Uniform Glossary

The Uniform Glossary is a document that is prepared for consumers and plan members and owned by the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service as part of the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Uniform Glossary includes many commonly used health coverage and medical terms, but isn't a full list. These terms and definitions are intended to be educational and may be different from the terms and definitions for a plan. Some of these terms might not have exactly the same meaning when used in a policy or plan, and in any such case, the policy or plan governs. The glossary may not be modified by plans or issuers. The Uniform Glossary is accessible at the following sites: The Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight, United States DEPARTMENT OF LABOR and Health Care. Plans and issuers must also provide a paper copy of the Uniform Glossary upon request.

To help plans and issuers meet the language requirements of the final regulations, HHS will provide – here and here – written translation of the SBC template, sample language, and Uniform Glossary in Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese and Navajo.