Incompetency

There is no federal law that governs incompetency. The procedure for declaring a patient incompetent varies from state to state. Guardians will be appointed to act on a patient's behalf, if they become incompetent and have not executed a durable power of attorney and a durable power of attorney for health care.

"Medical Necessity" in Private Health Plans

Private health plans generally cover only the costs of treatment and services that are "medically necessary." What constitutes medical necessity, however, depends on the language of the insurance contract.

Malpractice and Medical Treatment That Doesn't Work

Patients frequently can recover damages if they are harmed by their doctors or healthcare professionals, if they can prove that the care that they received constituted medical malpractice.

National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to more than 26 million children each school day. Under the NSLP, schools are required to serve lunches that are consistent with the applicable recommendations of the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Health Care Fraud--Qui Tam Actions

To combat health care fraud, Congress enacted the False Claims Act as a means of catching perpetrators of health care fraud. To supplement the government's ability to enforce the Act, the Act includes "qui tam" or "whistleblower" provisions that permit informers to sue on behalf of the government a person or entity who knowingly submits false claims to the government. The informer is entitled to a portion of the government's recovery.