Description:
MEPS collects information about a select group of medical conditions that have been specified by the Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality as "priority conditions." These conditions, selected for their prevalence, expense, or relevance to policy, are:
hypertension,
heart disease,
stroke,
emphysema,
chronic bronchitis,
high cholesterol,
cancer,
arthritis,
asthma, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD), and diabetes. Diabetes information is collected through the Diabetes Care Survey (DCS), a supplement in the MEPS Household questionnaire, taken of those respondents who reported that they have been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is also identified by the condition code associated with medical events reported during a reference period. In addition to the tables below, person-level data files with diabetes variables can be downloaded for analysis.