MEPS HC-053: 2002 P6R3/P7R1
Population Characteristics
July 2003
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends
540 Gaither Road
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 427-1406
Table of Contents
A. Data Use Agreement
B. Background
1.0 Household Component
2.0 Medical Provider Component
3.0 Insurance Component
4.0 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
3.1.1 The MEPS Sampling Process and Response Rates: An
Overview
3.1.2 Panel 6
3.1.3 Panel 7
3.1.4 Combined Panel Response
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
D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
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 they were 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:
1. |
No one is to use the data in this data set in any way except for statistical reporting and analysis; and |
2. |
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 |
3. |
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
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) provides nationally representative estimates of health care use, expenditures, sources of payment, and insurance coverage for the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population. MEPS is cosponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
MEPS is a family of three surveys. The Household Component (HC) is the core survey and forms the basis for the Medical Provider Component (MPC), and part of the Insurance Component (IC). 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. Since 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 advance these goals, MEPS includes linkage with the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) - a survey conducted by NCHS from which the sample for the MEPS HC is drawn - and enhanced longitudinal data collection for core survey components. The MEPS HC augments NHIS by selecting a sample of the 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 of households for the MEPS HC is drawn from respondents to NHIS. 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/or replaces 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 home
health agencies and pharmacies reported by HC respondents. Office-based
physicians, hospitals, and hospital physicians are also included in the MPC but
may be subsampled at various rates, depending on burden and resources, in
certain years.
Data are collected on medical and financial
characteristics of medical and pharmacy events reported by HC respondents. The
MPC is conducted through telephone interviews and record abstraction.
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3.0 Insurance Component
The MEPS IC collects data on health insurance plans
obtained through private and public-sector employers. 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 three 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.
To provide an integrated picture of health insurance, data
collected from the first sampling frame (employers and insurance providers
identified by MEPS HC respondents) are linked back to data provided by those
respondents. Data from the two Census Bureau sampling frames are used to produce
annual national and State estimates of the supply and cost of private health
insurance available to American workers and to evaluate policy issues pertaining
to health insurance. National estimates of employer contributions to group
insurance from the MEPS IC are used in the computation of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The MEPS IC is an annual survey. Data are collected from
the selected organizations through a prescreening telephone interview, a mailed
questionnaire, and a telephone follow-up for nonrespondents.
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4.0 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, microdata files
and compendiums of tables. Data are also released through MEPSnet, an online
interactive tool developed to give users the ability to statistically analyze
MEPS data in real time. Summary reports and compendiums of tables are released
as printed documents and electronic files. Microdata files are released on
CD-ROM and/or as electronic files.
Selected printed documents and public use file data on 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.
Additional information on MEPS is
available at mepspd@ahrq.gov or the MEPS public use data manager at the Center
for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality.
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C. Technical and Programming Information
1.0 General Information
This documentation describes the sixth point in time data
file to be released from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household
Component (MEPS HC). Released as an ASCII file (with related SAS programming
statements), and a SAS transport dataset, 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 2002. The data consist of 2002 data obtained in Round 3 of Panel 6 and
Round 1 of Panel 7 of the MEPS Household Component and contains variables
pertaining to Survey Administration, Demographics, Employment, Health status,
and Health insurance.
The following documentation offers a brief overview of the
types and levels of data provided, the content and structure of the files, and
programming information. It contains the following sections:
- Data File Information
- Survey Sample Information
- Variable/Questionnaire Crosswalk
A codebook of all the variables included on the 2002 point
in time data file is provided in a separate document (H53CB.PDF).
MEPS survey questionnaires, the Household Survey Variable
Locator, indicating the major MEPS data items on public use files that have been
released to date, and a catalog of MEPS products are available on the MEPS web
page (www.meps.ahrq.gov).
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2.0 Data File Information
This public use dataset contains variable and frequency
distributions for a total of 41,002 persons (22,553 from Panel 6 Round 3 and
18,449 from Panel 7 Round 1). This count includes all household survey
respondents who resided in eligible responding households. Of these persons,
39,571 were assigned a positive person-level weight (21,620 from Panel 6 Round 3
and 17,951 from Panel 7 Round 1). For each variable, both weighted and
unweighted frequencies are provided. In conjunction with the weight variable
(WGTSP13) 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 2002.
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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 >= Variable was top-coded for confidentiality
$56.06 |
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2.3 Codefook 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 |
2.4 Variable Naming
In general, variable names reflect the content of the
variable, with an 8 character limitation. All of the variables on this file
(except some demographic variables and DUID, DUPERSID, PID, and KEYNESS) end in
"13" to denote they are combination Panel 7 Round 1/Panel 6 Round 3
variables. For edited variables, the "13" is followed by an
"X", and they 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 "D. Variable-Source Crosswalk". Sources for
each variable are indicated in one of four ways: (1) variables derived from the
CAPI or assigned in sampling are so indicated; (2) variables derived from
complex algorithms associated with reenumeration 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 programs, 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
describe data for Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1 in 2002.
The variable PANEL13 indicates the panel from which the
data are derived. A value of 6 indicates Panel 6 Round 3 data and a value of 7
indicates Panel 7 Round 1 data.
Note that Round 3 of Panel 6 covers both the end of 2001
and the beginning of 2002. (When possible, the variables were constructed to
represent data from the 2002 portion of Round 3.)
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 is a combination of the variables DUID and PID; thus it 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 RULETR13. 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:
1. A married daughter and her husband living with her
parents in the same dwelling unit constitute a single reporting unit.
2. A husband and wife and their unmarried daughter,
age 18, who is living away from home while at college, constitute two
reporting units.
3. 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 RUSIZE13 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 RUSIZE13 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 FAMID13 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
family identification variable by concatenating the DU identifier (DUID) and the
FAMID13 variable, as described in Section 3.2.2.3 Instructions to Create Family
Estimates.
The variable FAMSIZ13 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 FAMSIZ13 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 FAMSIZ13 variable.
The family size (FAMSIZ13) and the reporting unit (RU)
size (RUSIZE13) counts may not be consistent with the count of records on the
file. There are some reporting units where the RU size variable (RUSIZE13) 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 RURSLT13 indicates the RU response status for
Round 3 for the Panel 6 sample and Round 1 for the Panel 7 sample. The values
include the following:
60 Complete with RU member
61 Complete with proxy--all RU members deceased on
or after 1/1/2002
62 Complete with proxy--all RU members
institutionalized or deceased on or after 1/1/2002
63 Complete with proxy, other
There are several other variables that characterize the
reporting unit. The variable RUCLAS13 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. A new RU is one which has been created when members of the household leave
the standard 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
their 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 BEGRFD13, BEGRFM13, and
BEGRFY13. The reference period for Panel 7 Round 1 for most persons identified
at NHIS began on January 1, 2002 and ended on the date of the Round 1 interview.
Persons who joined the RU after 1/1/2002 have their beginning reference date for
the round as the day they joined the RU.
For Panel 6 Round 3, the reference period for most persons
began on the date of the previous round’s interview and ended on the date of
the current round’s interview. Persons who joined after the previous round’s
interview had their beginning reference date for the round set as the day they
joined the RU. Persons who were present only for the 2001 portion of Round 3 are
not included in this delivery.
The dates of the interview and the ending reference period
dates are included for each person. These variables include ENDRFD13, ENDRFM13,
ENDRFY13, RUENDD13, RUENDM13, and RUENDY13. 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 RNDREF13 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 RDRESP13
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 PROXY13 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:
KEYNESS, INSCOP13, and PSTAT13. 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 U.S. civilian,
non-institutionalized population for at least one day during 2002. 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 2002, "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 national 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 INSCOP13 indicates a person’s in-scope
status, specifically indicating whether a person was ever in-scope during the
2002 portion of the round.
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 household. (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 2002. 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 were 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 PSTAT13 indicates a person’s response and
eligibility status. The PSTAT13 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
PSTAT13 variables. Note that some values for PSTAT13 are round-specific, as
indicated in the labels.
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 |
22 |
Person leaves a health care institution and
rejoins the community - Round 3 only |
23 |
Person leaves a health care institution, goes
into community and then dies - Round 3 only |
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 |
The variable REGION13 indicates the Census region for the
RU. MSA13 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 MSA13
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 describe data for Panel
6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1, as well as a number of characteristics that are
not round specific.
Age
Date of birth and age for each RU member were asked or
verified during each MEPS interview (AGE13X, DOBMM, DOBYY). If date of birth was
available, age was calculated based on the difference between date of birth and
date of interview. Inconsistencies between the calculated age and the age
reported during the CAPI interview were reviewed and resolved. For purposes of
confidentiality, the variable AGE13X was top coded at 90 years, and DOBYY bottom
coded at 1912. 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.
Sex
The variable SEX contains data on the sex of each RU
member (SEX), 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.
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.
The ranges of RACEX, HISPANX, and RACETHNX delivered in
this public use file remain the same as in previous point in time data files.
HISPCAT was modified to collapse persons coded with multiple sources of national
origin or ancestry into the "Other Latin American/Other Spanish"
category. The range for HISPCAT was expanded to include "91 Other".
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 MARRY13X. 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, in Panel 6 Round 3, 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".
Four edits were performed to ensure some consistency
across rounds for the Panel 6 Round 3 data. First, a person could not be coded
as "Never Married" after previously being coded as any other marital
status (e.g., "Widowed"). Second, a person could not be coded as
"Under 16 - Inapplicable" after being previously coded as any other
marital status. Third, a person could not be coded as "Married in
round" after being coded as "Married" in the round immediately
preceding. Fourth, a person could not be coded as an "in round" code
(e.g., "widowed in round") in two subsequent rounds.
The person identifier for each individual’s spouse is
reported in SPOUID13. The variable is set to the PID (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 SPOUIN13 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 SPOUID13 and SPOUIN13 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 SPOUID13 and SPOUIN13
are consistent within each round, there was no consistency check between these
variables and marital status in a given round. Apparent discrepancies between
marital status and spouse information may be due to any of the following causes:
- Ambiguity as to when during a 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 SPOUIN13 and
SPOUID13 for the same round would indicate that a spouse was present);
- Valid discrepancies in the case of persons who are
married but not living with their spouse, or separating but still living
together; or
- Discrepancies which cannot be explained by either
of the previous reasons.
Student Status and Educational Attainment
The variable FTSTD13X 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.
The variables indicating completed years of education when
first entered MEPS (EDUCYR) and highest degree when first entered MEPS (HIDEG)
were obtained from questions RE 103-105. For Panels 6 and 7 (panels from which
data are based), questions RE103-105 were asked only when persons first entered
MEPS, which was Round 1 for most people.
For the completed years of education variable (EDUCYR),
children who are 5 years of age or older when they first entered MEPS 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 highest degree (HIDEG) was obtained from two
questions: high school diploma (RE104) and highest degree (RE105). Persons under
16 years of age when they first entered MEPS were coded as 8 "Under 16
-Inapplicable". In cases where the response to the highest degree question
was "no degree" and highest grade 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 EDUCYR and HIDEG 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.
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 ACTDTY13. 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 Reference Person Identifiers in the
Survey Administration section.) The variable RFREL13X 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.
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 describe data for Panel
6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1, as well as a number of characteristics that are
not round specific.
Age
Date of birth and age for each RU member were asked or
verified during each MEPS interview (AGE13X, DOBMM, DOBYY). If date of birth was
available, age was calculated based on the difference between date of birth and
date of interview. Inconsistencies between the calculated age and the age
reported during the CAPI interview were reviewed and resolved. For purposes of
confidentiality, the variable AGE13X was top coded at 90 years, and DOBYY bottom
coded at 1912. 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.
Sex
The variable SEX contains data on the sex of each RU
member (SEX), 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.
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.
The ranges of RACEX, HISPANX, and RACETHNX delivered in
this public use file remain the same as in previous point in time data files.
HISPCAT was modified to collapse persons coded with multiple sources of national
origin or ancestry into the "Other Latin American/Other Spanish"
category. The range for HISPCAT was expanded to include "91 Other".
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 MARRY13X. 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, in Panel 6 Round 3, 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".
Four edits were performed to ensure some consistency
across rounds for the Panel 6 Round 3 data. First, a person could not be coded
as "Never Married" after previously being coded as any other marital
status (e.g., "Widowed"). Second, a person could not be coded as
"Under 16 - Inapplicable" after being previously coded as any other
marital status. Third, a person could not be coded as "Married in
round" after being coded as "Married" in the round immediately
preceding. Fourth, a person could not be coded as an "in round" code
(e.g., "widowed in round") in two subsequent rounds.
The person identifier for each individual’s spouse is
reported in SPOUID13. The variable is set to the PID (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 SPOUIN13 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 SPOUID13 and SPOUIN13 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 SPOUID13 and SPOUIN13
are consistent within each round, there was no consistency check between these
variables and marital status in a given round. Apparent discrepancies between
marital status and spouse information may be due to any of the following causes:
- Ambiguity as to when during a 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 SPOUIN13 and
SPOUID13 for the same round would indicate that a spouse was present);
- Valid discrepancies in the case of persons who are
married but not living with their spouse, or separating but still living
together; or
- Discrepancies which cannot be explained by either
of the previous reasons.
Student Status and Educational Attainment
The variable FTSTD13X 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.
The variables indicating completed years of education when
first entered MEPS (EDUCYR) and highest degree when first entered MEPS (HIDEG)
were obtained from questions RE 103-105. For Panels 6 and 7 (panels from which
data are based), questions RE103-105 were asked only when persons first entered
MEPS, which was Round 1 for most people.
For the completed years of education variable (EDUCYR),
children who are 5 years of age or older when they first entered MEPS 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 highest degree (HIDEG) was obtained from two
questions: high school diploma (RE104) and highest degree (RE105). Persons under
16 years of age when they first entered MEPS were coded as 8 "Under 16
-Inapplicable". In cases where the response to the highest degree question
was "no degree" and highest grade 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 EDUCYR and HIDEG 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.
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 ACTDTY13. 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 Reference Person Identifiers in the
Survey Administration section.) The variable RFREL13X 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 ensure 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 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 (RTHLTH13) and perceived mental
health status (MNHLTH13) were collected in the Condition Enumeration section.
These questions (CE01 and CE02) asked the respondent to rate the physical and
mental health of 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 RTPROX13 and MNPROX13
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 (IADLHP13) 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", IADLHP13 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 (ADLHLP13) was constructed in the same manner as IADLHP13, but using
questions HE04-HE06. Coding conventions for missing data were the same as for
IADLHP13
Functional Limitations
A series of questions pertained to functional limitations,
defined as difficulty in performing certain specific physical actions. WLKLIM13
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 WLKLIM13. If the answer was
"yes", then the specific persons who had any of these difficulties
were identified and coded as "yes" (1) on WLKLIM13, 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 member’s value for
WLKLIM13. 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 WLKLIM13. Deceased respondents were assigned a -1 code
("inapplicable") for WLKLIM13.
If any family member was coded "yes" to
WLKLIM13, a subsequent series of questions was administered. The series of
questions for which WLKLIM13 served as a filter was as follows:
LFTDIF13 - difficulty lifting 10 pounds
STPDIF13 - difficulty walking up 10 steps
WLKDIF13 - difficulty walking 3 blocks
MILDIF13 - difficulty walking a mile
STNDIF13 - difficulty standing 20 minutes
BENDIF13 - difficulty bending or stooping
RCHDIF13 - difficulty reaching over head
FNGRDF13 - difficulty using fingers to grasp
This series of questions was asked separately for each
person who was coded "yes" to WLKLIM13. This series of questions was
not asked for other individual family members for whom WLKLIM13 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 WLKLIM13. These
questions were not asked about deceased family members. In such cases (i.e.,
WLKLIM13 = 2, or age < 13, or PSTATS13 = 31), each question in the series was
coded as "inapplicable" (-1). Finally, if responses to WLKLIM13 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 WLKLIM13, 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 WLKLIM13, 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
(AIDHLP13, from question HE07) and social/recreational limitations (SOCLIM13,
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" (-8).
Work, Housework, and School Limitations
The variable indicating any limitation in work, housework,
or school (ACTLIM13) 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 ACTLIM13; 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 ACTLIM13.
If ACTLIM13 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
(WRKLIM13), doing housework (HSELIM13), or going to school (SCHLIM13).
Respondents could answer "yes" to each activity; one person could thus
report limitation in multiple activities. WRKLIM13, HSELIM13, and SCHLIM13 have
values of "yes" or "no" only if ACTLIM13 was "yes"; each variable was coded as "Inapplicable" (-1) if ACTLIM13 was
"No" (2). When ACTLIM13 was "Refused" (-7), these variables
were all coded as "Refused" (-7); when ACTLIM13 was "Don’t
Know" (-8), these variables were all coded as "Don’t Know"
(-8); and when ACTLIM13 was "Not Ascertained" (-9), these variables
were all coded as "Not Ascertained" (-9). If a person was under 5
years old or was deceased, WRKLIM13, HSELIM13, and SCHLIM13 were each coded as
"Inapplicable" (-1).
A second question (UNABLE13) asked if the person was
completely unable to work at a job, do housework, or go to school. Those
respondents who were coded "no," "Refused," "Don't
Know," or "Not Ascertained" on ACTLIM13, or were under 5 years of
age, or were deceased, were coded as "inapplicable" (-1) on UNABLE13.
UNABLE13 was asked once for whichever set of WRKLIM13, HSELIM13, and SCHLIM13
the respondent had limitations; if a respondent was limited in more than one of
these three activities, UNABLE13 did not specify if the respondent was
completely unable to perform all of them, or only some of them.
Cognitive Limitations
The variable COGLIM13 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 COGLIM13 was coded as "yes". Remaining family members not
identified were coded as "no" for COGLIM13.
If responses to HE24-01 through 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".
COGLIM13 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 6 Round 3/Panel
7 Round 1 2002 release are: EMPST13, HRWAG13X, HRWGRD13, HRWAY13, HOUR13,
HELD13X, OFFER13X, NUMEMP13 and SELFCM13. 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 or equal to $56.06 were top-coded to
–10. The number of employees variable was top-coded at 500.
Employment Status (EMPST13)
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
2002, 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 (HRWAG13X, HRWGRD13, and HRWAY13)
Hourly wage was asked of all persons who reported a
current main job that was not self-employment (SELFCM13). For reasons of
confidentiality, the hourly wage variable (HRWAG13X) was top-coded. A value of
–10 indicates that the hourly wage was greater than or equal to $56.06. The
hourly wage on this file (HRWAG13X) should be considered along with its
accompanying variables HRWGRD13 and HRWAY13.
HRWGRD13 is a flag that indicates the round in which the
reported hourly wage was collected. This flag is always set to "1" for
people who are a part of Panel 7 because the reported hourly wage is always from
Round 1 as only Round 1 information is reported on this file. People who are a
part of Panel 6 can have a current main job from a previous round and HRWGRD13
indicates the round in which the wage information was collected. For Round 3
current main jobs that continue as the current main job from Round 1, HRWGRD13
is "1". For Round 3 current main jobs that continue as the current
main job from Round 2 (but not Round 1), HRWGRD13 is "2". For Round 3
current main jobs that are identified as current main for the first time in
Round 3, HRWGRD13 is "3".
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
(HRWAG13X) is the median within that range. The medians were calculated using
actual wages reported from the same round by persons 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.
HRWAY13 indicates how the corresponding HRWAG13X 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
HRWAY13 variable.
Health Insurance (HELD13X and OFFER13X)
There are two employment-related health insurance measures
included in this release: health insurance held from a current main job
(HELD13X) and health insurance offered from a current main job (OFFER13X). The
held and offer variables were logically edited using health insurance
information from the health insurance section not available for public release.
Persons under age 16 as well as persons aged 16 and older
who do not hold a current main job, who are self-employed with no employees, or
who are otherwise ineligible are coded as "inapplicable" for both the
health insurance-related employment variables.
HELD13X is "yes" if the person reported having
insurance coverage from the employer or union at the current main job and that
coverage provides hospital/physician or Medigap benefits (as long as the person
is not self-employed with no employees). HELD13X is also "yes" if the
person’s current main job is with the armed forces.
HELD13X is "no" if the person either reported
that insurance is not obtained through the current main job or reported
insurance and 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 indicate that it does not include hospital/physician or Medigap benefits. As
noted above, this does not apply to self-employed persons with no employees
(always "inapplicable") and those with a current main job in the armed
forces (always "yes").
OFFER13X is always coded as "yes" if HELD13X is
"yes". In addition, except for certain self-employed persons with
OFFER13X set to "inapplicable" (see above), OFFER13X is coded as
"yes" if insurance was offered through the employer or union at the
job. OFFER13X is "no" when HELD13X equals "no" and insurance
was not offered by the employer or union at the job.
As indicated above, information collected in the health
insurance section of the interview was considered in the construction of HELD13X
and OFFER13X. 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 HELD13X. Due to questionnaire skip patterns,
the value for HELD13X was considered in constructing the OFFER13X 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 OFFER13X.
Hours (HOUR13)
HOUR13 is the number of hours worked per week at the
current main job.
Number of Employees (NUMEMP13)
Due to confidentiality concerns, the variable indicating
the number of employees at the establishment (NUMEMP13) has been top coded at
500 or more employees. NUMEMP13 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 that
indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3
interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the
MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance
variables for the Panel 7 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the
Panel 7 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was
performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources.
Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE
coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and
Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE
coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for
Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private
insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 Round 1. For Panel 6
Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address
issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in
earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect
to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change
in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to
address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the
Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7
Round 1 or Panel 6 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other
public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 Round 1
or Panel 6 Round 3.
Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP,
and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program
participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is
not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey.
Medicare
Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) 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/SCHIP, other public
hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or
- Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by
Medicare; or
- They reported TRICARE coverage.
Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage
Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage
were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not
have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a
respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting
other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to
determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it
included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified
managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage
and/or if a government source paid for the coverage.
The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited
(MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public
hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or
reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid
variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP.
To assist users in further editing sources of insurance,
this file contains variables constructed from the other public
hospital/physician series that measure whether:
-
The respondent reported some type
of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A
Insurance (OTPUBA13); or
-
The respondent did not report any
managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13).
The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to
assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates
for these types of insurance categories.
Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1
The file also includes a summary measure that indicates
whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of
2002 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those
reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public
hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs
that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland
Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when
constructing the variable PUB13X.
Private Insurance
Variables identifying private insurance in general
(PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group
insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance
(PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in
effect at any time during the early part of 2002. Separate variables identify
covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter
"H", e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or
policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who
are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In
some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance
(PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the
policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered
to have private health 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.
Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13)
was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later
confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity
to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the
Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job.
All insurance reported to be through a job classified as
self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the
Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the
other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1
(PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the
first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine
if the insurance should be considered employment-related.
Private insurance that was not employment-related
(PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance
Section only.
Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1
The file also includes a summary measure that indicates
whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002
(INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under
TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, 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.
Persons covered only by state-specific programs that
provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney
Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example,
private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific
diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the
variable INSRD13X.
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3.0 Survey Sample Information
3.1 Sample Design and Response Rates
The MEPS HC 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. The MEPS HC
uses an overlapping panel design in which data for two calendar years are
obtained through five rounds of data collection.
A new sample (new Panel) of households for MEPS is
selected each year from among household respondents for the previous year's
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the National Center for
Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The NHIS is an
ongoing general health survey of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized
population.)
MEPS Panel 6 spans the two calendar years 2001 and 2002
while MEPS Panel 7 spans 2002 and 2003. This file consists of the subset of data
from the sixth and seventh MEPS panels covering from January 1 through, roughly,
the spring of calendar year 2002. More specifically, data from the 2002 portion
of the third Round of data collection for the MEPS Panel 6 sample are pooled
with data from the first Round of data collection for the MEPS Panel 7 sample
(see illustration below).
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
3.1.1 The MEPS Sampling Process and
Response Rates: An Overview
NHIS nonrespondents there
are no NHIS data available to incorporate into analyses with MEPS data.
Once the MEPS sample is selected from
among the NHIS households characterized as NHIS respondents, RUs representing
students living in student housing or consisting entirely of military personnel
are dropped from the sample. For the NHIS, college students living in student
housing are sampled independently from their families. For MEPS, such students
are identified through the sample selection of their parents' RU. Removing from
MEPS those college students found in college housing sampled for the NHIS
eliminates the opportunity of multiple chances of selection for MEPS for these
students. Military personnel not living in the same RU as civilians are
ineligible for MEPS. After such exclusions, all RUs associated with households
selected from among those identified as NHIS responding households are then
fielded in the first round of MEPS.
Table 3.1 shows these three informational
components just discussed in Rows A, B, and C. Row A indicates the percentage of
NHIS households eligible for MEPS. Row B indicates the number of NHIS households
sampled for MEPS. Row C indicates the number of sampled households actually
fielded for MEPS (after dropping the students and military members discussed
above).
Table 3.1. Response rates for Point-in-Time file
(Panel 7 Round 1/Panel 6, Round 3)
|
Panel 6 |
Panel 7 |
2002 Combined |
A. Percentage of NHIS sample
eligible for MEPS |
89.9% |
89.7% |
|
B. Number of households sampled from
the NHIS |
10,704 |
8,132 |
|
C. Number of Households sampled from
the NHIS
and fielded for MEPS |
10,651 |
8,083 |
|
D. Round 1 – Number of RUs
eligible for interviewing |
11,556 |
8,710 |
|
E. Round 1 – Number of RUs with
completed interviews |
9,377 |
7,008 |
|
F. Round 2 – Number of RUs
eligible for interviewing |
9,666 |
|
|
G. Round 2 – Number of RUs with
completed interviews |
9,222 |
|
|
H. Round 3 – Number of RUs
eligible for interviewing |
9,380 |
|
|
I. Round 3 – Number of RUs with
completed interviews |
9,001 |
|
|
Overall response rates through the
Spring of 2002
P6: A x (E/D) x (G/F) x (I/H)
P7: A x (E/D)
Combined: .55 x P6 +.45 x P7 |
66.8%
(Panel 6
through round 3)
|
72.2%
(Panel 7
through round 1)
|
69.2%
|
When an RU is visited for a round of data
collection, changes in RU membership are identified. Such changes include RU
members who have moved to another location in the U.S., thus creating a new RU
to be interviewed for MEPS, as well as student RUs. Thus, the number of RUs
eligible for MEPS interviewing in a given round can only be determined after
data collection is fully completed. The ratio of the number of RUs completing
the MEPS interview in a given round to the number of RUs characterized as
eligible to complete the interview for that round represents the
"conditional" response rate for that round. It is
"conditional" in that it pertains to the set of RUs characterized as
eligible for MEPS for that round, and thus is "conditioned" on prior
participation rather than representing the overall response rate through that
round. For example, in Table 3.1, for Panel 7, Round 1 the ratio of 7,008 (Row
E) to 8,710 (Row D) multiplied by 100 represents the percentage response rate
for the round (80.5 percent), conditioned on the set of RUs characterized as
eligible for MEPS for that round. Taking the product of the percentage of the
NHIS sample eligible for MEPS (row A) with the product of the ratios for a
consecutive set of MEPS rounds beginning with round one produces the overall
response rate through the last MEPS round specified.
The overall response rate for the combined
sample of Panel 7, Round 1 and Panel 6, Round 3 has been obtained by taking the
sum of the products of the relative sample sizes and the corresponding overall
panel response rates. Panel 6, Round 3 represents about 55 percent of the
combined sample size, Panel 7, Round 1 the remaining 45 percent. Thus, the
combined response rate is .55 times the Panel 6 response rate through Round 3
plus .45 times the Panel 7 response rate through Round 1.
Note that below mention is made of
oversampling rates. In a sample where all persons in a population are selected
with the same probability, the sample distribution is expected to be
proportionate to the population distribution. For example, if Hispanics
represent 15 percent of the general population, one would expect roughly 15
percent of the persons sampled to be Hispanic. However, in order to improve the
precision of estimates for subgroups of a population, one might decide to select
samples from those subgroups at higher rates than the remainder of the
population. Thus, one might select Hispanics at twice the rate (i.e., at double
the probability) of persons not oversampled. Thus, subgroups that are "oversampled"
are represented at disproportionately high rates in the sample. The sample
weights then are used so that population estimates account for this
disproportionate contribution from oversampled subgroups, as the base sample
weights for oversampled groups will be smaller than for the portion of the
population not oversampled. If a subgroup is sampled at roughly twice the rate
of sample selection for the remainder of the population not oversampled, members
of the subgroup will receive base or initial sample weights (prior to
nonresponse or poststratification adjustments) that are roughly half the size of
the "not oversampled" group.
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3.1.2 Panel 6
For MEPS Panel 6, Round 1 10,651 households were fielded
in 2001 (row C of Table 3.1), a nationally representative subsample of the
households responding to the 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
Similar to the earlier MEPS panels, the Panel 6 sample reflects the oversampling
of Hispanic and black households resulting from the NHIS sample design. Hispanic
households were oversampled at a rate of roughly 2 to 1. That is, the
probability of selecting a Hispanic household for participation in the NHIS was
roughly twice that for households in the general population that were not
oversampled. The oversampling rate for black households was roughly 1.5 to 1.
Oversampling a subgroup is done to improve the precision of survey estimates for
that particular subgroup. The "cost" of oversampling is that the
precision of estimates for the general population will be reduced to some extent
compared to the precision one could achieve for the general population if the
same overall sample size were selected but no oversampling was undertaken.
Table 3.1 shows the number of RUs eligible for
interviewing in each Round of Panel 6 as well as the number of RUs completing
the MEPS interview. Computing the individual Round "conditional"
Response Rates as described in section 3.1.1 and then taking the product of the
resulting three "conditional" round response rates and the factor 89.9
(the percentage of the NHIS sampled households eligible for MEPS) yields an
overall overall response rate of 66.6 percent for Panel 6 through Round 3.
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3.1.3 Panel 7
For MEPS Panel 7, 8,083 households were
fielded in 2002 (again, found in Row C of Table 3.1), a nationally
representative subsample of the households responding to the 2001 National
Health Interview Survey (NHIS). A stratified sample of the NHIS households
eligible for MEPS sample selection was selected, with one stratum containing
households with Asians or those "predicted to be poor" with the other
stratum containing all remaining households. All households in the
"Asian/Predicted Poor" stratum were selected with certainty while
roughly 50% of the other stratum was included in MEPS, using a systematic sample
selection procedure from among those eligible. Because Hispanics and blacks are
oversampled for the NHIS as described above, households with Hispanics and
blacks were also included at disproportionately high rates (oversampled) among
the households selected at the 50% rate.
Table 3.1 shows the number of RUs eligible for
interviewing (8,710) and the number completing the interview for Round 1 of
Panel 7 (7,008). The overall response rate for Panel 7 through Round 1 of MEPS
is thus computed as 89.7 percent times (7008/8710), or 72.2 percent.
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3.1.4 Combined Panel Response
A combined response rate for the survey respondents in
this data set is obtained by taking a weighted average of the panel specific
response rates. The Panel 7 response rate was weighted by a factor of .45 while
that of Panel 6 by a factor of .55, reflecting approximately the distribution of
the sample sizes between the two panels. The resulting combined response rate
for the combined panels is (.55 x 66.6) plus (.45 x 72.2) or 69.1 percent (as
shown in Table 3.1).
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3.1.4 Combined Panel Response
A combined response rate for the survey respondents in
this data set is obtained by taking a weighted average of the panel specific
response rates. The Panel 7 response rate was weighted by a factor of .45 while
that of Panel 6 by a factor of .55, reflecting approximately the distribution of
the sample sizes between the two panels. The resulting combined response rate
for the combined panels is (.55 x 66.6) plus (.45 x 72.2) or 69.1 percent (as
shown in Table 3.1).
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
The person-level weight variable (WGTSP13) was constructed
as a composite of separate panel specific weights. A positive person-level
weight 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 2002. For the Panel 7 Round 1
participants, 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 at the
household level, and poststratification to figures obtained from March 2002
Current Population Survey (CPS) data at the family and person levels. The
person-level poststratification reflected population distributions across census
region, MSA status, race/ethnicity (Hispanic, black/non-Hispanic, Asian, other),
sex, and age.
Table 3.2 shows the number of persons with person weights
for each of the two panels separately, as well as the combined total and the
total population estimate represented by the weighted total for all persons with
person-level weights. In terms of numbers of persons, there are 21,620 for Panel
6, Round 3 and 17,951 for Panel 7, Round 1. Thus, in total, there are 39,571
sample persons in the file with positive person-level weights (WGTSP13>0).
The corresponding estimate for the civilian, noninstitutionalized population
based on summing the weights found in the variable WGTSP13 for these 39,571
persons is 281,293,329.
Table 3.2. Persons with a person weight for the 2002
Point-in-Time file
|
Panel 6 |
Panel 7 |
Combined |
Population estimate
(weighted total of combined sample) |
Number |
21,620 |
17,951 |
39,571 |
281,293,329 |
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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, 2002 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 Round 1 reference
period 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 but who were not present 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 for Panel 6, Round 3 or for Panel 7,
Round 1 and if the family had a key reference person, then that family received
a family-level weight (WGTRU13>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 2002 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.
Table 3.3 shows the number of families with family-level
weights for each of the two panels separately, as well as the combined total and
the total population estimate represented by the weighted total for all persons
with person-level weights. Included as families in these counts are individuals
living in one person RUs. There are 8,625 such families for Panel 6, Round 3 and
6,857 for Panel 7, Round 1. Thus, in total, there are 15,482 sample families in
the file with positive family-level weights (WGTRU13>0). The population
estimate of the number of these "family" units (families plus
individual person units) with family-level weights containing at least one
member of the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population is 121,753,042
based on summing the family level weights across all 15,482 MEPS families where
WGTRU13 is positive.
Table 3.3. Families with a family weight for the
2002 Point-in-Time file
|
Panel 6 |
Panel 7 |
Combined |
Population estimate
(weighted total of combined sample) |
Number |
8,625 |
6,857 |
15,482 |
121,753,042 |
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
FAMID13. Only persons with positive, nonzero family weight values (WGTRU13>0)
are candidates for inclusion in family estimates. Following is a summary of
steps that can be used for family-level estimation:
1. Concatenate the variables DUID and FAMID13 into
a new variable (e.g., DUFAM13).
2. To create a family-level file, sort by DUFAM13
and then subset to one record per DUFAM13 value by retaining only the
reference person record (RNDREF13=1) for each value of DUFAM13. If the
analyst chooses to eliminate single person units from family analyses,
it is also necessary to exclude records where FAMSIZ13=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.
3. Apply the weight WGTRU13 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. Others with positive person weights did not receive a
family weight because the family reference person was not key. 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 or otherwise
out-of-scope during the 2002 portion of the MEPS data collection round. Analysts
should include only 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-level 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 VARST13 and PSU13 on this MEPS data file 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 100
degrees of freedom associated with the estimated standard errors for national
estimates based on this MEPS database.
In the past, MEPS variance strata and PSUs were developed
independently from year to year. However, beginning with the 2002 Point-in-Time
PUF, the variance strata and PSUs have been developed to be compatible with all
future PUFs. Thus, data from future years can be pooled and the variance strata
and PSU variables provided can be used without modification for variance
estimation purposes for estimates covering multiple years of data.
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D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
SURVEY ADMINISTRATION VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
DUID |
Dwelling Unit ID |
Assigned in Sampling |
PID |
Person Number |
Assigned in Sampling or by CAPI |
DUPERSID |
Person ID (DUID+PID) |
Assigned in Sampling |
PANEL13 |
Panel Number |
Assigned by CAPI |
FAMID13 |
Family Identifier (Student Merged
In) |
CAPI Derived |
RULETR13 |
RU Letter |
CAPI Derived |
RUSIZE13 |
RU Size |
CAPI Derived |
RUCLAS13 |
RU Fielded As: Standard, New,
Student |
CAPI Derived |
FAMSIZ13 |
RU Size Including Students |
CAPI Derived |
REGION13 |
Census Region |
Assigned in Sampling |
MSA13 |
MSA |
Assigned in Sampling |
RNDREF13 |
Reference Person |
RE 42-45 |
RDRESP13 |
1st Respondent Indicator |
RE 6, 8 |
PROXY13 |
Was Respondent A Proxy |
RE 2 |
BEGRFD13 |
Reference Period Begin Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
BEGRFM13 |
Reference Period Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
BEGRFY13 |
Reference Period Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
ENDRFD13 |
Reference Period End Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
ENDRFM13 |
Reference Period End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
ENDRFY13 |
Reference Period End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
KEYNESS |
Person Key Status |
RE Section |
INSCOP13 |
Inscope |
RE Section |
PSTAT13 |
Person Disposition Status |
RE Section |
RURSLT13 |
RU Result |
Assigned by CAPI |
RUENDD13 |
Date of Intv (Date Started: Day) |
Assigned by CAPI |
RUENDM13 |
Date of Intv (Date Started: Month) |
Assigned by CAPI |
RUENDY13 |
Date of Intv (Date Started: Year) |
Assigned by CAPI |
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DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
AGE13X |
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 |
MARRY13X |
Marital Status - (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 13, 97 |
SPOUID13 |
Spouse ID |
RE 76, 77 |
SPOUIN13 |
Marital Status with Spouse Present |
RE 76, 77 |
EDUCYR |
Years of Educ when First Entered
MEPS |
RE 103-105 |
HIDEG |
Highest Degree when First Entered
MEPS |
RE 103-105 |
FTSTD13X |
Student Status Ages 17-23
(Edit/Imputed) |
RE 11A, 106-108 |
ACTDTY13 |
Military Full-Time Active Duty |
RE14, 96 |
RFREL13X |
Relation To Ref Pers
(Edited/Imputed) |
RE 76-77 |
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HEALTH STATUS VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
RTHLTH13 |
Perceived Health Status |
CE 1 |
RTPROX13 |
Self/Proxy Rating of Health |
CE 1 |
MNHLTH13 |
Perceived Mental Health Status |
CE 2 |
MNPROX13 |
Self/Proxy Rating of Mental Health |
CE 2 |
IADLHP13 |
IADL Screener |
HE 1, 2, 3 |
ADLHLP13 |
ADL Screener |
HE 4, 5, 6 |
AIDHLP13 |
Uses Assistive Devices |
HE 7,8 |
WLKLIM13 |
Limitation in Physical Functioning |
HE 9,10 |
LFTDIF13 |
Difficulty Lifting 10 Pounds |
HE 11 |
STPDIF13 |
Difficulty Walking Up 10 Steps |
HE 12 |
WLKDIF13 |
Difficulty Walking 3 Blocks |
HE 13 |
MILDIF13 |
Difficulty Walking a Mile |
HE 14 |
STNDIF13 |
Difficulty Standing 20 Minutes |
HE 15 |
BENDIF13 |
Difficulty Bending/Stooping |
HE 16 |
RCHDIF13 |
Difficulty Reaching Over Head |
HE 17 |
FNGRDF13 |
Difficulty Using Fingers to Grasp |
HE 18 |
ACTLIM13 |
Limitation Work/Housework/School |
HE 19,20 |
WRKLIM13 |
Work Limitation |
HE 19,20 |
HSELIM13 |
Housework Limitation |
HE 19,20 |
SCHLIM13 |
School Limitation |
HE 19,20 |
UNABLE13 |
Completely Unable To Do Activity |
HE 21 |
SOCLIM13 |
Social Limitation |
HE 22,23 |
COGLIM13 |
Cognitive Limitation |
HE 24,25 |
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EMPLOYMENT VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
EMPST13 |
Employment Status |
EM 1-3; RJ 1, 6 |
HRWAG13X |
Hourly Wage at Current Main Job
(Edited) |
EW section;
EM 104-105, 111 |
HRWGRD13 |
Hourly Wage Round Flag |
Constructed |
HRWAY13 |
Calculation Methods for Hourly Wage |
EM 104-105, 111;
EW section |
HOUR13 |
Hours Worked Per Week at CMJ
|
EM 104-105, 111;
EW 17; RJ 1 |
HELD13X |
Health Insurance Held From CMJ
(Edited)
|
EM, HX, RJ and HP sections |
OFFER13X |
Health Insurance Offered at CMJ
(Edited) |
EM, HX, RJ and HP sections |
NUMEMP13 |
Number of Employees at Location of
CMJ |
EM 91-92, 124; RJ 8B |
SELFCM13 |
Self-Employed at Current Main Job |
EM 5, 11, 18, 27, 40, 53 |
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HEALTH INSURANCE VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
TRINW13X |
PID Cov By TRICARE at Interview - Edited |
HX 12, 13; PR 19 - 22; HQ section; RE 14, 96A |
MCARE13 |
PID Cov By Medicare |
HX 5 – 7 |
MCARE13X |
PID Cov By Medicare - Edited |
HX 5 - 7, 10 - 15; PRIV13 and (HX 48 or (OE 10, 24,
37)); PR 7-10, 19-26 |
MCAID13 |
PID Cov By Medicaid or SCHIP
|
HX 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19; HQ section; PR 7-10,
23-26, 39-42 |
MCAID13X |
PID Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP -
Edited
|
MCAID13, HX 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19; 41-43, 45; HQ
section; PR 7-10, 11-14, 23-32, 39-42 |
OTPUBA13 |
PID Cov By/Pays Other Gov Medicaid
HMO |
HX 14, 15, 41-45; HQ section; PR 23-30 |
OTPUBB13 |
PID Cov By Other Public not Medicaid
HMO |
HX 14, 15, 41-43; HQ section; PR 23-30 |
STPRG13 |
PID Cov By State Specific Program |
HX 16-19; HQ section; PR 35-38 |
PUB13X |
PID Cov By Public Ins - Edited |
TRINW13X, MCARE13X, MCAID13X, OTPUBA13, OTPUBB13 |
PRIEU13 |
PID Cov By Private Employment/Union
Plan |
HX 2-4, 21-24 48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ sections |
PRIDK13 |
PID Cov By Private DK Plan |
HX 21-24 48; HP, OE, and HQ sections |
PRING13 |
PID Cov By NonGroup Plan |
HX 21-24 48; HP, OE, and HQ sections |
PRIOG13 |
PID Cov By Oth Group Plan |
HX 21-24 48; HP, OE, and HQ sections |
PRIS13 |
PID Cov By Self-Employed Firm Size 1
Insurance |
HX 3, 4, 48; EM, RJ, OE, and HQ sections |
PRIOUT13 |
PID Cov By Holder Outside RU |
HX 21-24 48; HP, OE, and HQ sections |
PRIV13 |
PID Cov By Private Ins |
PRIEU13, PRIDK13, PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIS13, PRIOUT13 |
HPRIEU13 |
PID is Holder of Private
Employment/Union Plan |
HX 2-4, 9, 11, 21-24 48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ
sections |
HPRIDK13 |
PID is Holder of Private DK Plan |
HX 11, 21-24 48; HP, OE, and HQ sections |
HPRING13 |
PID is Holder of NonGroup Plan |
HX 11, 21-24 48; HP, OE, and HQ sections |
HPRIOG13 |
PID is Holder of Other Group Plan |
HX 11, 21-24 48; HP, OE, and HQ sections |
HPRIS13 |
PID is Holder of Self-Employed Firm
Size 1 Insurance |
HX 3, 4, 9, 48; EM, RJ, OE, and HQ sections |
HPRIV13 |
PID is Holder of Private Ins Plan |
HPRIEU13, HPRIDK13, HPRING13, HPRIOG13, HPRIS13 |
INSRD13X |
PID is Insured - Edited |
PUB13X, PRIV13 |
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WEIGHTS
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
WGTSP13 |
Person Weight |
Constructed |
WGTRU13 |
Family Weight |
Constructed |
VARST13 |
Variance Estimation Stratum |
Constructed |
PSU13 |
Variance Estimation PSU |
Constructed |
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