Food production has been regulated in the United States since the mid–1800s. But it was not until 1906, when both the Food and Drug Act (21 U.S.C. 1 et seq.) and the Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) were enacted, that the...
healthcare
forensic medicine
Forensic medicine is the science of medicine as it connects to law; the application of medical knowledge and facts to the resolution of legal disputes; medical jurisprudence.
[Last updated in July of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team...
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”) protects individuals from genetic discrimination in matter of employment and health insurance. As genetic science began to advance rapidly in the 1990s, many began to worry that...
health
Broadly defined, health law includes the law of public health, health care generally, and medical care specifically. Preserving public health is a primary duty of the state. Health regulations and laws are therefore almost all administered at...
health benefits
A health benefit is defined as healthcare services provided or being covered under health insurance plans as a benefit, such as health maintenance organizations (HMO), to cover the costs of healthcare.
[Last updated in...
health care declaration
A health care declaration is a written legal document that sets out how a person should be cared for in case of an emergency or incapacity. It indicates a person's preferences for medical care when they are unable to make decisions for...
health care directive
A health care directive is a written legal document that sets out how a person should be cared for in case of an emergency or incapacity. It indicates a person's preferences for medical care when he or she is unable to make decisions for...
health care fraud
Health care fraud is a type of white-collar crime that involves the filing of dishonest health care claims in order to turn a profit. Fraudulent health care schemes come in many forms.
Practitioner schemes include: Individuals...health care proxy
A health care proxy is an agent named in a health care declaration to make medical decisions for the person signing the document (the principal) when he or she is unable to make decisions for himself or herself. A health care declaration is a...
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal statute which protects the unauthorized release of individually identifiable health information. HIPAA applies to the release of health information by both health...