MEPS HC-013: 1999 Panel 4 Round 1 Population Characteristics
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Center for Cost and Financing Studies
2101 East Jefferson Street, Suite 501
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 594-1406
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Data Use Agreement
B Background
1.0 Household Component
2.0 Medical Provider Component
3.0 Insurance Component
4.0 Nursing Home Component
5.0 Survey Management
C Technical and Programming Information
1.0 General Information
2.0 Data File Information
2.1 Codebook Structure
2.2 Reserved Codes
2.3 Codebook Format
2.4 Variable Naming
2.5 File Contents
2.5.1 Survey Administration Variables
2.5.2 Demographic Variables
2.5.3 Health Status Variables
2.5.4 Employment Variables
2.5.5 Health Insurance Variables
3.0 Survey Sample Information
3.1 Sample Design and Response Rates
3.2 Sample Weights
3.2.1 Person Level Weight
3.2.2 Family Level Weight
3.2.2.1 Definition of MEPS Families
3.2.2.2 Assignment of Weights
3.2.2.3 Instructions to Create Family Estimates
3.2.3 Relationship Between Person and Family
Level Weights
3.3 Variance Estimation
4.0 Programming Information
D Codebook
E Variable-Source Crosswalk
F MEPS Household Component Data Items
G PANEL 1 (1996) meps hc DATA ITEMS ON EVENT FILES
H Catalog of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
A. Data Use Agreement
Individual identifiers have been removed from the micro-data contained in the files on this CD-ROM. Nevertheless, under sections 308 (d) and 903 (c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m and 42 U.S.C. 299 a-1), data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and/or the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) may not be used for any purpose other than for the purpose for which it was supplied; any effort to determine the identity of any reported cases is prohibited by law.
Therefore in accordance with the above referenced Federal Statute, it is understood that:
- No one is to use the data in this data set in any way except for statistical reporting and analysis; and
- If the identity of any person or establishment should be discovered inadvertently, then (a) no use will be made of this knowledge, (b) the Director Office of Management AHRQ will be advised of this incident, (c) the information that would identify any individual or establishment will be safeguarded or destroyed, as requested by AHRQ, and (d) no one else will be informed of the discovered identity; and
- No one will attempt to link this data set with individually identifiable records from any data sets other than the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey or the National Health Interview Survey.
By using this data you signify your agreement to comply with the above stated statutorily based requirements with the knowledge that deliberately making a false statement in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the Federal Government violates 18 U.S.C. 1001 and is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 or up to 5 years in prison.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality requests that users cite AHRQ and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey as the data source in any publications or research based upon these data.
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B. Background
This documentation describes one in a series of public use files from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The survey provides a new and extensive data set on the use of health services and health care in the United States.
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is conducted to provide nationally representative estimates of health care use, expenditures, sources of payment, and insurance coverage for the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population. MEPS also includes a nationally representative survey of nursing homes and their residents. MEPS is cosponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
MEPS comprises four component surveys: the Household Component (HC), the Medical Provider Component (MPC), the Insurance Component (IC), and the Nursing Home Component (NHC). The HC is the core survey, and it forms the basis for the MPC sample and part of the IC sample. The separate NHC sample supplements the other MEPS components. Together these surveys yield comprehensive data that provide national estimates of the level and distribution of health care use and expenditures, support health services research, and can be used to assess health care policy implications.
MEPS is the third in a series of national probability surveys conducted by AHRQ on the financing and use of medical care in the United States. The National Medical Care Expenditure Survey (NMCES, also known as NMES-1) was conducted in 1977, the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES-2) in 1987. Beginning in 1996, MEPS continues this series with design enhancements and efficiencies that provide a more current data resource to capture the changing dynamics of the health care delivery and insurance system.
The design efficiencies incorporated into MEPS are in accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Survey Integration Plan of June 1995, which focused on consolidating DHHS surveys, achieving cost efficiencies, reducing respondent burden, and enhancing analytical capacities. To accommodate these goals, new MEPS design features include linkage with the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), from which the sampling frame for the MEPS HC is drawn, and continuous longitudinal data collection for core survey components. The MEPS HC augments NHIS by selecting a sample of NHIS respondents, collecting additional data on their health care expenditures, and linking these data with additional information collected from the respondents’ medical providers, employers, and insurance providers.
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1.0 Household Component
The MEPS HC, a nationally representative survey of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, collects medical expenditure data at both the person and household levels. The HC collects detailed data on demographic characteristics, health conditions, health status, use of medical care services, charges and payments, access to care, satisfaction with care, health insurance coverage, income, and employment.
The HC uses an overlapping panel design in which data are collected through a preliminary contact followed by a series of five rounds of interviews over a 2 ½-year period. Using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) technology, data on medical expenditures and use for 2 calendar years are collected from each household. This series of data collection rounds is launched each subsequent year on a new sample of households to provide overlapping panels of survey data and, when combined with other ongoing panels, will provide continuous and current estimates of health care expenditures.
The sampling frame for the MEPS HC is drawn from respondents to NHIS, conducted by NCHS. NHIS provides a nationally representative sample of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, with oversampling of Hispanics and blacks.
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2.0 Medical Provider Component
The MEPS MPC supplements and validates information on medical care events reported in the MEPS HC by contacting medical providers and pharmacies identified by household respondents. The MPC sample includes all hospitals, hospital physicians, home health agencies, and pharmacies reported in the HC. Also included in the MPC are all office-based physicians:
- Providing care for HC respondents receiving Medicaid.
- Associated with a 75-percent sample of HC households receiving care through an HMO (health maintenance organization) or managed care plan.
- Associated with a 25-percent sample of the remaining HC households.
Data are collected on medical and financial characteristics of medical and pharmacy events reported by HC respondents, including:
- Diagnoses coded according to ICD-9-CM (9th Revision, International Classification of Diseases) and DSM-IV (Fourth Edition, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
- Physician procedure codes classified by CPT-4 (Common Procedure Terminology, Version 4).
- Inpatient stay codes classified by DRGs (diagnosis-related groups).
- Prescriptions coded by national drug code (NDC), medication names, strength, and quantity dispensed.
- Charges, payments, and the reasons for any difference between charges and payments.
The MPC is conducted through telephone interviews and mailed survey materials.
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3.0 Insurance Component
The MEPS IC collects data on health insurance plans obtained through employers, unions, and other sources of private health insurance. Data obtained in the IC include the number and types of private insurance plans offered, benefits associated with these plans, premiums, contributions by employers and employees, eligibility requirements, and employer characteristics.
Establishments participating in the MEPS IC are selected through four sampling frames:
- A list of employers or other insurance providers identified by MEPS HC respondents who report having private health insurance at the Round 1 interview.
- A Bureau of the Census list frame of private sector business establishments.
- The Census of Governments from Bureau of the Census.
- An Internal Revenue Service list of the self-employed.
To provide an integrated picture of health insurance, data collected from the first sampling frame (employers and insurance providers) are linked back to data provided by the MEPS HC respondents. Data from the other three sampling frames are collected to provide annual national and State estimates of the supply of private health insurance available to American workers and to evaluate policy issues pertaining to health insurance.
The MEPS IC is an annual panel survey. Data are collected from the selected organizations through a prescreening telephone interview, a mailed questionnaire, and a telephone followup for nonrespondents.
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4.0 Nursing Home Component
The 1996 MEPS NHC was a survey of nursing homes and persons residing in or admitted to nursing homes at any time during calendar year 1996. The NHC gathered information on the demographic characteristics, residence history, health and functional status, use of services, use of prescription medications, and health care expenditures of nursing home residents. Nursing home administrators and designated staff also provided information on facility size, ownership, certification status, services provided, revenues and expenses, and other facility characteristics. Data on the income, assets, family relationships, and care-giving services for sampled nursing home residents were obtained from next-of-kin or other knowledgeable persons in the community.
The 1996 MEPS NHC sample was selected using a two-stage stratified probability design. In the first stage, facilities were selected; in the second stage, facility residents were sampled, selecting both persons in residence on January 1, 1996, and those admitted during the period January 1 through December 31.
The sample frame for facilities was derived from the National Health Provider Inventory, which is updated periodically by NCHS. The MEPS NHC data were collected in person in three rounds of data collection over a 1 ½-year period using the CAPI system. Community data were collected by telephone using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology. At the end of three rounds of data collection, the sample consists of approximately 815 responding facilities, 3,100 residents in the facility on January 1, and 2,200 eligible residents admitted during 1996.
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5.0 Survey Management
MEPS data are collected under the authority of the Public Health Service Act. They are edited and published in accordance with the confidentiality provisions of this act and the Privacy Act. NCHS provides consultation and technical assistance.
As soon as data collection and editing are completed, the MEPS survey data are released to the public in staged releases of summary reports and microdata files. Summary reports are released as printed documents and electronic files. Microdata files are released on CD-ROM and/or as electronic files. A catalog of all MEPS products released to date is provided in Section G of this document.
Printed documents and CD-ROMs are available through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse. Write or call:
AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse
Attn: (publication number)
P.O. Box 8547
Silver Spring, MD 20907
800/358-9295
410/381-3150 (callers outside the United States only)
888/586-6340 (toll-free TDD service; hearing impaired only)
Be sure to specify the AHRQ number of the document or CD-ROM you are requesting. Selected electronic files are available from the Internet on the AHRQ home page:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov.
Additional information on MEPS is available from the MEPS project manager or the MEPS public use data manager at the Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality.
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C. Technical and Programming Information
1.0 General Information
This documentation describes the fourth point in time data file to be released from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS HC). The data are being released both as an ASCII file (with related SAS programming statements) and in SAS transport format. This public use file provides information on data collected on a nationally representative sample of the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States during the early part of 1999. The data consists of 1999 data obtained in Round 1 of Panel 4 of the MEPS Household Component and contains variables pertaining to survey administration, demographics, employment, health status, and health insurance.
Users familiar with the 1997 and 1998 point in time data files should note that this point in time file covers only a single round, Round 1 of Panel 4. The 1997 and 1998 point in time files included two rounds of data from different MEPS panels covering approximately the same period of time. For example, the 1998 point in time file included data from both Round 1 of Panel 3 and the 1998 portion of Round 3 of Panel 2. Round 3 of Panel 3 was not included in the current file because the data collection schedule for Rounds 2 and 3 of Panel 3 was non-standard. For all households in Panels 1 and 2, Round 3 crossed the boundary between the first and second years of the panel. For approximately 30 percent of the households in Panel 3, Round 2 crossed the end-of-year boundary and approximately 70 percent of the households followed the standard pattern. To provide MEPS data covering the first portion of 1999 on a timely basis, it was decided to exclude the data from Panel 3 from the delivery. As a result, the current point in time file is roughly 60 percent the size of the previous file. Panel 3 data will be included in the full year public use files for 1998 and 1999.
These data are being released prior to final data cleaning and editing in order to provide the research and policy community prompt access to MEPS data. Analysts should consider these data as preliminary as they have not been subject to the same level of quality control procedures usually performed on products of this type. Please refer to the MEPS web page (www.meps.ahrq.gov) for information on any post-production updates.
The following documentation offers a brief overview of the types and levels of data provided, the content and structure of the files and the codebook, and programming information. It contains the following sections:
- Data File Information
- Survey Sample Information
- Programming Information
- Codebook
- Variable-Source Crosswalk
- MEPS Household Component Data Items
- Catalog of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Products
For more information on MEPS HC survey design, see S. Cohen, 1997; J. Cohen, 1997; and S. Cohen, 1996. For information on the MEPS MPC design, see S. Cohen, 1998.
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2.0 Data File Information
This public use dataset contains variable and frequency distributions for a total of 15,409 persons from Panel 4 Round 1. This count includes all household survey respondents who resided in eligible responding households. Of these persons, 14,974 were assigned a positive person-level weight. For each variable both weighted and unweighted frequencies are provided. In conjunction with the person-level weight variable (WGTSP1) provided on this file, data for these persons can be used to make estimates for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population as of the first half of 1999.
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2.1 Codebook Structure
The codebook and data file sequence lists variables in the following order:
- Unique person identifiers
- Demographic variables
- Health Status variables
- Employment variables
- Health Insurance variables
- Weight and variance estimation variables
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2.2 Reserved Codes
The following reserved code values are used:
VALUE DEFINITION
-1 INAPPLICABLE Question was not asked due to skip pattern
-7 REFUSED Question was asked and respondent refused to answer question
-8 DK Question was asked and respondent did not know answer
-9 NOT ASCERTAINED Interviewer did not record the data
-10 HOURLY WAGE > $55.47 Variable was top-coded for confidentiality
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2.3 Codebook Format
This codebook describes an ASCII data set and provides the following programming identifiers for each variable:
| IDENTIFIER
|
DESCRIPTION
|
| Name |
Variable name (maximum of 8 characters) |
| Description
|
Variable descriptor (maximum 40 characters)
|
| Format
|
Number of bytes
|
| Type
|
Type of data: numeric (indicated by NUM) or character (indicated
by CHAR)
|
| Start
|
Beginning column position of variable in record
|
| End
|
Ending column position of variable in record
|
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2.4 Variable Naming
In general, variable names reflect the content of the variable, with an eight-character limitation. All of the variables on this file (except some demographic variables and DUID, DUPERSID, PID, and KEYNESS) end in "1" to denote that they are Panel 4 Round 1 variables. For edited variables the "1" is followed by an "X," and are so noted in the variable label. Variables contained in this delivery were derived either from the questionnaire itself or from the CAPI. The source of each variable is identified in the section of the documentation entitled "E. Variable-Source Crosswalk." Sources for each variable are indicated in one of four ways: (1) variables derived from CAPI or assigned in sampling are so indicated; (2) variables derived from complex algorithms associated with re-enumeration are labeled "RE Section"; (3) variables that come from one or more specific questions have those numbers listed in the "Source" column; and (4) variables constructed from multiple questions using complex algorithms are labeled "Constructed" in the "Source" column.
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2.5 File Contents
2.5.1 Survey Administration Variables
The survey administration variables contain information related to conducting the interview, household and family composition, and person-level and RU-level status codes. Data for the survey administration variables were derived from the sampling process, the CAPI program, or were computed based on information provided by the respondent in the reenumeration section of the questionnaire. Most Survey Administration variables on this file are asked during every round of the MEPS interview. Variables in this delivery contain data from Panel 4 Round 1 in 1999.
Dwelling Units, Reporting Units, and Families
The definition of Dwelling Units (DUs) in the MEPS Household Survey is generally consistent with the definition employed for the National Health Interview Survey. The dwelling unit ID (DUID) is a five-digit random ID number assigned after the case was sampled for MEPS. The person number (PID) uniquely identifies all persons within the dwelling unit. The variable DUPERSID, a combination of the variables DUID and PID, thus uniquely identifies each sampled person in MEPS.
A Reporting Unit (RU) is a person or group of persons in the sampled dwelling unit who are related by blood, marriage, adoption, foster care or other family association. Each RU is to be interviewed as a single entity for MEPS. Thus, the RU serves chiefly as a family-based "survey operations" unit rather than an analytic unit. Members of each RU within the DU are identified by the variable RULETR1. Regardless of the legal status of their association, two persons living together as a "family" unit were treated as a single reporting unit if they chose to be so identified. Examples of different types of reporting units are:
- A married daughter and her husband living with her parents in the same dwelling unit constitute a single reporting unit.
- A husband and wife and their unmarried daughter, age 18, who is living away from home while at college constitute two reporting units.
- Three unrelated persons living in the same dwelling unit would each constitute a distinct reporting unit, three reporting units in all.
Unmarried college students less than 24 years of age who usually live in the sampled household, but were living away from home and going to school at the time of the MEPS interview, were treated as a Reporting Unit separate from that of their parents for the purpose of data collection. The variable RUSIZE1 indicates the number of persons in each RU, treating each student as a single RU separate from their parents. Thus, students are not included in the RUSIZE1 count of their parents’ RU. However, for many analytic objectives, the student reporting units would be combined with their parents' reporting unit, treating the combined entity as a single family. Family identifier and size variables are described below and include students with their parents’ reporting unit.
The variable FAMID1 identifies a family (i.e., persons living together related to one another by blood, marriage, adoption, foster care, or self-identified as a single unit plus related students who are living away at post-secondary school) for each round. These family identifier variables use a letter and a DU identifier to indicate a person’s family affiliation. In order to identify a person’s family affiliation, users must create a unique set of FAMID1 variables by concatenating the DU identifier (DUID) and the FAMID1 variable.
The variable FAMSIZ1 indicates the number of persons associated with a single family unit after students are linked to their associated parent RUs for analytical purposes. Family-level analyses should use the FAMSIZ1 variables. In a few cases, students were deleted from the file because attempts to contact them were unsuccessful, and no data were collected for them. However, these persons are accounted for in the FAMSIZ1 variable.
The family size (FAMSIZ1) and the reporting unit (RU) size (RUSIZE1) counts may not be consistent with the count of records on the file. There are some reporting units where the RU size variable (RUSIZE1) is not equal to the number of people in that RU actually included on the file. This occurs because people who did not respond for their entire period of eligibility were not included on the file. In addition, for a number of these reporting units, the reference person is not included on the file for this same reason.
The variable RURSLT1 indicates the RU response status for Round 1 for the Panel 4 sample. The values include the following:
60 Complete with RU member
61 Complete with proxy--all RU members deceased on or after 1/1/99
62 Complete with proxy--all RU members institutionalized or deceased on or after 1/1/99
63 Complete with proxy, other
There are several other variables that characterize the reporting unit. The variable RUCLAS1 indicates the RU classification. RUs are classified for fielding purposes as 1 "Standard," 2 "New RU," or 3 "Student RU." Standard RUs are the original RUs from NHIS. All primary RUs are classified as standard RUs. A new RU is one which has been created when members of the household leave the primary RU and are followed according to the rules of the survey. A student RU is one in which an unmarried college student under 24 years of age is considered a usual member of the household but was living away from home while going to school and was treated as a Reporting Unit (RU) separate from that of his or her parents for the purpose of data collection.
Reference Period Dates
The reference period is the period of time for which data were collected in each round for each person. The reference period dates were determined during the interview for each person by the CAPI program.
The round-specific beginning reference period dates are included for each person. These variables include BEGRFM1, BEGRFD1, and BEGRFY1. The reference period for Panel 4 Round 1 for most persons identified at NHIS began on January 1, 1999 and ended on the date of the Round 1 interview. Persons who joined the RU after 1/1/1999 have their beginning reference date for the round as the day they joined the RU.
The dates of the interview and the ending reference period dates are included for each person. These variables include RUENDM1, REUENDD1, RUENDY1, ENDRFM1, ENDRFD1, and ENDRFY1. In general, the date of the interview is the reference period end date for most persons. Note that the end date of the reference period is prior to the date of the interview if the person was deceased during the round, left the country, was institutionalized prior to that round’s interview, or joined the military during the round and was not living with someone else who was eligible. If a person left the RU and that person was key and in-scope, the person was followed in the new RU to which he or she moved and his or her reference period dates pertain to the new RU.
Reference Person Identifiers
The variable RNDREF1 identifies the reference person for the RU. In general, the reference person is defined as the household member 16 years of age or older who owns or rents the home. If more than one person meets this description, the household respondent identifies one from among them. If the respondent was unable to identify a person fitting this definition, the questionnaire asked for the head of household and this person was then considered the reference person for that RU. This information was collected in the reenumeration section of the CAPI questionnaire.
Respondent Identifiers
The respondent is the person who answered the interview questions for the reporting unit (RU). The round-specific variable RDRESP1 identifies the respondent. Only one respondent is identified for each RU. In instances where the interview was completed in more than one session, only the first respondent is indicated.
There are two types of respondents. The respondent can be either an RU member or a non-RU member proxy. The variable PROXY1 identifies the type of respondent.
Person Status
A number of variables describe the various components reflecting each person’s status for each round of data collection. These variables provide information about a person’s in-scope status, keyness status, eligibility status, and disposition status. These variables include: INSCOP1, KEYNESS, and PSTAT1. These variables are set based on sampling information and responses provided in the reenumeration section of the CAPI questionnaire.
Through the reenumeration section of the CAPI questionnaire, each member of a reporting unit was classified as "key" or "non-key," "in-scope" or "out-of-scope," and "eligible" or "ineligible" for MEPS data collection. To be included in the set of persons used in the derivation of MEPS person level estimates, a person had to be a member of the civilian non-institutionalized population for at least one day during 1999. Because a person’s eligibility for the survey might have changed since the NHIS interview, a reenumeration of household membership was conducted at the start of each round’s interview. Only persons who were "in-scope" sometime during 1999, "key," and responded for the full period in which they were in-scope were assigned person level weights and thus are to be used in the derivation of person level estimates from the MEPS.
In-Scope
A person is considered as in-scope during a round if he or she is a member of the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population at some time during that round. The variable INSCOP1 indicates a person’s in-scope status, specifically indicating whether a person was ever in-scope during Round 1 of Panel 4.
Keyness
The term "keyness" is related to an individual’s chance of being included in MEPS for purposes of making estimates about the U. S. civilian non-institutionalized population. A person is key if that person is linked for sampling purposes to the set of NHIS sampled households designated for inclusion in MEPS. Specifically, a key person either was a member of an NHIS household at the time of the NHIS interview, or was a family member who began living with a member of such a household after being out-of-scope prior to joining that member. (Examples of the latter situation include newborns and persons returning from military service, an institution, or living outside the United States.)
A non-key person is one whose chance of selection for the NHIS (and MEPS) was associated with a household eligible but not sampled for the NHIS, and who later became a member of a MEPS reporting unit. MEPS data (e.g., utilization and income) were collected for the period of time a non-key person was part of the sampled unit to provide information for family level analyses. However, non-key persons who leave a sample household unaccompanied by a key, in-scope member were not followed for subsequent interviews. Non-key individuals do not receive person level sample weights and thus do not contribute to person level national estimates. They may receive family level weights if they are a member of a responding family.
The variable KEYNESS indicates a person’s keyness status. This variable is not round-specific. Instead, it is set at the time the person enters MEPS, and the person’s keyness status never changes. Once a person is determined to be key, that person will always be key.
It should be pointed out that a person may be key even though not part of the civilian, non-institutionalized portion of the U.S. population. For example, a person in the military may have been living with his or her civilian spouse and children in a household sampled for the NHIS. The person in the military would be considered a key person for MEPS. However, such a person would not be eligible to receive a person-level sample weight if he or she was never in-scope during 1999. He or she may receive a family weight if a member of a responding family.
Eligibility
The issue of a person’s eligibility for MEPS is a data collection issue. Data are to be collected only for persons considered eligible for MEPS.
All key, in-scope persons of a sampled RU are eligible for data collection. The only non-key persons eligible for data collection are those who happen to be living in an RU with at least one key, in-scope person. Their eligibility continues only for the time that they are living with at least one such person. The only out-of-scope persons eligible for data collection are those persons serving full-time on active duty in the military who are living with key in-scope persons, and again only for the time they are living with such a person.
A person may be classified as eligible for an entire round or for some part of a round. For persons who are eligible for only part of a round, data are collected for that person only for the period of time for which that person was classified as eligible.
Person Disposition Status
The variable PSTAT1 indicates a person’s response and eligibility status. The PSTAT1 variable indicates the reasons for either continuing data collection for a person or terminating data collection for each person in the MEPS. Using this variable, one could identify persons who moved during the reference period, died, were born, were institutionalized, or were in the military.
The following codes specify the value labels for the PSTAT1 variables.
11 Person in original RU, not full-time active military duty
12 Person in original RU, full-time active military duty, out-of-scope for whole reference period
13 Person is a full-time student living away from home, but associated with sampled RU
14 Person is full-time active military duty during round and is in-scope for part of the reference period and is in the RU at the end of the reference period
31 Person from original RU, dies during reference period
32 Person entered health care institution during reference period
33 Person entered non-health care institution during reference period
34 Person moved from original RU, outside US (not as student)
35 Person moved from original RU, to a military facility while on full-time active military duty
41 Person moved from the original RU, to new RU within US (new RUs include RUs originally classified as "Student RU" but which converted to "New RU")
42 Person joins RU and is not full-time military during round or joins RU and is in the military the entire round
44 Person leaves an RU and joins an existing RU and is not both in the military and coded as in-scope during the round
51 Person is newborn in reference period
Geographic Variables
The variable REGION1 indicates the Census region for the RU. MSA1 indicates whether or not the RU is found in a metropolitan statistical area. These variables indicate the geographic location of the reporting unit. The region variable is coded according to the Census regions, and the MSA1 variable reflects the June 30, 1993 definition of metropolitan statistical areas.
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2.5.2 Demographic Variables
These variables provide information about the demographic characteristics of each person. As noted below, some variables have edited and imputed values. Values of most demographic variables on this file are obtained during each round of the MEPS interview. These variables provide data for Panel 4, Round 1, as well as a number of characteristics that are not round specific.
Sex
The variable SEX contains data on the sex of each RU member, as determined during the NHIS interview; it was verified and, if necessary, corrected during each MEPS interview. The data for new RU members (persons who were not members of the RU at the time of the NHIS interview) were also obtained during each MEPS Round. When sex of the RU member was not available from the NHIS interview and was not ascertained during one of the subsequent MEPS interviews, it was assigned in the following way. The person’s first name was used to assign sex, if obvious. If the person’s first name provided no indication of gender, then family relationships were reviewed. If neither of these approaches made it possible to determine the individual’s sex, sex was randomly assigned.
Age
Date of birth and age for each RU member were asked or verified during each MEPS interview (DOBMM, DOBYY, AGE1X). If date of birth was available, age was calculated based on the difference between date of birth and date of interview (or the date of death, if the person died prior to the interview date). Inconsistencies between the calculated age and the age reported during the CAPI interview were reviewed and resolved. For purposes of confidentiality, the variable AGE1X was top coded at 90 years, and DOBYY bottom coded at 1909. When date of birth was not provided but age was (from either the MEPS or the NHIS data), the month and year of birth were assigned randomly from among the possible valid options. For any cases still not accounted for, age was imputed using (1) the mean age difference between MEPS participants with certain family relationships (where available) or (2) the mean age value for MEPS participants. For example, a mother’s age is imputed as her child’s age plus the mean age difference between MEPS mothers and their children, or a wife’s age is imputed as the husband’s age plus the mean age difference between MEPS wives and husbands.
Race, Race/Ethnicity, Hispanic Ethnicity, and Hispanic Ethnicity Group
Race (RACEX) and Hispanic ethnicity (HISPANX) were asked for each RU member during the MEPS interview. If this information was not obtained in Round 1, the questions were asked in subsequent Rounds. When race and/or ethnicity was not reported in the interview, values for these variables were obtained based on the following priority order. When available, they were obtained from the originally collected NHIS data. If not ascertained, the race and/or ethnicity were assigned based on relationship to other members of the DU using a priority ordering that gave precedence to blood relatives in the immediate family. The variable RACETHNX indicating both race and ethnicity (e.g., with categories such as "Hispanic" and "black but not Hispanic") reflects the imputations done for RACEX and HISPANX. The specific Hispanic ethnicity group is given in the unedited variable HISPCAT.
Student Status and Educational Attainment
The variable FTSTD1X indicates whether the person was a full-time student at the interview date. This variable has valid values for all persons between the ages of 17 – 23 inclusive. Completed years of education are indicated in the variable EDUCYR1. Information was obtained from questions RE 103 – 105. Children who are 5 years of age or older and who never attended school were coded as 0; children under the age of 5 years were coded as -1 "Inapplicable" regardless of whether or not they attended school.
The variable indicating highest degree (HIDEG1) was obtained from two questions: high school diploma (RE 104) and highest degree (RE 105). Persons under 16 years of age were coded as 8 "Under 16 –Inapplicable." In cases where the response to the highest degree question was "no degree" and highest grade completed was 13 through 17, the variable was coded as 3 "high school diploma." If highest grade completed for those with a "no degree" response was "refused" or "don’t know," the variable was coded as 1 "no degree." The user should note that the EDUCYR1 and HIDEG1 variables are unedited variables and minimal data cleaning was performed on these variables. Therefore, discrepancies in data may remain for these two sets of variables. Decisions as to how to handle these discrepancies are left to the analyst.
Marital Status and Spouse ID
Current marital status was collected and/or updated during each Round of the MEPS interview. This information was obtained in RE13 and RE97 and is reported as MARRY1X. Persons under the age of 16 were coded as 6 "under 16 - Inapplicable." In instances where there were discrepancies between the marital status of two individuals within a family, other person-level variables were reviewed to determine the edited marital status for each individual. For example, when one spouse was reported as married and the other spouse reported as widowed, the data were reviewed to determine if one partner should be coded as 8 "widowed in Round."
When marital status was missing in the
preceding round and provided in the current round, then the person was coded to
the "in round" marital state. For example, if marital status was not
available from the National Health Interview Survey, and the person's marital
status was reported as married in round 1 of MEPS, then the person would be
coded as "7 married in round" for round 1 of MEPS.
The person identifier for each individual’s spouse is reported in SPOUID1. These are the PIDs (within each family) of the person identified as the spouse during the round. If no spouse was identified in the household, the variable was coded as 995 "no spouse in house." Those with unknown marital status are coded as 996 "marital status
unknown." Persons under the age of 16 are coded as 997 "Less than 16 years old."
The SPOUIN1 variable indicates whether a person’s spouse was present in the RU during the Round. If the person had no spouse in the household, the value was coded as 2. For persons under the age of 16 the value was coded as 3. The SPOUID1 and SPOUIN1 variables were obtained from RE76 and RE77, where the respondent was asked to identify how each pair of persons in the household was related. Analysts should note that this information was collected in a set of questions separate from the questions that asked about marital status. While editing was performed to ensure that SPOUID1 and SPOUIN1 are consistent within the Round, there was no consistency check between these variables and marital status in the Round. Apparent discrepancies between marital status and spouse information may be due to any of the following causes: 1) Ambiguity as to when during the Round a change in marital status occurred. This is a result of relationship information being asked for all persons living in the household at any time during the Round, while marital status is asked as of the interview date (e.g., If one spouse died during the reference period, the surviving spouse’s marital status would be "widowed in Round," but SPOUIN1 and SPOUID1 for the same round would indicate that a spouse was present); 2) Valid discrepancies in the case of persons who are married but not living with their spouse, or separating but still living together; or 3) Discrepancies which cannot be explained for either of the previous reasons.
Military Service and Service Era
Information on active duty military status was collected during each Round of the MEPS interview. Persons currently on full–time active duty status are identified in the variable ACTDTY1. Those under 16 years of age were coded as 3 "under 16- inapplicable" and those over the age of 59 were coded as 4 "over 59-inapplicable."
Relationship to the Reference Person within Reporting Units
For each reporting unit (RU), the person who owns or rents the dwelling unit is usually defined as the reference person. For student RUs, the student is defined as the reference person. (For additional information on reference persons, see the documentation on survey administration variables.) The variable RFREL1X indicates the relationship of each individual to the reference person of the reporting unit (RU) in a given round. For the reference person, this variable has the value "self"; for all other persons in the RU, relationship to the reference person is indicated by codes representing "husband/spouse," "wife/spouse," "son," "daughter," "female partner," "male partner," etc. A code of 91, meaning "other related," was used to indicate rarely observed relationship descriptions such as "mother of partner." If the relationship of an individual to the reference person was not ascertained during the Round-specific interview, relationships between other RU members were used, where possible, to assign a relationship to the reference person. If MEPS data were not sufficient to identify the relationship of an individual to the reference person, relationship variables from the NHIS data were used to assign a relationship. In the event that a meaningful value could not be determined or data were missing, the relationship variable was assigned a missing value code.
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2.5.3 Health Status Variables
Health Status variables involved the construction of person-level variables based on information collected in the Condition Enumeration and Health Status sections of the questionnaire. The majority of Health Status questions were initially asked at the family level to ascertain if anyone in the household had a particular problem or limitation. These were followed up with questions to determine which household member had each problem or limitation. Logical edits were performed in constructing the person-level variables to assure that family-level and person-level values were consistent. Particular attention was given to cases where missing values were reported at the family level to ensure that appropriate information was carried to the person level. Inapplicable cases occurred when a question was never asked because of a skip patterns in the survey (e.g., individuals who were 13 years of age or older were not asked some follow-up verification questions). Inapplicable cases are coded as -1. In addition, for all variables, deceased persons were coded as inapplicable and received a code of -1.
Perceived Health Status and Mental Health Status
Perceived health status (RTHLTH1) and mental health status (MNHLTH1) were collected in the Condition Enumeration section. These questions (CE01 and CE02) asked the respondent to rate each person in the family according to the following categories: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. No editing was done to these variables. The corresponding dichotomous variables RTPROX1 and MNPROX1 each indicate whether the ratings of physical and mental health, respectively, were provided by oneself or by someone else.
IADL and ADL Help/Supervision
The Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Help or Supervision variable (IADLHP1) was constructed from a series of three questions. The initial question (HE01) determined if anyone in the family received help or supervision with IADLs such as using the telephone, paying bills, taking medications, preparing light meals, doing laundry, or going shopping. If the response was "yes," a follow-up question (HE02) was asked to determine which household member received this help or supervision. For persons under age 13, a final verification question (HE03) was asked to confirm that the IADL help or supervision was the result of an impairment or physical or mental health problem. If the response to the final verification question was "no," IADLHP1 was coded as "no" for persons under the age of 13.
If no one in the family was identified as receiving help or supervision with IADLs, all members of the family were coded as receiving no IADL help or supervision. In cases where the response to the family-level question was "don’t know," "refused," or otherwise missing, all persons were coded according to the family-level response. In cases where the response to the family-level question (HE01) was "yes" but no specific individuals were identified in the follow-up question as having IADL difficulties, all persons were coded as "don’t know" (-8).
The Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Help or Supervision variable (ADLHLP1) was constructed in the same manner as IADLHP1, but using questions HE04-HE06. Coding conventions for missing data were the same as for IADLHP1.
Functional Limitations
A series of questions pertained to functional limitations, defined as difficulty in performing certain specific physical actions. WLKLIM1 was the filter question. It was derived from a question (HE09) that was asked at the family level: Does anyone in the family have difficulties walking, climbing stairs, grasping objects, reaching overhead, lifting, bending or stooping, or standing for long periods of time? If the answer was no then all family members were coded as "no" (2) on WLKLIM1. If the answer was "yes," then the specific persons who had any of these difficulties were identified and coded as "yes" (1) on WLKLIM1, and remaining family members were coded as "no." If the response to the family-level question was "don’t know" (-8), "refused" (-7), "missing" (-9), or "inapplicable" (-1), then the corresponding missing value code was applied to each family members value for WLKLIM1. If the answer to HE09 was "yes," but no specific individual was named as experiencing such difficulties, then each family member was assigned -8 for WLKLIM1. Deceased respondents were assigned a -1 code ("inapplicable") for WLKLIM1.
If any family member was coded "yes" to WLKLIM1, a subsequent series of questions was administered. The series of questions for which WLKLIM1 served as a filter was as follows:
LFTDIF1 – difficulty lifting 10 pounds
STPDIF1 – difficulty walking up 10 steps
WLKDIF1 – difficulty walking 3 blocks
MILDIF1 – difficulty walking a mile
STNDIF1 – difficulty standing 20 minutes
BENDIF1 – difficulty bending or stooping
RCHDIF1 – difficulty reaching over head
FNGRDF1 – difficulty using fingers to grasp
The series of questions was asked separately for each person who was coded "yes" to WLKLIM1. The series of questions was not asked for other individual family members for whom WLKLIM1 was "no." In addition, this series was not asked about family members who were less than 13 years of age, regardless of their status on WLKLIM1. Finally, these questions were not asked about deceased family members. In such cases (i.e., WLKLIM1 = 2, or age < 13, or PSTAT1 = 31), each question in the series was coded as "inapplicable" (-1). Finally, if responses to WLKLIM1 were "refused" (-7), "don’t know" (-8), "not ascertained" (-9), or otherwise inapplicable (-1), then each question in this series was coded as "inapplicable" (-1).
Analysts should note that, for WLKLIM1, there was no minimum age criterion that was used to determine a skip pattern, whereas, for the subsequent series of questions, persons less than 13 years old were skipped and coded as inapplicable. Therefore, it is possible for someone aged 12 or less to have a code of 1 yes on WLKLIM1, and also to have codes of inapplicable on the subsequent series of questions.
Use of Assistive Technology and Social/Recreational Limitations
The variables indicating use of assistive technology (AIDHLP1, from question HE07) and social/recreational limitations (SOCLIM1, from question HE22) were collected initially at the family level. If there was a "yes" response to the family-level question, a second question identified the specific individual(s) to whom the "yes" response pertained. Each individual identified as having the difficulty was coded "yes" on the appropriate variable; all remaining family members were coded "no." If the family-level response was "don’t know," "refused," or otherwise missing, all persons were coded with the family-level response. In cases where the family-level response was "yes" but no specific individual was identified as having difficulty, all family members were coded as "don’t know."
Work, Housework, and School Limitations
The variable indicating any limitation in work, housework, or school (ACTLIM1) was constructed using questions HE19-HE20. Specifically, information was collected initially at the family level. If there was a "yes" response to the family-level question (HE19), a second question (HE20) identified the specific individual(s) to whom the "yes" response pertained. Each individual identified as having a limitation was coded "yes" on ACTLIM1; all remaining family members were coded "no." If the family-level response was "don’t know," "refused," or otherwise missing, all persons were coded with the family-level response. In cases where the family-level response was "yes" but no specific individual was identified as having difficulty, all family members were coded as "don’t know" (-8). Persons less than five years old were coded as "inapplicable" (-1) on ACTLIM1.
If ACTLIM1 was "yes" and the person was 5 years of age or older, a follow-up question (HE20A) was asked to identify the specific limitation or limitations for each person. These included working at a job (WRKLIM1), doing housework (HSELIM1), or going to school (SCHLIM1). Respondents could answer "yes" to each activity; one person could thus report limitation in multiple activities. WRKLIM1, HSELIM1, and SCHLIM1 have values of "yes" or "no" only if ACTLIM1 was "yes"; each variable was coded as "inapplicable" (-1) if ACTLIM1 was "no," "refused," or otherwise missing. When ACTLIM1 was "don’t know," these variables were all coded as "don’t know." If a person was under 5 years old or was deceased, WRKLIM1, HSELIM1, and SCHLIM1 were each coded as "inapplicable" (-1).
A second question (UNABLE1) asked if the person was completely unable to work at a job, do housework, or go to school. This question was asked only of the same set of respondents who provided data on WRKLIM1, HSELIM1, and SCHLIM1. Therefore, those respondents who were coded "no" on ACTLIM1, or were under 5 years of age, or were deceased, were coded as "inapplicable" (-1) on UNABLE1. UNABLE1 was asked once for whichever set of WRKLIM1, HSELIM1, and SCHLIM1 the respondent had limitations; if a respondent was limited in more than one of these three activities, UNABLE1 did not specify if the respondent was completely unable to perform all of them, or only some of them.
Cognitive Limitations
The variable (COGLIM1) was collected at the family level as a three-part question (HE24-01 to HE24-03) indicating if any of the adults in the family (1) experience confusion or memory loss, (2) have problems making decisions, or (3) require supervision for their own safety. If a "yes" response was obtained to any item, the persons affected were identified in HE25 and COGLIM1 was coded as "yes." Remaining family members not identified were coded as "no" for COGLIM1.
If responses to HE24-01 though HE24-03 were all "no," or if two of three were "no" and the remaining was "don't know," "refused," or otherwise missing, all family members were coded as "no." If responses to the three questions were combinations of "don't know," "refused," and missing, all persons were coded as "don't know." If the response to any of the three questions was "yes" but no individual was identified in HE25, all persons were coded as "don’t know."
COGLIM1 reflects whether any of the three component questions is "yes." Respondents with one, two, or three specific cognitive limitations cannot be distinguished. In addition, because the question asked specifically about "adult" family members, all persons less than 18 years of age are coded as "inapplicable" (-1) on this question.
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2.5.4 Employment Variables
Employment questions were asked of all persons 16 years and older at the time of the interview. Employment variables consist of person-level indicators such as employment status and job-related variables such as hourly wage. All job-specific variables refer to a person’s current main job. The current main job, defined by the respondent, indicates the main source of employment.
Employment variables included on the Panel 4 Round 1 1999 release are: EMPST1, HRWAG1X, HRWAY1, HOUR1, HELD1X, OFFER1X, NUMEMP1 and SELFCM1. Most employment variables pertain to status as of the date of the interview.
With the exception of health insurance held or offered from a current main job, no attempt has been made to logically edit any employment variables. When missing, values were imputed for certain persons’ hourly wage; however, there was no editing performed on any values reported by the respondent. Hourly wages greater than $55.47 were top-coded to –10. The number of employees variable was top-coded at 500.
Employment Status (EMPST1)
Employment status was asked for all persons aged 16 or older. Responses to the employment status question were: "currently employed" if the person had a job at the interview date, "has a job to return to" if the person did not work during the reference period but had a job to return to as of the interview date, "employed during the reference period" if the person had no job at the interview date but did work during 1999, and "not employed with no job to return to" if the person did not have a job at the interview date, did not work during the reference period, and did not have a job to return to. These responses are mutually exclusive. A current main job was defined for persons reporting that they were currently employed and who identified a current main job, and for persons who reported and identified a job to return to. Therefore, job-specific information such as hourly wage exists for persons not presently working at the interview date but who have a job to return to.
Hourly wage (HRWAG1X and HRWAY1)
Hourly wage was asked of all persons who reported a current main job that was not self-employment (SELFCM1). For reasons of confidentiality, the hourly wage variable (HRWAG1X) was top-coded. A value of –10 indicates that the hourly wage was greater than $55.47. The hourly wage on this file (HRWAG1X) should be considered along with its accompanying variable HRWAY1.
For persons who did not indicate a wage amount but who did indicate a range into which the hourly wage falls, the reported hourly wage (HRWAG1X) is the median within that range. The medians were calculated using actual wages reported from the same round by persons living in the same Census region and of the same gender reporting hourly wages within each age range category. In some cases, particularly in the low wage range, gender was not used in the calculation of the median wage in order to provide a large enough base.
HRWAY1 indicates how the corresponding HRWAG1X was constructed. Hourly wage was derived, as applicable, from a large number of source variables. In the simplest case, hourly wage was reported directly by the respondent. For other persons, construction of the hourly wage was based upon their salary, the time period on which the salary was based, and the number of hours worked per time period. If the number of hours worked per time period was not available, a value of 40 hours per week was assumed, as identified in the HRWAY1 variable.
Health Insurance (HELD1X and OFFER1X)
There are two employment-related health insurance measures included in this release: health insurance held from a current main job (HELD1X) and health insurance offered from a current main job (OFFER1X). The held and offer variables were logically edited using health insurance information not available for public release.
HELD1X is "yes" if the person has a current main job where the person is not self-employed with firm size = 1, reports insurance from the employer or union at that job, and this coverage provides hospital/physician benefits or Medigap benefits. HELD1X is also "yes" if the person’s current main job is with the armed forces. HELD1X is "no" if the person does not hold a current main job with the armed forces, is not self-employed at the current main job, and either reported that health insurance is not provided through that job or reported insurance but then disavowed it. To disavow insurance is to initially report it but then to deny that it is provided later in the interview or to confirm it but to indicate that it does not include hospital/physician benefits or Medigap benefits.
OFFER1X is "yes" if HELD1X is "yes" or if person has a current main job where person is not self-employed with firm size = 1 and insurance was offered through the employer or union at that job. OFFER1X is "no" if HELD1X is "no" and if the person has a current main job where person is not self-employed with firm size = 1 and insurance was not offered by the employer or union at that job.
As indicated above, information collected in the health insurance section of the interview was considered in the construction of HELD1X and OFFER1X. For example, several persons indicated in the employment section of the interview that they held health insurance through a current main job and then denied this coverage later in the health insurance section. Such people were coded as "no" for HELD1X. Due to questionnaire skip patterns, the value for HELD1X was considered in constructing the OFFER1X variable. For example, if a person responded that health insurance was held from a current main job, they were skipped past the question relating to whether health insurance was offered at that job. If the person later disavowed this insurance in the health insurance section of the questionnaire, we would not be able to ascertain whether they were offered a policy. These individuals are coded as -9 for OFFER1X.
Finally, persons under age 16 as well as persons aged 16 and older who did not hold a current main job or who were self-employed with no employees were coded as inapplicable for the health insurance-related employment variables.
Hours (HOUR1)
HOUR1 is the number of hours worked per week.
Number of Employees (NUMEMP1)
Due to confidentiality concerns, the variable indicating the number of employees at the establishment (NUMEMP1) has been top coded at 500 or more employees. NUMEMP1 indicates the number of employees at the location of the person’s current main job. For persons who reported a categorical size, we report a median estimated size from within the reported range.
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2.5.5 Health Insurance Variables
Constructed and edited variables are provided for general categories of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS Panel 4 Round 1 interview. These variables include CHNOW1X (TRICARE coverage), MCARE1 (unedited Medicare coverage), MCARE1X (edited Medicare coverage), OTPUB1X (other public coverage including Medicaid and other government hospital/physician coverage), PRIV1 (private health insurance coverage), and INSRD1X (any health insurance coverage). With the exception of PRIV1, the insurance variables for the Panel 4 Round 1 observations have been edited. Minimal editing was performed on the Other Public Coverage and Medicare variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. For TRICARE coverage, persons who were over age 65 had their reported TRICARE coverage overturned. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 4 Round 1 interview date. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 4 Round 1.
Medicare
Medicare (MCARE1) coverage was edited (MCARE1X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if:
They answered yes to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or
They were covered by Medicaid, other public hospital/physician coverage or Medigap coverage; or
Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or
They reported CHAMPUS/CHAMPVA (TRICARE) coverage.
Other Public Coverage
The other public coverage variable (OTPUB1X) refers to coverage both by Medicaid and to other public hospital/physician coverage. The MEPS questionnaire asks respondents about Medicaid coverage and then asks a follow-up question on other public hospital/physician coverage in an attempt to identify Medicaid recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as Medicaid. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report having Medicaid coverage. The variable OTPUB1X is set to yes if a respondent indicated coverage from Medicaid or other public hospital/physician coverage.
Private Insurance
This file includes a variable indicating whether a household respondent was covered by private insurance at any time during the early part of 1999 ( PRIV1). Private insurance could have been obtained from an employer, union or have been purchased directly either as part of a group or as non-group coverage. Private health insurance coverage was also reported where the respondent could not identify the source of the coverage or the coverage was obtained through a policyholder outside the household. An individual was considered to have private health insurance coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured.
Any Insurance in Round 1
The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 1999 (INSRD1X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources.
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3.0 Survey Sample Information
3.1 Sample Design and Response Rates
The MEPS is designed to produce estimates at the national and regional level over time for the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States and some subpopulations of interest. Data are collected for each MEPS panel to cover a two-year period. This file consists of the subset of data from only the fourth MEPS panel, covering approximately the first part of calendar year 1999. For the reasons described earlier in Section 1.0, this is a departure from the previous two point in time files (HC-005 and HC-009) which contained data from two different MEPS panels.
The MEPS Panel 4 initially consisted of a sample of 6,875 households in 1999, a nationally representative subsample of the households responding to the 1998 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Similar to the earlier MEPS panels, the Panel 4 sample reflects the oversampling of Hispanics and Black households resulting from the NHIS sample design. Hispanic households were oversampled at a rate of roughly 2 to 1, while the oversampling rate for Black households was roughly 1.5 to 1.
The overall MEPS Panel 4 response rate at the end of round 1 (where collected data cover the first few months of 1999) was about 73 percent. This overall rate reflects response to both the 1998 NHIS interview and the MEPS, Panel 4, Round 1 interview.
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3.2
Sample Weights
The sample weights provided in this file can be used to produce estimates for the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population and subgroups of this population based on the sample data. Two weights are provided: a person level weight and a family level weight.
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3.2.1 Person Level Weight
A positive person level weight (WGTSP1) was assigned to all key members of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population for whom MEPS data were collected, representing the corresponding U.S. population in early 1999. This weight reflects the original household probability of selection for the NHIS, ratio-adjustment to NHIS national population estimates at the household level, adjustment for non-participation in MEPS, poststratification to national family estimates derived from the March 1999 Current Population Survey (CPS), and poststratification to national population figures obtained from the March 1999 CPS data at the person level. The person level poststratification reflected population distributions across census region, MSA status, race/ethnicity (Hispanic, black/non-Hispanic, other), sex, and age.
Overall, the weighted population estimate based on WGTSP1 for the civilian noninstitutionalized population is 271,004,107. Estimates can be made for this population based on the 14,974 sample persons in the file with positive weights (WGTSP1>0).
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3.2.2
Family Level Weight
3.2.2.1 Definition of MEPS Families
A family unit is defined in MEPS as two or more persons living together in the same household during the reference period (in this data set, from January 1, 1999 to the date of interview) who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption (including foster children). In addition, unrelated persons who identify themselves as a family (e.g. domestic partners) are also defined as a MEPS family unit. Persons who died during the first half of 1999 and those who left the civilian non-institutionalized population part way through the reference period due to institutionalization, emigration, or enrollment in the military were considered to be family members. Relatives identified as usual residents of the household who were not there at the time of the interview, such as college students living away from their parents’ home during the school year, were considered as members of the family that identified them.
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3.2.2.2
Assignment of Weights
If all key in-scope members of a family responded to MEPS for their entire period of eligibility in 1999 for Round 1/Panel 4 and the family had a key reference person, then that family received a family level weight (WGTRU1>0). Reporting units consisting of an individual respondent who was both key and in-scope also received a family level weight. These individual person units can be included or excluded from family level analyses at the analyst’s discretion.
Family level weights were poststratified to figures obtained from the March 1998 CPS. The family level poststratification reflected population distributions across family type (reference person married, spouse present; male reference person, no spouse present; female reference person, no spouse present), size of family, age of reference person, location of family (census region and MSA status), and race/ethnicity of the family’s reference person. The weighted estimate of the number of units (families plus individual person units) with family level weights containing at least one member of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population is 115,254,554, based on 5,834 families with WGTRU1>0.
It should be noted that CPS and MEPS definitions of family units are slightly different. In particular, CPS does not include foster children in families or consider unmarried persons who live together as family units. Adjustments were made in the poststratification process to help compensate for some of these differences.
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3.2.2.3
Instructions to Create Family Estimates
To make estimates at the family level, it is necessary to prepare a family level file containing one record per family. Each MEPS family unit is uniquely identified by the combination of the variables DUID and FAMID1. Only persons with positive nonzero family weight values (WGTRU1>0) are candidates for inclusion in family estimates. Following is a summary of steps that can be used for family level estimation.
- Concatenate the variables DUID and FAMID1 into a new variable (e.g. DUFAM1).
- To create a family level file, sort by DUFAM1 and then subset to one record per DUFAM1 value by retaining only the reference person record (RNDREF1=1) for each value of DUFAM1. If the analyst chooses to eliminate single person units from family analyses, it is also necessary to exclude records where FAMSIZ1=1. If aggregate measures for families are needed for analytic purposes (e.g. means or totals), then those measures need to be computed using person-level information within families and attached to the family record. For other types of variables, analysts frequently use characteristics of the reference person to represent family characteristics.
- Apply the weight WGTRU1 to the analytic variable(s) of interest to obtain national family estimates.
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3.2.3 Relationship Between Person and Family Level Weights
Some persons with positive person-level weights do not have family level weights because at least one member of their family was a non-participant in MEPS. In addition, some persons with positive family-level weights do not have person-level weights because they were either non-key or a member of the military during the first half of 1999. Analysts should only include persons with positive person-level weights for person-level analyses and persons with positive family-level weights for family-level analyses.
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3.3
Variance Estimation
To obtain estimates of variability (such as the standard error of sample estimates or corresponding confidence intervals) for estimates based on MEPS survey data, one needs to take into account the complex sample design of MEPS for both person and family level analyses. Various approaches can be used to develop such estimates of variance including a Taylor series method for variance estimation or various replication methodologies. Replicate weights have not been developed for the MEPS data. We will describe the variables needed to implement a Taylor series estimation approach.
Using a Taylor Series approach, variance estimation strata and the variance estimation PSUs within these strata must be specified. The variables VARST1 and PSU1 on this MEPS data file (updated versions of corresponding variables provided in previously released MEPS public use files) serve to identify the sampling strata and primary sampling units required by the variance estimation programs. Specifying a "with replacement" design in a computer software package such as SUDAAN should provide estimated standard errors appropriate for assessing the variability of MEPS survey estimates. It should be noted that the number of degrees of freedom associated with estimates of variability indicated by such a package may not appropriately reflect the number available. For variables of interest distributed throughout the country (and thus the MEPS sample PSUs), one can generally expect to have at least 60 degrees of freedom associated with the estimated standard errors for national estimates based on this MEPS database.
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Contents
4.0 Programming Information
The following are the technical specifications for the data file described in this document:
Description: MEPS 1999 P4R1 Population Characteristics
File Name: HC013xf.dat
Number of Observations: 15,409
Number of Variables: 83
Record Length: 195
Record Format: Fixed
Record Identifier and Sort Key: DUPERSID
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Contents
D. Codebook
MEPS HC-013
1999 Panel 4 Round 1 Population Characteristics
DATE: July 25, 2000
This codebook contains weighted and unweighted frequencies for person level
record identifiers, demographic, health status, employment, and health
insurance variables for 1999 data obtained in Round 1 of Panel 4 of the
MEPS Household Component. Weighted frequencies were derived using the
WGTSP1 weight included on this file. All estimates must be weighted to
obtain unbiased national estimates. The source of each variable is identified
in the section of the documentation entitled "E. Variable Source Crosswalk."
Sources for each variable are indicated in one of four ways: (1) variables
that are derived in CAPI or assigned in CAPI are so indicated; (2) variables
that are derived from complex algorithms associated with re-enumeration are
labeled "RE Section;" (3) variables that come from one or more specific
questions in the instrument have those question numbers listed in the SOURCE
column; (4) variables that are constructed from multiple questions using
complex algorithms are labeled "Constructed" in the SOURCE column. Variables
that are edited and/or imputed have names that end in an "X" and are
so noted in the variable label. The codebook documentation provides general
information on file content, variable construction, and programming. It
should be noted that these data are considered preliminary as they have not
been subject to the level of quality control usually performed on products
of this type. Users should refer to the MEPS web page (www.meps.ahrq.gov)
for information on any post-production updates.
Return To Table Of
Contents
E. Variable-Source Crosswalk
SURVEY ADMINISTRATION VARIABLES
|
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
|---|
|
DUID |
DU ID |
Assigned in Sampling |
|
PID |
Person Number |
Assigned in Sampling or by CAPI |
|
DUPERSID |
Person ID (DUID+PID) |
Assigned in Sampling |
|
FAMID1 |
Family Identifier (Student Merged In) |
CAPI Derived |
|
RULETR1 |
RU Letter |
CAPI Derived |
|
RUSIZE1 |
RU Size |
CAPI Derived |
|
RUCLAS1 |
RU Fielded As: Standard, New, Student |
CAPI Derived |
|
FAMSIZ1 |
RU Size Including Students |
CAPI Derived |
|
REGION1 |
Census Region |
Assigned in Sampling |
|
MSA1 |
MSA |
Assigned in Sampling |
|
RNDREF1 |
Reference Person |
RE 42-45 |
|
RDRESP1 |
1st Respondent Indicator |
RE 6, 8 |
|
PROXY1 |
Was Respondent A Proxy |
RE 2 |
|
BEGRFD1 |
Reference Period Begin Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
|
BEGRFM1 |
Reference Period Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
|
BEGRFY1 |
Reference Period Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
|
ENDRFD1 |
Reference Period End Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
|
ENDRFM1 |
Reference Period End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
|
ENDRFY1 |
Reference Period End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
|
KEYNESS |
Person Key Status |
RE Section |
|
INSCOP1 |
In-scope |
RE Section |
|
PSTAT1 |
Person Disposition Status |
RE Section |
|
RURSLT1 |
RU Result |
Assigned by CAPI |
|
RUENDD1 |
Date of Intv (Date Started: Day) |
Assigned by CAPI |
|
RUENDM1 |
Date of Intv (Date Started: Month) |
Assigned by CAPI |
|
RUENDY1 |
Date of Intv (Date Started: Year) |
Assigned by CAPI |
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Contents
DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES
|
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
|---|
|
AGE1X |
Age - (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 12, 57-66 |
|
DOBMM |
Date of Birth: Month |
RE 12, 57-66 |
|
DOBYY |
Date of Birth: Year |
RE 12, 57-66 |
|
SEX |
Sex |
RE 12, 57, 61 |
|
RACEX |
Race - (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 101, 102 |
|
RACETHNX |
Race/Ethnicity - (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 98-102 |
|
HISPANX |
Hispanic Ethnicity - (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 98-100 |
|
HISPCAT |
Specific Hispanic Ethnicity Group |
RE 98-100 |
|
MARRY1X |
Marital Status - (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 13, 97 |
|
SPOUID1 |
Spouse ID |
RE 13, 97 |
|
SPOUIN1 |
Marital Status W/ Spouse Present |
RE 13, 97 |
|
EDUCYR1 |
Completed Years of Education |
RE 103-105 |
|
HIDEG1 |
Highest Degree |
RE 103-105 |
|
FTSTD1X |
Student Status Ages 17-23 (Edit/Imputed) |
RE 11A, 106-108 |
|
ACTDTY1 |
Military Full-Time Active Duty |
RE14, 96 |
|
RFREL1X |
Relation To Ref Pers (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 76-77 |
Return To Table Of
Contents
HEALTH STATUS VARIABLES
|
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
|---|
|
RTHLTH1 |
Perceived Health Status |
CE 1 |
|
RTPROX1 |
Self/Proxy Rating of Health |
CE 1 |
|
MNHLTH1 |
Perceived Mental Health Status |
CE 2 |
|
MNPROX1 |
Self/Proxy Rating of Mental Health |
CE 2 |
|
IADLHP1 |
IADL Screener |
HE 2,3 |
|
ADLHLP1 |
ADL Screener |
HE 5,6 |
|
AIDHLP1 |
Uses Assistive Devices |
HE 7,8 |
|
WLKLIM1 |
Limitation in Physical Functioning |
HE 9,10 |
|
LFTDIF1 |
Difficulty Lifting 10 Pounds |
HE 11 |
|
STPDIF1 |
Difficulty Walking Up 10 Steps |
HE 12 |
|
WLKDIF1 |
Difficulty Walking 3 Blocks |
HE 13 |
|
MILDIF1 |
Difficulty Walking a Mile |
HE 14 |
|
STNDIF1 |
Difficulty Standing 20 Minutes |
HE 15 |
|
BENDIF1 |
Difficulty Bending/Stooping |
HE 16 |
|
RCHDIF1 |
Difficulty Reaching Over Head |
HE 17 |
|
FNGRDF1 |
Difficulty Using Fingers to Grasp |
HE 18 |
|
ACTLIM1 |
Limitation Work/Housework/School |
HE 19,20 |
|
WRKLIM1 |
Work Limitation |
HE 19,20 |
|
HSELIM1 |
Housework Limitation |
HE 19,20 |
|
SCHLIM1 |
School Limitation |
HE 19,20 |
|
UNABLE1 |
Completely Unable To Do Activity |
HE 21 |
|
SOCLIM1 |
Social Limitation |
HE 22,23 |
|
COGLIM1 |
Cognitive Limitation |
HE 24,25 |
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Contents
EMPLOYMENT VARIABLES
|
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
|---|
|
EMPST1 |
Employment Status |
EM 1-3 |
|
HRWAG1X |
Hourly Wage at Current Main Job |
EW section EM 104, 111
|
|
HRWAY1 |
Calculation Methods for Hourly Wage |
EM 1-3, 51, 65,104, 111;EW section
|
|
HOUR1 |
Hours Worked Per Week at CM Job
|
EM 1-3, 51, 65, 104-105, 111; EW 17 |
|
HELD1X |
Health Insurance Held From CMJ
|
EM, HX, and HP sections |
|
OFFER1X |
Health Insurance Offered at CMJ |
EM, HX, and HP sections |
|
NUMEMP1 |
Number of Employees at Location of CMJ |
EM 91-92, 124 |
|
SELFCM1 |
Self-Employed at Current Main Job |
EM 1-3, 5, 11, 18, 27, 40, 53 |
Return To Table Of
Contents
HEALTH INSURANCE VARIABLES
|
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
|---|
|
CHNOW1X |
PID Cov By CHAMPUS/VA at Int Date - Edited |
HX 12, 13; HQ section; AGE1X |
|
MCARE1 |
PID Cov By MEDICARE |
HX 5 - 7 |
|
MCARE1X |
PID Cov By MEDICARE - Edited |
HX 5 - 7, 10 - 15; PRIV1 and HX 48 |
|
OTPUB1X |
PID Cov By Other Public Ins - Edited |
HX 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19; HQ section |
|
PRIV1 |
PID Cov By Private Ins |
HX 2 - 4, 21 - 24, 48; HP, HQ, and EM sections |
|
INSRD1X |
PID Is Insured - Edited |
CHNOW1X, MCARE1X, OTPUB1X, PRIV1 |
Return To Table Of
Contents
WEIGHTS
|
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
|---|
|
WGTSP1 |
Person Weight |
Constructed |
|
WGTRU1 |
Family Weight |
Constructed |
|
VARST1 |
Variance Estimation Stratum |
Constructed |
|
PSU1 |
Variance Estimation PSU |
Constructed |
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Contents
F. MEPS Household Component Data Items
MEPS HC Data Items
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|---|
|
RECORD IDENTIFIERS |
|
Dwelling unit level |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
Person level |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
Family level |
x1 |
|
x2 |
x12e |
xa |
x31 |
|
|
x12ea |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Reporting unit level |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Establishment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Union |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Condition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Panel |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
SURVEY ADMINISTRATION AND ELIGIBILITY STATUS |
|
Eligibility, response status |
x1 |
|
x2 |
x123ea |
|
x31 |
x123 |
|
x123ea |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Interview dates |
x1 |
|
|
|
|
x31 |
|
|
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Reference period dates |
x1 |
|
|
x123e |
|
x31 |
x3 |
|
x123e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Respondent identifiers |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
DEMOGRAPHICS |
|
Census region |
x1 |
|
|
x123e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x123e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
MSA status |
x1 |
|
|
x3e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x3e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Age |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Month, year of birth |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
x |
|
x |
|
Race |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
x |
|
x |
|
Race/ethnicity |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
x |
|
x |
|
Hispanic ancestry |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
x |
|
x |
|
Sex |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
x |
|
x |
|
Education |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Veteran status |
x |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Current/past military service |
x |
|
|
x12 |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12 |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Student status, age 17-23 |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS |
|
Marital status |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Parent identifiers |
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Spouse identifier |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Reference person identifier |
x1 |
|
x2 |
x12e |
xa |
x31 |
|
|
x12ea |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Relationship to reference person |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Family size |
|
|
|
x12e |
xea |
x31 |
|
|
x12ea |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Reporting unit size |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Type of reporting unit |
x1 |
|
|
x12e |
|
x31 |
|
|
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
HEALTH STATUS AND ATTITUDES |
|
Height and weight, age 0-17 |
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
Health practices - preventive care |
|
|
|
x3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Health practices - alternative care use |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
Perceived health status |
x1 |
|
x2 |
|
|
x31 |
|
|
x12 |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Perceived mental health status |
x1 |
|
x2 |
|
|
x31 |
|
|
x12 |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Condition present |
|
|
|
|
|
|
x123 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ICD-9 codes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Specifics about conditions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Immunizations, age 0-6 |
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
Dental status |
|
|
|
x3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADL/IADL difficulties |
x1 |
|
x2 |
|
|
x31 |
|
|
x12 |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Use of special equipment/devices |
x1 |
|
|
|
|
x31 |
|
|
x1 |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Limitations, adults |
x1 |
|
|
|
|
x31 |
|
|
x1 |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Limitations, children |
x1 |
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
Social problems, age 5-17 |
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
Special education/therapies, age 5-17 |
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
Vision, hearing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x2 |
|
|
|
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
ACCESS TO CARE |
|
Usual source of care (USC) |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Characteristics of USC |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reasons for no USC |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barriers to care |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
EMPLOYMENT |
|
Employment status |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
x2e |
x31 |
|
x |
x12e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Wage rate |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
x31 |
|
x |
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Income from job |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Hours worked per week |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
x31 |
|
x |
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Job start date |
|
|
|
|
x12e |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Job stop date |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Size of employer |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
x31 |
|
x |
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Union membership |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Industry, occupation codes |
|
|
|
x12 |
x12e |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Other job characteristics |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Job change, reason |
|
|
|
|
x2e |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Changes in wages, full/part time |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Benefits at current main job |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Retirement status |
x1 |
|
|
|
xe |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Reason not working |
|
|
|
|
x12e |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Start, end times |
|
|
|
|
x12e |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Self employed or not |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
x31 |
|
x |
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
INSURANCE |
|
Health insurance from employment |
x1 |
|
|
x12 |
xe |
x31 |
|
x |
x2e |
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Medicare coverage @ interview |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
x31 |
|
|
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Medicare coverage each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
CHAMPUS/VA coverage @ interview |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
x31 |
|
|
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
CHAMPUS/VA coverage each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Medicaid coverage in ref. period |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medicaid coverage each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Other public coverage in ref. period |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
x31 |
|
|
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Other public coverage each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Private coverage in ref. period |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
x31 |
|
|
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Private coverage each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Uninsured |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
x31 |
|
|
|
x31 |
|
x1 |
|
Insured/uninsured each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Sources of private insurance |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sources of private insurance each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Policyholder of plan |
x1 |
|
|
x1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Policyholder of plan each month |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
HMO/managed care enrollment |
|
x1 |
|
x1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
PERSON-LEVEL HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION |
|
# office-based provider visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# office-based physician visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# office-based nonphysician visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# office-based visits to specific providers:
chiropractors, nurse practitioners, optometrists, physician assistants, physical/occupational therapists |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# office-based & outpatient visits to specific providers: chiropractors, nurse practitioners, optometrists, physician assistants, physical/occupational therapists |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# telephone calls w/ office & outpatient departments |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# telephone calls w/ a physician |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# outpatient provider visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# outpatient physician visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# outpatient nonphysician visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# emergency room visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# hospital inpatient stays: zero-night, admissions, discharges |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# nights spent in hospital |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# home health provider days |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# months with home health care |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# home health events |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
# prescribed medicine purchases |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# dental visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# orthodontist visits |
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
# alternative care visits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
Any alternative care |
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
INCOME |
|
Poverty status |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
|
|
Total person income |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Sources of income |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Income tax filing status |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Income tax data |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Purchase of food stamps |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
PERSON-LEVEL EXPENDITURES - TOTAL and by SOURCE OF PAYMENT |
|
All |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based physician |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based nonphysician |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based chiropractor |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based nurse practitioner |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based optometrist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based physician assistant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Office-based physical/occupational therapist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Outpatient |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Outpatient facility |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Outpatient physician |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Outpatient nonphysician |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Ambulatory chiropractor |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Ambulatory nurse practitioner |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Ambulatory optometrist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Ambulatory physician assistant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Ambulatory physical/occupational therapist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Emergency room facility |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Emergency room physician |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Zero-night stay facility |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Zero-night stay physician |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Hospital discharge facility |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Hospital discharge physician |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Dental care visit |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
General dentist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Orthodontist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Home health agency |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Home health nonagency |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Glasses/contact lenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Other equipment/supplies, excluding prescribed medicines & diabetes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
Alternative care |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
xa |
|
|
Prescribed medicines |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
xa |
|
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
|
Data Item |
001 |
002 (F1) |
002 (F2) |
003 |
004 |
005* |
006 |
007 |
008 |
009^ |
011 |
013# |
|
SAMPLING WEIGHTS AND VARIANCE ESTIMATION |
|
Panel 1, Round 1 person weight (WGTSP1) |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Round 1 family weight (WGTRU1) |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Round 2 person weight (WGTSP2T) |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Round 2 family weight (WGTSRU2T) |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Full year person weight (WGTSP96) |
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Full year family weight (WGTFAM96) |
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Point-in-time person weight (WGTSP13) |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
Point-in-time family weight (WGTRU13) |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
Panel 1, Poverty-adjusted person weight (WTPERF96) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Poverty-adjusted family weight
(WTFAMF96)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Pov adj fam wgt - CPS fam on 12/31/96 (WTCFAM96) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
Panel 1, Poverty/mortality-adjusted person weight (WTDPER96) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
Panel 4, Round 1 person weight
(WGTSP1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
Panel 4, Round 1 family weight
(WGTRU1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
Stratum |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
PSU |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
* Point-in-time data
for the first part of 1997
^ Point-in-time data for the first part of 1998
# Point-in-time data for the first part of 1999 |
| Reference Period: |
1 = Round
1
2 = Round 2
3 = Round 3
e = End of year (12/31/1996)
a = Annualized, for all of 1996 |
|
Return To Table Of
Contents
G. panel 1 (1996) meps hc data items on event files
Panel 1 (1996) MEPS HC Data Items on Event Files
|
Data Item |
PUF # HC010_ |
|---|
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
|---|
|
RECORD IDENTIFIERS |
|
Dwelling unit |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Person |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Event |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
Provider |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Link to SBD |
|
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
Flat fee group |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Round number |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Link to condition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
Link to prescribed medicines |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
Data Item |
PUF # HC010_ |
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
|
EVENT DESCRIPTION |
|
Date of event |
x |
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Repeat visit |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Frequency/length of visit |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
Type of provider |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Procedures |
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Due to accident or injury |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medicine prescribed |
|
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
Medication name/code |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
# SBD records linked to event |
|
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
# condition records linked to event |
x |
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
ICD-9 diagnosis codes |
x |
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
ICD-9 procedure codes |
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Modified clinical classification codes |
x |
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
In person or telephone |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
VA facility |
|
|
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
A = Prescribed Medications (RX)
B = Dental Events (DN)
C = Other Medical Expenses (OME)
D = Hospital Stays (IP)
E = Emergency Room (ER)
|
F = Outpatient (OP)
G = Medical Provider Visit (OB)
H = Home Health (HH)
I = Appendices
|
|
a Family, Medicare, Medicaid, Private
Insurance, Veterans, Champus/Champva, Other Federal, State/Local
Government, Workers Compensation, Other Private Insurance, Other
Public Insurance, Other Insurance
|
|
|
Data Item |
PUF # HC010_ |
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
|
FLAT FEES |
|
Stem or leaf |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Visits in flat fee (DV, ER, OP, IP, OB, OM, HH) |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
EXPENDITURES |
|
Source of Paymenta |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Total Expenditures |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Expenditure Imp. Flagsa |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Total charge |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
HH preimputed/MPC unimputed expenditures |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
SAMPLING WEIGHTS AND VARIANCE ESTIMATION |
|
Poverty/Mortality-adjusted person weight (WTDPER96) |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Stratum |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
PSU |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
APPENDICES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
A = Prescribed Medications (RX)
B = Dental Events (DN)
C = Other Medical Expenses (OME)
D = Hospital Stays (IP)
E = Emergency Room (ER)
|
F = Outpatient (OP)
G = Medical Provider Visit (OB)
H = Home Health (HH)
I = Appendices
|
|
a Family, Medicare, Medicaid, Private
Insurance, Veterans, Champus/Champva, Other Federal, State/Local
Government, Workers Compensation, Other Private Insurance, Other
Public Insurance, Other Insurance
|
|
Return To Table Of
Contents
H. Catalog of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Products
Catalog of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Products
as of May 10, 2000
All of the products listed below (with the exception of HC-001 and HC-002) are available free of charge by calling the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295. Note that HC refers to the Household Component of MEPS, and NHC refers to the Nursing Home Component; descriptions of the MEPS components can be found in all of the Methodology Reports and Research Findings listed below.
Data Products
1997 Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Data, March 2000. Tables downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
1996 Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Data, March 2000. Tables downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
1996 Preliminary Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Data, November 1999. Tables downloadable on MEPS Web site only. Note: Data on downloadable tables replaces data on previously released CD-ROM that is no longer available. (MEPS IC-001: 1996 Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Data, August 1999. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-DP07)
MEPS HC-010A: 1996 Prescribed Medicines File, April, 2000. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-010B: 1996 Dental Visits File, April 2000. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-010C: 1996 Other Medical Expenditures File, April 2000. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-010D: 1996 Hospital Inpatient Stays File, April 2000. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-010E: 1996 Emergency Room Visits File, April 2000. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-010F: 1996 Outpatient Visits File, April 2000. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-010G: 1996 Office-Based Provider Visits File, April 2000. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-010H: 1996 Home Health File, April 2000. Data downloadable (coming soon) on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-011: 1996 Preliminary Expenditure File, December 1999. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-009: 1998 P2R3/P3R1 Population Characteristics, December 1999. Data available on CD-ROM. AHRQ Pub. No. 00-DP01. Also downloadable.
MEPS HC-008: 1996 Full Year Population Characteristics, December 1999. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-007: 1996 Jobs File, November 1999. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-006: 1996 Medical Conditions, August 1999. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
MEPS HC-005: Combined Panel 1, Round 3/Panel 2, Round 1 1997 Population Characteristics, March 1999. Data available on CD-ROM. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-DP03. Also downloadable.
MEPS HC-004: 1996 Panel Employment Data and Family-Level Weight for 1996, January 1999. Data available on diskette. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-DP02. Also downloadable.
MEPS HC-003: 1996 Panel Population Characteristics and Utilization Data for 1996, September 1998. Data available on CD-ROM. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-DP12. Also downloadable.
MEPS HC-002: 1996 Panel Round 1 Parent Identifiers and HMO Data / Round 2 Health Status and Access to Care Data, October 1997. Data available on CD-ROM. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-DP01. Also downloadable.
MEPS NHC-001: Round 1 Sampled Facility and Person Characteristics, March 1997. Data available on CD-ROM. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-DP21. Also downloadable.
MEPS-NHC Round 1 Questionnaire. Diskette. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-DP03.
MEPS HC-001: 1996 Panel Round 1 Population Characteristics, March 1997. Data downloadable on MEPS Web site only.
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Print Products
Methodology Reports
Sommers JP. Construction of Weights for the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component list sample. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Methodology Report No. 8. AHCPR Pub. No. 00-0005.
Sommers J, Bethel J, Broene P. Construction of Weights for the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing Home Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Methodology Report No. 7. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0045.
Sommers JP. List Sample Design of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Methodology Report No. 6 AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0037.
Cohen SB, DiGaetano R, Goksel H. Estimation Procedures in the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Methodology Report No. 5. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0027.
Bethel J, Broene P, Sommers JP. Sample Design of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing Home Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Methodology Report No. 4. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0042.
Potter D. Design and Methods of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing Home Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Methodology Report No. 3. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0041.
Cohen S. Sample Design of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1997. MEPS Methodology Report No. 2. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0027.
Cohen J. Design and Methods of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1997. MEPS Methodology Report No. 1. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0026.
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Research Findings
Rhoades J, Brown E, Vistnes J. Health Insurance Status of the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population: 1998. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2000. MEPS Research Findings No.11. AHRQ Pub. No. 00-0023.
Weigers ME, Drilea SK. Health Status and Limitations: A Comparison of Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites, 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Research Findings No. 10. AHCPR Pub. No. 00-0001.
Banthin, JS, Cohen JW. Changes in the Medicaid Community Population: 1987-96. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Research Findings No. 9. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0042.
Vistnes JP, Zuvekas SH. Health Insurance Status of the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population: 1997. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Research Findings No. 8. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0030.
Krauss NA, Machlin S, Kass BL. Use of Health Care Services, 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Research Findings No. 7. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0018.
Freiman M, Brown E. Special Care Units in Nursing Homes - Selected Characteristics, 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Research Findings No. 6. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0017.
Krauss NA, Altman BM. Characteristics of Nursing Home Residents - 1996.Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Research Findings No. 5. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0006.
Rhoades J, Potter DEB, Krauss N. Nursing Homes--Structure and Selected Characteristics, 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Research Findings No. 4 AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0006.
Weinick RM, Zuvekas SH, Drilea SK. Access to Health Care--Sources and Barriers, 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1997. MEPS Research Findings No. 3. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0001.
Monheit AC, Vistnes JP. Health Insurance Status of Workers and Their Families: 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1997. MEPS Research Findings No. 2. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0065.
Vistnes JP, Monheit AC. Health Insurance Status of the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population: 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1997. MEPS Research Findings No. 1. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0030.
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Highlights
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research The Uninsured in America -- 1997. Rockville (MD); 1999. MEPS Highlights No. 10. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0031.
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Health Care Use in America -- 1996. Rockville (MD); 1999. MEPS Highlights No. 9. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0029.
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Uninsured Workers--Job Characteristics, 1996. Rockville (MD); 1998. MEPS Highlights No. 8. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0008.
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Uninsured Workers--Demographic Characteristics, 1996. Rockville (MD); 1998. MEPS Highlights No. 7. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0007.
Vistnes JP, Monheit AC. Health Insurance Profile: Race/Ethnicity and Sex--1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Highlights No. 6. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0052.
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Job-Based Health Insurance 1987 and 1996. Rockville (MD); 1998. MEPS Highlights No. 5. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0032.
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Health Insurance Coverage in America--1996. Rockville (MD); 1998. MEPS Highlights No. 4. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0031.
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Access to Health Care in America--1996. Rockville (MD); 1997. MEPS Highlights No. 3. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0002.
Krauss NA, Freiman MP, Rhoades JA, et al. Nursing Home Update--1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1997. MEPS Highlights No. 2. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0036.
Beauregard KM, Drilea SK, Vistnes JP. The Uninsured in America--1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1997. MEPS Highlights No. 1. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0025.
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Chartbooks
Peterson CL, Vistnes JP. State Differences in Job-Related Health Insurance, 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2000. MEPS Chartbook No.4 AHRQ Pub. No. 00-0017
Rhoades, J and Krauss, N. Nursing Home Trends, 1987 and 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Chartbook No. 3 AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0032.
Kass B, Weinick R, and Monheit A. Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health, 1996. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1999. MEPS Chartbook No. 2. AHCPR Pub No. 99-0001.
Weigers ME, Weinick RM, Cohen JW. Children's Health, 1996: Health Insurance, Access to Care, and Health Status. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Chartbook No. 1. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0008.
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Journal Articles
(available only through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse)
Cohen JW, Monheit AC, Beauregard KM, et al. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey: A National Health Information Resource Inquiry 1996;33:373-389. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-R043.
Cooper PF, Schone BS. More Offers, Fewer Takers for Employment-Based Health Insurance: 1987 and 1996. Health Affairs November/December 1997; 16(6):142-149. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-R008.
Weinick RM, Drilea SK. Usual Sources of Health Care and Barriers to Care, 1996. Statistical Bulletin Jan-Mar 1998; 79(1): 11-17. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-R024.
Weinick RM, Weigers ME, Cohen, JW. Children's Health Insurance, Access to Care, and Health Status: New Findings. Health Affairs March/April 1998; 17(2): 127-136. AHCPR Pub. No.98-R035.
Rhoades J. Nursing Homes-Structure and Selected Characteristics,1987 and 1996. Statistical Bulletin April-June 1998;79(2): 2-9. AHCPR Pub. No.98-R058.
Selden T, Banthin J, Cohen J. Medicaid's Problem Children: Eligible But Not Enrolled. Health Affairs May/June 1998;17(3): 192-200. AHCPR Pub. No.98-R067.
Cohen S. Sample Design of the 1996 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey Medical Provider Component. Journal of Economic and Social Measurement 1998; 24: 25-53. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-R082.
Weinick RM, Monheit AC. Children's Health Insurance Coverage and Family Structure, 1977-1996. Medical Care Research and Review March 1999; 56(1): 55-73. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-R051.
Zuvekas S, Weinick RM. Changes in Access to Care, 1977-1996: The Role of Health Insurance. Health Services Research April 1999, Part II;34(1): 271-279.AHCPR Pub. No. 99-R054.
Selden T, Banthin J, Cohen J. Waiting in the Wings: Eligibility and Enrollment in the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Health Affairs March/April 1999; 18(2): 126-133. AHCPR Pub. No. 99-R050.
Cohen S, Machlin S. Nonresponse Adjustment Strategy in the Household Component of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Journal of Economic and Social Measurement 1998; 25: 15-33. AHCPR Pub. No. 00-R006.
If you have any questions or comments concerning the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, please contact us through E-mail at mepsp@ahrq.gov.
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