A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

electronic medical record

A computer-based record containing details about a patient’s encounter with a health care provider or facility, such as the patient’s chief complaint, vital signs, medical history, medical orders, plans and prescriptions. An EMR is a legal document and...

Employee Retirement Income Security Act

Enacted in 1974, ERISA was primarily designed to secure workers’ pension rights. The law established federal reporting and disclosure requirements for most private employee health plans. Under ERISA, companies that pay for their workers’ health benefits...

employer health care tax credit

An incentive mechanism designed to encourage employers, usually small employers, to offer health insurance to their employees. The tax credit enables employers to deduct an amount, usually a percentage of the contribution they make toward their employees’...

employer mandate

An approach that requires all employers to provide health care benefits to their workers or pay a fee (see employer pay-or-play) that contributes to the cost of covering them. The ACA creates a type of employer mandate, in that employers with 100 or more employees who...

employer pay-or-play

An approach requiring employers to offer and pay for health benefits on behalf of their employees, or to pay a specified dollar amount or percentage of payroll into a designated public fund. The fund would provide a source of financing for coverage for those who do...