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Debt - In the case of the federal government, the total value of outstanding bills, notes, bonds, and other debt instruments issued by the Treasury and other federal agencies. That debt is referred to as federal debt or gross debt. It has two components - debt held by the public ( federal debt held by nonfederal investors, including the Federal Reserve System) and debt held by government accounts (federal debt held by federal government trust funds, deposit insurance funds, and other federal accounts). Debt subject to limit is federal debt that is subject to a statutory limit on the total amount issued. The limit applies to gross federal debt except for a small portion of the debt issued by the Treasury and the small amount of debt issued by other federal agencies (primarily the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Postal Service).

Deductible (Medical Insurance) - A fixed amount, usually expressed in dollars in the form of an annual fee, that the beneficiary of a health insurance plan must pay directly to the health care provider before a health insurance plan begins to pay for any costs associated with the insured medical service.

Deficit - The amount by which the federal government’s total outlays exceed its total revenues in a given period, typically a fiscal year. The primary deficit is that total deficit excluding net interest.

Defined Benefit Pension Plan – Retirees receive predetermined monthly retirement benefits from employers despite the funding status / investment returns of their pension funds.

Defined Contribution Pension Plan – Retirees contribute specified amount to their pension funds and receive variable monthly retirement benefits depending on investment returns. Examples include Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) plans.

Disposable Personal Income - Personal income—the income that people receive, including transfer payments—minus the taxes and fees that people pay to governments.

Economic Stimulus - Federal fiscal or monetary policies aimed at promoting economic activity, used primarily during recessions. Such policies include reductions in taxes, increases in federal spending, reductions in interest rates, and other support for financial markets and institutions.

Entitlement - A legal obligation of the federal government to make payments to a person, group of people, business, unit of government, or similar entity that meets the eligibility criteria set in law and for which the budget authority is not provided in advance in an appropriation act. Spending for entitlement programs is controlled through those programs’ eligibility criteria and benefit or payment rules. The best-known entitlements are the government’s major benefit programs, such as Social Security and Medicare.

Excise Tax - A tax levied on the purchase of a specific type of good or service, such as tobacco products or air transportation services.

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) - Income amounts set each February by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services used to determine an individual's or family's eligibility for various public programs, including Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Federal Reserve System - The central bank of the United States. The Federal Reserve is responsible for setting the nation’s monetary policy and overseeing credit conditions. See central bank and monetary policy.

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