Research Findings # 0

Table 4. Ambulatory services^a: median and mean expenditures per person with expense and distribution of expenditures by source of payment, U.S., 1997

Annual total expense per person with expense

|
|
|
|

Percent distribution of total expenses by source of payment

Population characteristic

Total population (in thousands)

Percent with expense

Median

Mean

|
|
|
|

Total expenses (in millions)

Out of Pocket

Private Insurance^b

Medicare

Medicaid

Other public programs^c

Other^d

Total

271,279

72.4

$271

$923

|

$181,285

17.3

47.4

17.0

6.2

2.5

9.6

|

Age in years

|

Under 65

237,093

69.8

237

818

|

135,526

19.8

55.6

3.4

7.5

2.5

11.2

Under 6

23,791

83.8

179

422

|

8,416

19.5

54.8

1.1*

16.9

1.2

6.4

6-17

48,127

65.2

130

434

|

13,631

27.7

52.7

0.9*

12.5

1.4*

4.8

18-44

108,879

64.5

259

836

|

58,744

19.5

53.6

2.4

7.3

1.6

15.6

45-64

56,295

78.2

391

1,244

|

54,735

18.1

58.6

5.4

5.0

3.9

8.9

65 and over

34,185

89.9

570

1,489

|

45,759

9.8

23.0

57.4

2.4

2.7

4.8

|

Sex

|

Male

132,605

65.9

239

900

|

78,649

17.2

45.5

17.9

4.6

4.2

10.6

Female

138,673

78.5

300

942

|

102,636

17.3

48.8

16.3

7.4

1.3

8.9

|

Race/ethnicity

|

White and other

206,082

76.0

298

988

|

154,807

17.6

49.0

17.1

4.6

2.2

9.6

Black

34,086

62.2

206

660

|

13,997

12.7

36.9

19.8

17.1

3.5

9.9

Hispanic

31,111

59.2

175

678

|

12,481

19.0

39.2

12.4

14.3

5.5*

9.6

|

Health insurance status^e,f

|
|
|

Under age 65:

|

Any private

173,962

73.7

252

860

|

110,338

19.5

67.8

1.5

1.4

8.4

Public only

29,828

73.1

219

787

|

17,168

8.8

3.1*

16.8

50.2

7.0

14.1

Uninsured

33,304

46.6

164

517

|

8,019

47.1

0.0

8.6

44.3

Age 65 and over:

|
|

Medicare only

8,550

86.1

511

1,277

|

9,399

12.1

0.0

65.8

0.0

8.4

13.6

Medicare and private

21,690

92.4

604

1,566

|
|

31,372

9.9

32.3

54.6

0.3*

1.3

1.6

Medicare and other public

3,486

86.7

518

1,546

|
|

4,672

4.0*

3.0*

63.1

21.1

0.6*

8.3*

|

Poverty status^g

|
|

Poor

36,415

66.4

248

846

|

20,463

13.4

18.6

21.6

32.5

3.7

10.1

Near-poor

12,233

67.4

246

1,058

|

8,730

21.1*

30.8

21.3

13.7

4.4*

8.8

Low income

38,723

67.7

251

907

|

23,785

16.1

35.0

26.7

6.5

3.8*

12.0

Middle income

89,981

73.2

263

906

|

59,684

15.9

49.3

18.5

2.4

11.5

High income

93,926

76.5

295

956

|

68,623

19.6

60.6

10.4

0.6

1.7

7.1

|

Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)^e

|
|
|

MSA

215,782

72.1

270

912

|

141,797

17.7

48.9

15.5

5.9

2.5

9.4

Non-MSA

52,621

74.0

270

960

|

37,373

15.8

42.7

21.4

7.1

2.3

10.7

|

Census Region

|
|

Northeast

52,394

72.1

280

962

|

36,348

15.1

51.5

16.7

6.9

1.2

8.6

Midwest

63,090

76.1

265

930

|

44,633

16.2

48.8

16.6

3.8

2.3

12.3

South

94,929

71.5

255

862

|

58,452

20.0

43.2

18.4

7.4

3.5

7.6

West

60,865

70.2

299

980

|

41,851

16.5

48.0

15.8

6.5

2.7

10.5

|

Perceived health status^e

|
|

Under 65 years

|
|

Excellent, very good , or good

217,904

68.5

218

702

|
|

104,733

20.9

58.9

1.3

6.0

1.7

11.2

Fair or Poor

18,876

85.7

609

1,891

|

30,597

16.0

44.5

10.4

12.8

5.0

11.5

65 years and over

|
|

Excellent, very good , or good

24,864

89.1

505

1,306

|
|

28,920

11.0

22.2

57.3

1.8

2.5

5.2

Fair or Poor

8,890

94.0

804

1,989

|

16,615

7.9

24.6

57.6

3.5

2.7

3.8

^aExpenses for visits to medical providers seen in office-based settings or clinics, hospital outpatient departments, emergency rooms (except visits resulting in an overnight hospital stay), and clinics owned and operated by hospitals, as well as expenses for events reported as hospital admissions without an overnight stay, are included.

^bPrivate insurance includes CHAMPUS and CHAMPVA (Armed-Forces-related coverage).

^cOther public programs include Department of Veterans Affairs (except CHAMPVA); other Federal sources (Indian Health Service, military treatment facilities, and other care provided by the Federal Government); other State and local sources (community and neighborhood clinics, State and local health departments, and State programs other than Medicaid); and other public (Medicaid payments reported for persons who were not enrolled in the Medicaid program at any time during the year).

^dOther includes Worker's Compensation; other unclassified sources (e.g., automobile, homeowner's, liability, and other miscellaneous or unknown sources); and other private insurance (any type of private insurance payments reported for persons without private health insurance coverage during the year, as defined in MEPS).

^eNumber of persons and amount of expenses do not add to overall total because data on this variable were not available for some sample persons.

^fUninsured refers to persons uninsured during the entire year. Public and private health insurance categories refer to individuals with public or private insurance at any time during the period; individuals with both public and private insurance and those with CHAMPUS or CHAMPVA (Armed-Forces-related coverage) are classified as having insurance.

^gPoor refers to incomes below the Federal poverty line; near poor, over the poverty line through 125 percent of the poverty line; low income, over 125 percent through 200 percent of the poverty line; middle income, over 200 percent to 400 percent of the poverty line; and high income, over 400 percent of the poverty line.

*Relative standard error equal to or greater than 30 percent.

Note: These estimates are for a target population of approximately 271.3 million persons who were in the civilian noninstitutionalized population for all or part of 1997. Percents may not add to 100 because of rounding.

Source: Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 1997.

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