The title of the Social Security Act which contains the principal legislative authority for the Medicare program and therefore a common name for the program. The title of the Social Security Act which contains the principal legislative authority for the Medicaid program and therefore a common name for the program. Tort Reform Legislative limits or changes or judicial reform of the rules governing medical malpractice lawsuits and other lawsuits. Tort simply refers to law suit. Reform implies that limits can be placed on individual rights to sue or on the amounts or situations for which they can seek relief.
Tort is considered to be by some as the primary cause of the rising costs of health care.
Reform, then, would lower health care costs. On the other hand, patient advocates are against tort reform, claiming that the health care industry and managed care industries require monitoring and that law suits keep health care providers and payers in check. Congress debates tort reform each session, but, to date, few restrictions have been placed on tort cases. Total Margin A measure that compares total hospital revenue and expenses for inpatient, outpatient, and non-patient care activities. The total margin is calculated by subtracting total expenses from total revenue and dividing by total revenue.