To look up a health care term such as Actuary, choose the letter that the term begins with below under Alphabetical Glossary. This will take you to the terms beginning with that letter. To look up a health care acronym such as AIDS, choose the letter that the term begins with below under Acronyms. This will take you to all acronyms that begin with that letter.

Waiting Periods	A period of time an individual must wait to become eligible for benefits for a specific condition(s) after overall coverage has commenced.
Waiver	Term used to refer to a variety of exceptions or variances allowed to circumvent Federal rules. See Medicare waiver or Medicaid waiver.
Waiver of Premium Provision	Any provision included within or as a rider to an insurance policy providing that, when specified conditions exist, the policy will continue in force without further premium payment. When the specified conditions no longer exist, the insured person resumes paying premiums.
Ward Clerk	Performs clerical work in a hospital nursing unit. Records identifying information on medical records, copies TPR's on patients chart from nurse's records; records physician's orders on medication cards for approval by charge nurse, delivers mail, newspapers, etc., to patients.
Well-Baby Care	Services provided in the first year of a newborn's life to identify, treat and prevent health care problems.
Wellness	A type of preventive medicine associated with an individual's lifestyle which, through a combination of exercise and diet, can reduce health care utilization and costs.
Withhold	See withhold fund.
Withhold Fund	The portion of the monthly capitation payment to physicians withheld by the managed care plan until the end of the year or other time period to create an incentive for efficient care. If the physician exceeds utilization norms for other members of his group or geographic region, he or she loses the fund or part of it. The principal of the withhold fund may be applied to hospital services, specialty referrals, laboratory usage, etc.
Work-Up	The total patient evaluation, which may include laboratory assessments, radiologic series, medical history, and diagnostic procedures.
Workers' Compensation	Programs established by state law to provide medical benefits and compensation for injuries and diseases that occur in the course of employment. The workers compensation program is financed by covered employers insured or self-insured under property and casualty lines and is mandatory for employers in almost all states.