure 426.10
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• seal: includes an impression of such seal upon the paper alone, or upon any substance attached to the paper capable of receiving a visible impression. See California Penal Code 7
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development. See California Labor Code 19.5
• Self-pay patient: means a patient who does not have third-party coverage from a health insurer, health care service plan, Medicare, or Medicaid, and whose injury is not a compensable injury for purposes of workers' compensation, automobile insurance, or other insurance as determined and documented by the hospital. See California Health and Safety Code 127400
• Self-pay patient: means a patient who does not have third-party coverage from a health insurer, health care service plan, Medicare, or Medicaid, and whose injury is not a compensable injury for purposes of workers' compensation, automobile insurance, or other insurance as determined and documented by the emergency physician. See California Health and Safety Code 127450
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Health and Safety Code 12.2
• State: means a state of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the District of Columbia. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 651
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Insurance Code 28
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the district and territories. See California Penal Code 7
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Public Utilities Code 17
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Public Utilities Code 10
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• subscription: includes mark when the signer or subscriber can not write, such signer's or subscriber's name being written near the mark by a witness who writes his own name near the signer's or subscriber's name. See California Labor Code 17
• subscription: includes mark when the signer or subscriber cannot write, such signer's or subscriber's name being written near the mark by a witness who writes his own name near the signer's or subscriber's name. See California Military and Veterans Code 17
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• Testate: To die leaving a will.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Total health care expenditures: means all health care spending in the state by public and private sources, including all of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127500.2

• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Use: means operate, navigate, or employ. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 651
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Vessel: includes every description of a watercraft or other artificial contrivance used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, except either of the following:

  California Harbors and Navigation Code 651

• vessel: means a vessel as defined in subdivision (c) of §. See California Penal Code 7
• Vulnerable populations: means any population that is exposed to medical or financial risk by virtue of being uninsured, underinsured, or eligible for Medi-Cal, Medicare, California Children's Services Program, or county indigent programs. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
• Vulnerable populations: includes both of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 127371

• war: shall mean : (a) whenever Congress has declared war and peace has not been formally restored. See California Military and Veterans Code 18
• Waters of this state: means any waters within the territorial limits of this state. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 651
• Will: includes codicil. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Writing: includes printing and typewriting. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Writing: includes any form of recorded message capable of comprehension by ordinary visual means. See California Financial Code 8