This public use data file is one in a series of event-level public use data files drawn from the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household Component (HC). Released as an ASCII file with SAS, SPSS, and STATA programming statements and in SAS transport format, this public use file provides information on the purchase of and expenditures for medical equipment, supplies, glasses and other medical items for a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and can be used to make estimates of the utilization and expenditures associated with medical items during the 1997 calendar year. This file consists of 1997 data obtained in the 1997 portion of round 3, and rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 1, as well as rounds 1, 2, and the 1997 portion of round 3 for Panel 2 of the survey.
The Other Medical Expense Public Use Data File consists of 2 event-level data files. File 1 contains characteristics associated with the medical expense and imputed expenditure data. File 2 contains pre-imputed expenditure data.
For more information, see MEPS HC-029: 1997 MEPS HC Survey Data.