Illness is commonly described as acute or chronic.
Acute conditions are of short duration such as the flu, measles or strep throat.
Chronic conditions are of longer duration such as high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and epilepsy. Some chronic conditions are only controlled by medication and are not necessarily cured through its use. The MPDP is operated independently from the University's Plan A and Healthpass plan. A deductible need not be satisfied in the MPDP before reimbursement is made. For maintenance prescriptions, faculty and staff members should consider using the MPDP if the prescription they are using is listed under the plan.