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September 2015
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
(301) 427-1406
Table of Contents
A. Data Use Agreement
B. Background
1.0 Household Component
2.0 Medical Provider Component
3.0 Survey Management and Data Collection
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 (DUID-RURSLT53)
2.5.2 Navigating the MEPS Data with Information
on Person Disposition Status
2.5.3 Demographic Variables (AGE31X-DAPID53X)
2.5.4 Income and Tax Filing Variables (AFDC13-HIEUIDX)
2.5.4.1 Income Top-Coding
2.5.4.2 Poverty Status
2.5.5 Person-Level Condition Variables (RTHLTH31-ADHDAGED)
2.5.5.1 Perceived Health Status and Pregnancy Indicator
2.5.5.2 Priority Condition Variables (HIBPDX-ADHDAGED)
2.5.6 Health Status Variables (IADLHP31-DSPRX53)
2.5.6.1 IADL and ADL Limitations
2.5.6.2 Functional and Activity Limitations
2.5.6.3 Hearing, Vision Problems
2.5.6.4 Disability Status
2.5.6.5 Hearing Aid, Eyeglasses
2.5.6.6 Any Limitation Rounds 3 and 5 (Panel 17) / Rounds 1 and 3 (Panel 18)
2.5.6.7 Child Health and Preventive Care
2.5.6.8 Preventive Care Variables
2.5.6.9 2013 Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ)
2.5.6.10 Diabetes Care Survey (DCS)
2.5.7 Disability Days Indicator Variables (DDNWRK31-OTHNDD53)
2.5.8 Access to Care Variables (ACCELI42-PMDLPR42)
2.5.8.1 United States Residency
2.5.8.2 Family Members’ Origins and Preferred Languages
2.5.8.3 Family Members’ Usual Source of Health Care
2.5.8.4 Characteristics of Usual Source of Health Care Providers
2.5.8.5 Access to and Satisfaction with the Provider
2.5.8.6 Access to Medical Treatment, Dental Treatment, and Prescription Medicines
2.5.8.7 Editing the Access to Care Variables
2.5.8.8 Recoding of Additional Other Specify Text Items
2.5.9 Employment Variables (EMPST31-OFREMP53)
2.5.10 Health Insurance Variables (TRIJA13X-PMEDPP42)
2.5.10.1 Monthly Health Insurance Indicators (TRIJA13X-INSDE13X)
2.5.10.2 Summary Insurance Coverage Indicators (PRVEV13-INSURC13)
2.5.10.3 FY 2013 PUF Managed Care Variables (TRIST31X-PRDRNP42)
2.5.10.4 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAGT31-FSAAMT31)
2.5.10.5 Unedited Health Insurance Variables (PREVCOVR-INSENDYY)
2.5.10.6 Health Insurance Coverage Variables – At Any Time/At Interview Date/At 12-31 Variables (TRICR31X-STPRAT13)
2.5.10.7 Dental and Prescription Drug Private Insurance Variables (DENTIN31-PMDINS13)
2.5.10.8 Prescription Drug Usual Third Party Payer Variables (PMEDUP31-PMEDPP42)
2.5.10.9 Experiences with Public Plans Variables
2.5.11 Utilization, Expenditures, and Sources of Payment Variables (TOTTCH13-RXOSR13)
2.5.11.1 Expenditures Definition
2.5.11.2 Utilization and Expenditure Variables by Type of Medical Service
2.5.12 Changes in Variable List
2.6 Linking to Other Files
2.6.1 Event and Condition Files
2.6.2 National Health Interview Survey
2.6.3 Longitudinal Analysis
3.0 Survey Sample Information
3.1 Background on Sample Design and Response Rates
3.1.1 References
3.1.2 MEPS--Linked to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
3.1.3 Sample Weights and Variance Estimation
3.2 The MEPS Sampling Process and Response Rates: An Overview
3.2.1 Response Rates
3.2.2 Panel 18 Response Rates
3.2.3 Panel 17 Response Rates
3.2.4 Annual (Combined Panel) Response Rate
3.2.5 Oversampling
3.3 Person-Level Weight (PERWT13F)
3.3.1 Overview
3.3.2 Details on Person-Level Weights Construction
3.3.3 MEPS Panel 17 Weight Development Process
3.3.4 MEPS Panel 18 Weight Development Process
3.3.5 The Final Person-Level Weight for 2013
3.3.6 A Note on MEPS Population Estimates
3.4 Coverage
3.5 Background on Family-Level Estimation Using This MEPS Public Use File
3.5.1 Overview
3.5.2 Definition of “Family” for Estimation Purposes
3.5.3 Instructions to Create Family Estimates
3.5.4 Details on Family Weight Construction and Estimated Number of Families
3.6 Analysis Using Health Insurance Eligibility Units
3.7 Weights and Response Rates for the Self-Administered Questionnaire
3.8 Weights and Response Rates for the Diabetes Care Survey
3.9 Variance Estimation
3.10 Guidelines for Determining which Weight to Use for Analyses Involving Data/Variables from Multiple Sources and Supplements
3.11 Using MEPS Data for Trend Analysis
D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
Appendix 1: Summary of Utilization and Expenditure Variables
by Health Service Category
Individual identifiers have been removed from the
micro-data contained in these files. 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:
- No one is to use the data in this data set in any way except
for statistical reporting and analysis; and
- If the identity of any person or establishment should be
discovered inadvertently, then (a) no use will be made of this
knowledge, (b) the Director Office of Management AHRQ will be
advised of this incident, (c) the information that would
identify any individual or establishment will be safeguarded or
destroyed, as requested by AHRQ, and (d) no one else will be
informed of the discovered identity; and
- No one will attempt to link this data set with individually
identifiable records from any data sets other than the Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey or the National Health Interview
Survey.
By using these 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 Title 18 part 1
Chapter 47 Section 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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The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) provides
nationally representative estimates of health care use, expenditures, sources of
payment, and health insurance coverage for the U.S. civilian
noninstitutionalized population. The MEPS Household Component (HC) also provides
estimates of respondents’ health status, demographic and socio-economic
characteristics, employment, access to care, and satisfaction with health care.
Estimates can be produced for individuals, families, and selected population
subgroups. The panel design of the survey, which includes 5 Rounds of interviews
covering 2 full calendar years, provides data for examining person level changes
in selected variables such as expenditures, health insurance coverage, and
health status. Using computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) technology,
information about each household member is collected, and the survey builds on
this information from interview to interview. All data for a sampled household
are reported by a single household respondent.
The MEPS-HC was initiated in 1996. Each year a new
panel of sample households is selected. Because the data collected are
comparable to those from earlier medical expenditure surveys conducted in 1977
and 1987, it is possible to analyze long-term trends. Each annual MEPS-HC sample
size is about 15,000 households. Data can be analyzed at either the person or
event level. Data must be weighted to produce national
estimates.
The set of households selected for each panel of the
MEPS HC is a subsample of households participating in the previous year’s
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the National Center for
Health Statistics. The NHIS sampling frame provides a nationally representative
sample of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population and reflects an
oversample of Blacks and Hispanics. In 2006, the NHIS implemented a new sample
design, which included Asian persons in addition to households with Black and
Hispanic persons in the oversampling of minority populations. MEPS further
oversamples additional policy relevant sub-groups such as low income households.
The linkage of the MEPS to the previous year’s NHIS provides additional data for
longitudinal analytic purposes.
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Upon completion of the household CAPI interview and
obtaining permission from the household survey respondents, a sample of medical
providers are contacted by telephone to obtain information that household
respondents can not accurately provide. This part of the MEPS is called the
Medical Provider Component (MPC) and information is collected on dates of
visits, diagnosis and procedure codes, charges and payments. The Pharmacy
Component (PC), a subcomponent of the MPC, does not collect charges or diagnosis
and procedure codes but does collect drug detail information, including National
Drug Code (NDC) and medicine name, as well as date filled and sources and
amounts of payment. The MPC is not designed to yield national estimates. It is
primarily used as an imputation source to supplement/replace household reported
expenditure information.
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MEPS HC and MPC data are collected under the authority
of the Public Health Service Act. Data are collected under contract with Westat,
Inc. (MEPS HC) and Research Triangle Institute (MEPS MPC). Data sets and summary
statistics are edited and published in accordance with the confidentiality
provisions of the Public Health Service Act and the Privacy Act. The National
Center for Health statistics (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, micro data files, and tables via the MEPS Web site:
meps.ahrq.gov. Selected data can be
analyzed through MEPSnet, an on-line interactive tool designed to give data
users the capability to statistically analyze MEPS data in a menu-driven
environment.
Additional information on MEPS is available from the
MEPS project manager or the MEPS public use data manager at the Center for
Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850 (301-427-1406).
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This documentation describes the 2013 full-year
consolidated data file from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household
Component (MEPS HC). Released as an ASCII file (with related SAS, Stata, and
SPSS programming statements and data user information) and a SAS transport
dataset, this public use file provides information collected on a nationally
representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the
United States for calendar year 2013. The file contains 1,790 variables and has
a logical record length of 5,236 with an additional 2-byte carriage return/line
feed at the end of each record.
This file consists of MEPS survey data obtained in
Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 17 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 18, the rounds
for the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2013, and contains variables
pertaining to survey administration, demographics, income, person-level
conditions, health status, disability days, quality of care, employment, health
insurance, and person-level medical care use and expenditures.
The following documentation offers a brief overview of
the types and levels of data provided, content and structure of the files, and
programming information. It contains the following sections:
- Data File Information
- Survey Sample Information
- Variable-Source Crosswalk
Both weighted and unweighted frequencies of most
variables included in the 2013 full-year consolidated data file are provided in
the accompanying codebook file. The exceptions to this are weight variables and
variance estimation variables. Only unweighted frequencies of these variables
are included in the accompanying codebook file. See the Weights Variables list
in Section D, Variable-Source Crosswalk.
A database of all MEPS products released to date and a
variable locator indicating the major MEPS data items on public use files that
have been released to date can be found at the following link on the MEPS Web
site: meps.ahrq.gov.
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This public use dataset contains variables and
frequency distributions associated with 36,940 persons who participated in the
MEPS Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey in 2013. These
persons received a positive person-level weight, a family-level weight, or both
(some participating persons belonged to families characterized as family-level
nonrespondents while some members of participating families were not eligible
for a person-level weight).
These 36,940 persons were part of one of the two MEPS
panels for whom data were collected in 2013: Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 17 or
Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 18. Of these persons, 35,068
were assigned a positive person-level weight. There were 13,936 families
receiving a positive family-level weight. The codebook provides both weighted
and unweighted frequencies for most variables on the dataset. In conjunction
with the person-level weight variable (PERWT13F) provided on this file, data for
persons with a positive person-level weight can be used to make estimates for
the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population for 2013.
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The codebook and data file sequence lists variables in
the following order:
- Unique person identifiers and survey administration variables
- Geographic variables
- Demographic variables
- Income and tax filing variables
- Person-level priority condition variables
- Health status variables
- Disability days variables
- Access to care variables
- Employment variables
- Health insurance variables
- Utilization, expenditure, and source of payment variables
- Weight and variance estimation variables
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The following reserved code values are used:
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 INAPPLICABLE |
Question was not asked due to skip pattern |
| -2 DETERMINED IN
PREVIOUS ROUND |
Question was not asked in round because there was no change in current
main job since previous round |
| -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 >= $76.96 |
Hourly wage was top-coded for confidentiality |
| -13 INITIAL WAGE IMPUTED |
Hourly wage was previously imputed so an updated wage is not
included in this file |
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This codebook describes an ASCII data set and provides
the following programming identifiers for each variable:
| Identifier |
Description |
| Name |
Variable name (maximum of 8 characters) |
| Description |
Variable descriptor (maximum 40 characters) |
| Format |
Number of bytes |
| Type |
Type of data: numeric (indicated by NUM) or character (indicated by CHAR) |
| Start |
Beginning column position of variable in record |
| End |
Ending column position of variable in record |
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In general, variable names reflect the content of the
variable, with an eight-character limitation. Edited variables end in an X and
are so noted in the variable label. The last two characters in round-specific
variables denote the rounds of data collection, Round 3, 4, or 5 of Panel 17 and
Round 1, 2, or 3 of Panel 18. Unless otherwise noted, variables that end in “13”
represent status as of December 31, 2013.
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 “Section D.
Variable-Source Crosswalk.” Sources for each variable are indicated in one of
four ways: (1) variables derived from CAPI or assigned in sampling are so
indicated; (2) variables derived from complex algorithms associated with
reenumeration are labeled “RE Section”; (3) variables that are collected by one
or more specific questions in the instrument have those question numbers listed
in the Source column; and (4) variables constructed from multiple questions
using complex algorithms are labeled “Constructed.”
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Users of MEPS data should be aware that the survey
collects data for all sample persons who were in the survey target population at
any time during the survey period. In other words, a small proportion of
individuals in MEPS analytic files are not members of the survey target
population (i.e., civilian noninstitutionalized) for the entire survey period.
These persons include those who had periods during which they lived in an
institution (e.g., nursing home or prison), were in the military, or lived out
of the country, as well as those who were born (or adopted) into MEPS sample
households or died during the year. They are considered sample persons for the
survey and are included in MEPS data files with positive person weights, but no
data were collected for the periods they were not inscope and their annual data
for variables like health care utilization, expenditures, and insurance coverage
reflect only the part of the year they were inscope for the survey. Persons who
are inscope for only part of the year should not be confused with
non-respondents. Sample persons who are classified as non-respondents to one or
more rounds of data collection (i.e., initial non-respondents and drop-outs over
time) are not included in MEPS annual files, and survey weights for full-year
respondents are inflated through statistical adjustment procedures to compensate
for both full and part-year nonresponse (see Section 3.0 “Survey Sample
Information” for more information). For more details about the identification
and analytic considerations regarding sample persons who are inscope only part
of the year, see
meps.ahrq.gov/about_meps/hc_sample.shtml.
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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. They
describe data for Rounds 3/1, 4/2, 5/3 status and status as of December 31,
2013. Variable names ending in “xy” represent variables relevant to Round “x” of
Panel 17 or Round “y” of Panel 18. For example, RULETR53 is a variable relevant
to Round 5 of Panel 17 or Round 3 of Panel 18, depending on the panel in which
the person was included. The variable PANEL indicates the panel in which the
person participated.
The December 31, 2013 variables were developed in two
ways. Those used in the construction of eligibility, inscope, and the end
reference date were based on an exact date. The remaining variables were
constructed using data from specific rounds, if available. If data were missing
from the target round but were available in another round, data from that other
round were used in the variable construction. If no valid data were available
during any round of data collection, an appropriate reserved code was assigned.
Dwelling Units, Reporting Units, and Families
The definitions of Dwelling Units (DUs) in the MEPS
Household Survey are generally consistent with the definitions employed for the
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The Dwelling Unit ID (DUID) is a
five-digit random ID number assigned after the case was sampled for MEPS. A
person number (PID) uniquely identifies each person within the DU. The variable
DUPERSID is the combination of the variables DUID and PID.
PANEL is a constructed variable used to specify the
panel number for the person. PANEL will indicate either Panel 17 or Panel 18 for
each person on the file. Panel 17 is the panel that started in 2012, and Panel
18 is the panel that started in 2013.
A Reporting Unit (RU) is a person or group of persons
in the sampled DU who are related by blood, marriage, adoption, foster care, or
other family association. Each RU was 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 in the
pertinent three rounds by the round-specific variables RULETR31, RULETR42, and
RULETR53. End-of-year status (as of December 31, 2013 or the last round they
were in the survey) is indicated by the RULETR13 variable. Regardless of the
legal status of their association, two persons living together as a “family”
unit were treated as a single RU if they chose to be so identified.
Examples of different types of RUs are:
- A married daughter and her husband living with her parents
in the same DU constitute a single RU;
- A husband and wife and their unmarried daughter, age 18, who
is living away from home while at college constitute two RUs;
and
- Three unrelated persons living in the same DU would each
constitute a distinct RU (a total of three RUs).
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 Round 3/1 MEPS interview were treated as an
RU separate from that of their parents for the purpose of data collection.
The round-specific variables RUSIZE31, RUSIZE42,
RUSIZE53, and the end-of-year status variable RUSIZE13 indicate the number of
persons in each RU, treating students as single RUs separate from their parents.
Thus, students are not included in the RUSIZE count of their parents’ RU.
However, for many analytic objectives, the student RUs would be combined with
their parents’ RU, treating the combined entity as a single family. Family
identifier and size variables are described below and include students with
their parents’ RU.
The round-specific variables FAMID31, FAMID42,
FAMID53, and the end-of-year status variable FAMID13 identify a family (i.e.,
persons related to one another by blood, marriage, adoption, foster care, or
self-identified as a single unit) for each round and as of December 31, 2013.
The FAMID variables differ from the RULETR variables only in that student RUs
are combined with their parents’ RU.
Two other family identifiers, FAMIDYR and CPSFAMID,
are provided on this file. The annualized family ID letter, FAMIDYR, identifies
eligible members of the eligible annualized families within a DU. The CPSFAMID
represents a redefinition of MEPS families into families defined by the Current
Population Survey (CPS). Some of the distinctions between CPS-and MEPS-defined
families are that MEPS families include and CPS families do not include:
non-married partners, foster children, and in-laws. These persons are considered
as members of separate families for CPS-like families. CPS-like families are
defined so a poverty status classification variable consistent with established
definitions of poverty can be assigned to the CPS-like families and used for
weight poststratification purposes. In order to identify a person’s family
affiliation, users must create a unique set of FAMID variables by concatenating
the DU identifier and the FAMID variable. Instructions for creating family
estimates are described in Section 3.5.
The round-specific variables FAMSZE31, FAMSZE42,
FAMSZE53, and the end-of-year status variable FAMSZE13 indicate 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 FAMSZE variables.
Note that the variables RUSIZE31, RUSIZE42, RUSIZE53,
RUSIZE13, FAMSZE31, FAMSZE42, FAMSZE53, and FAMSZE13 exclude persons who are
ineligible for data collection (i.e., those where ELGRND31 NE 1, ELGRND42 NE 1,
ELGRND53 NE 1 or ELGRND13 NE 1); analysts should exclude ineligible persons in a
given round from all family-level analyses for that round.
The round-specific variables RURSLT31, RURSLT42, and
RURSLT53 indicate the RU response status for each round. Users should note that
the values for RURSLT31 differ from those for RURSLT42 and RURSLT53. The values
for RURSLT31 include the following:
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 |
Inapplicable |
| 60 |
Complete with RU member |
| 61 |
Complete with proxy--all RU members deceased |
| 62 |
Complete with proxy--all RU members institutionalized or deceased |
| 63 |
Complete with proxy--other |
| 72 |
RU institutionalized in prior round; Still institutionalized-R3 only |
| 80 |
Entire RU merged with other RU |
| 81 |
Entire RU deceased before 1/1/13 |
| 82 |
Entire RU is military before 1/1/13 |
| 83 |
Entire RU
institutionalized before 1/1/13 |
| 84 |
Entire RU left U.S.
before 1/1/13 |
| 85 |
Entire RU is
ineligible before 1/1/13; Multi-reason |
| 86 |
Entire RU is
ineligible; Non-Key NHIS study |
| 87 |
Reenumeration
complete; No eligible RU member; Ineligible RU |
| 88 |
Unavailable during
field period |
| 89 |
Too ill; No proxy |
| 90 |
Physically/Mentally
incompetent; No proxy |
| 91 |
Final Refusal |
| 92 |
Final Breakoff |
| 93 |
Unable to locate |
| 94 |
Entire RU is military or left U.S. after 1/1/13 |
| 95 |
Entire RU institutionalized after 1/1/13; No proxy |
| 96 |
Entire RU deceased after 1/1/13; No proxy |
| 97 |
Reenumeration complete; No RU member; Non-Response |
| 98 |
RU moved too far to interview |
| 99 |
Final other Non-Response |
The values for RURSLT42 and RURSLT53 include the
following:
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 |
Inapplicable |
| 60 |
Complete with RU member |
| 61 |
Complete with proxy--all RU members deceased |
| 62 |
Complete with proxy--all RU members institutionalized or deceased |
| 63 |
Complete with proxy--other |
| 70 |
Entire RU merged with other RU |
| 71 |
Reenumeration complete; No eligible RU member; Ineligible RU
|
| 72 |
RU institutionalized in prior round; Still institutionalized |
| 88 |
Unavailable during field period |
| 89 |
Too ill; No proxy |
| 90 |
Physically/Mentally incompetent; No proxy |
| 91 |
Final Refusal |
| 92 |
Final Breakoff |
| 93 |
Unable to locate |
| 94 |
Entire RU is military or left U.S. after 1/1/13 |
| 95 |
Entire RU institutionalized after 1/1/13; No proxy |
| 96 |
Entire RU deceased after 1/1/13; No proxy |
| 97 |
Reenumeration complete; No RU member; Non-Response |
| 98 |
RU moved too far to interview |
| 99 |
Final other Non-Response |
Standard or primary RUs are the original RUs from
NHIS. A new RU is one created when members of the household leave the primary RU
and are followed according to the rules of the survey. A student RU is an
unmarried college student (under 24 years of age) who 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 his or her parents’ RU
for the purpose of data collection. RUCLAS13 was set based on the RUCLAS values
from Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3. If the person was present in the responding RU in
Round 5/3, then RUCLAS13 was set to RUCLAS53. If the person was not present in a
responding RU in Round 5/3 but was present in Round 4/2, then RUCLAS13 was set
to RUCLAS42. If the person was not present in either Rounds 4/2 or 5/3 but was
present in Round 3/1, then RUCLAS13 was set to RUCLAS31. If the person was not
linked to a responding RU during any round, then RUCLAS13 was set to -9.
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Geographic Variables
The round-specific variables REGION31, REGION42,
REGION53, and the end-of-year status variable REGION13 indicate the Census
region for the RU. REGION13 indicates the region for the 2013 portion of Round
5/3. For most analyses, REGION13 should be used.
The values and states for each region include the following:
| Value |
Label |
States |
| 1 |
Northeast |
Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont |
| 2 |
Midwest |
Indiana, Illinois,
Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and
Wisconsin |
| 3 |
South |
Alabama, Arkansas,
Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West
Virginia |
| 4 |
West |
Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington,
and Wyoming |
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 BEGRFM31, BEGRFY31, BEGRFM42, BEGRFY42, BEGRFM53, and
BEGRFY53. The reference period for Round 1 for most persons began on January 1,
2013 and ended on the date of the Round 1 interview. For RU members who joined
later in Round 1, the beginning Round 1 reference date was the date the person
entered the RU. For all subsequent rounds, 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 to the day they
joined the RU.
The round-specific ending reference period dates for
Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3 as well as the end-of-year reference period end date
variables are also included for each person. These variables include ENDRFM31,
ENDRFY31, ENDRFM42, ENDRFY42, ENDRFM53, ENDRFY53, ENDRFM13, and ENDRFY13. For
most persons in the sample, the date of the round’s interview is the reference
period end date. Note that the end date of the reference period for a person is
prior to the date of the interview if the person was deceased during the round,
left the RU, was institutionalized prior to that round’s interview, or left the
RU to join the military.
Please note that in prior years the day of the date
variables were included. Starting with the FY 2013 Consolidated data file, for
confidentiality reasons, the day variables are no longer included.
Reference Person Identifiers
The round-specific variables REFPRS31, REFPRS42, and
REFPRS53 and the end-of-year status variable REFPRS13 identify the reference
person for Rounds 3/1, 4/2 and 5/3, and as of December 31, 2013 (or the last
round they were in the survey). 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 is unable to identify a person fitting
this definition, the questionnaire asks for the head of household and this
person is then considered the reference person for that RU. This information is
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 variables
RESP31, RESP42, and RESP53 and the end-of-year status variable RESP13 identify
the respondent for Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3 and as of December 31, 2013 (or the
last round they were in the survey). 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 round-specific variables
PROXY31, PROXY42, and PROXY53 and the end-of-year status variable PROXY13
identify the type of respondent for Rounds 3/1, 4/2, 5/3 and as of December 31,
2013 (or the last round they were in the survey).
Language of Interview
The language of interview variable (INTVLANG) is a
summary value of the round-specific RU-level information section question,
(RS02), which asks the interviewer to record the language in which the interview
was completed: English, Spanish, Both English and Spanish, Other Language. Given
the first round that the person was part of the study and the person’s
associated RU for that round, INTVLANG is assigned the interview language value
reported for the person’s RU for the round.
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,
INSCOP31, INSCOP42, INSCOP53, INSCOP13, INSC1231, INSCOPE, ELGRND31, ELGRND42,
ELGRND53, ELGRND13, PSTATS31, PSTATS42, and PSTATS53. 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 RU was classified as “Key” or “Non-Key”,
“in-scope” or “out-of-scope”, and “eligible” or “ineligible” for MEPS data
collection. To be included in the set of persons used in the derivation of MEPS
person-level estimates, a person had to be a member of the civilian
noninstitutionalized population for at least one day during 2013. Because a
person’s eligibility for the survey might have changed since the NHIS interview,
a sampling reenumeration of household membership was conducted at the start of
each round’s interview. Only persons who were “inscope” sometime during the
year, were “Key”, and responded for the full period in which they were inscope
were assigned positive person-level weights and thus are to be used in the
derivation of person-level national estimates from the MEPS.
Note: If analysts want to subset to infants born
during 2013, then newborns should be identified using AGE13X = 0 rather than
PSTATSxy = 51.
Inscope
The round-specific variables INSCOP31, INSCOP42, and
INSCOP53 indicate a person’s in-scope status for Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3.
INSCOP13, INSC1231, and INSCOPE indicate a person’s in-scope status for the
portion of Round 5/3 that covers 2013, the person’s in-scope status as of
12/31/13, and whether a person was ever in-scope during the calendar year 2013.
A person was considered as in-scope during a round or a referenced time period
if he or she was a member of the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population
at some time during that round or that time period. The values of these
variables taken in conjunction allow one to determine in-scope status over time
(for example, becoming inscope in the middle of a round, as would be the case
for newborns). These variables may contain the following values and
corresponding labels:
| Value |
Definition |
| 0 |
Incorrectly listed, or on NHIS roster but out-of-scope prior to January
1, 2013 |
| 1 |
Person is inscope for the whole reference period |
| 2 |
Person is inscope at the start of the RU reference period, but not at
the end of the RU reference period |
| 3 |
Person is not inscope
at the start of RU reference period, but is
inscope at the end of the RU reference period.
(For example, the person is inscope from the
date the person joined the RU or the person was
in the military in the previous round, but is no
longer in the military in the current round) |
| 4 |
Person is inscope
during the reference period, but neither at the
reference start date nor on the reference end
date. (For example, person leaves an
institution, goes into community, and then dies) |
| 5 |
Person is out-of-scope
for all of the reference period during which he
or she is an RU member. (For example, the person
is in the military) |
| 6 |
Person is out-of-scope
for the entire reference period and is not a
member of the RU during this time period and was
inscope and an RU member in an earlier round |
| 7 |
Person is not in an
RU, joined in a later round (or joined the RU
after December 31, 2013 for INSCOP13) |
| 8 |
RU Non-response and
Key persons who left an RU with no tracing info
and so a new RU was not formed |
| 9 |
Person is not a member
of an RU during this time period, and was an RU
member in an earlier round |
Return To Table Of Contents
Keyness
The term “Keyness” is related to an individual’s
chance of being included in MEPS. 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 was either a member of a responding NHIS
household at the time of interview, or joined a family associated with such a
household after being out-of-scope at the time of the NHIS (examples of the
latter situation include newborns and those returning from military service, an
institution, or residence in a foreign country).
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 expenditures) 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 sample person-level weights and
thus do not contribute to person-level national estimates.
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 might be Key
even though not part of the civilian, noninstitutionalized 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 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 inscope during 2013.
Eligibility
The eligibility of a person for MEPS pertains to
whether or not data were to be collected for that person. All of the Key
in-scope persons of a sampled RU were eligible for data collection. The only
non-Key persons eligible for data collection were those who happened to be
living in an RU with at least one Key, in-scope person. Their eligibility
continued only for the time that they were living with at least one such person.
The only out-of-scope persons eligible for data collection were those who were
living with Key in-scope persons, again only for the time they were living with
such a person. Only military persons can meet this description (for example, a
person on full-time active duty military, living with a spouse who is Key).
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 (for example, persons may have been institutionalized during a round),
data were collected for the period of time for which that person was classified
as eligible. The round-specific variables ELGRND31, ELGRND42, ELGRND53 and the
end-of-year status variable ELGRND13 indicate a person’s eligibility status for
Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3 and as of December 31, 2013.
Person Disposition Status
The round-specific variables PSTATS31, PSTATS42, and
PSTATS53 indicate a person’s response and eligibility status for each round of
interviewing. The PSTATSxy variables indicate the reasons for either continuing
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, institutionalized, or who were in the military. Analysts should note that
PSTATS53 provides a summary for all of Round 5/3, including transitions that
occurred after 2013. Note that some categories may be collapsed for
confidentiality purposes.
The following codes specify the value labels for the PSTATSxy variables.
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 |
The person was not fielded during the round or the RU was
non-response |
| 0 |
Incorrectly listed in
RU at NHIS - applies to MEPS Round 1 only |
| 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 |
Full-time student
living away from home, but associated with sampled RU |
| 14 |
The person is
full-time active military duty during round, is
inscope for part of the reference period and is
in the RU at the end of the reference period |
| 21 |
The person remains in
a health care institution for the whole round -
Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
| 22 |
The person leaves an
institution (health care or non-health care) and
rejoins the community - Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
| 23 |
The person leaves an
institution and dies – Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
| 24 |
The person dies in a
health care institution during the round (former
RU member) - Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
| 31 |
Person from original RU, dies during reference period |
| 32 |
Went to health care institution during reference period |
| 33 |
Went to non-healthcare institution during reference period |
| 34 |
Moved from original RU, outside U.S. (not as student) |
| 35 |
Moved from original RU, to a military facility while on full-time
active military duty |
| 36 |
Went to institution
(type unknown) during reference period |
| 41 |
Moved from the
original RU, to new RU within U.S. (new RUs
include RUs originally classified as “Student
RU” but which converted to “New RU”) |
| 42 |
The person joins RU
and is not full-time military during round |
| 43 |
The person’s
disposition as to why the person is not in the
RU is unknown or the person moves and it is
unknown whether the person moved inside or
outside the U.S. |
| 44 |
The person leaves an
RU and joins an existing RU and is not both in
the military and coded as inscope during the round |
| 51 |
Newborn in reference period |
| 61 |
Died prior to
reference period (not eligible)-Round 3/1 only |
| 62 |
Institutionalized prior to reference period (not eligible)-Round
3/1 only |
| 63 |
Moved outside U.S., prior to reference period (not eligible)-Round
3/1 only |
| 64 |
Full-time military,
living on a military facility, moved prior to
reference period (not eligible)-Round 3/1 only |
| 71 |
Student under 24 living away at school in grades 1-12 (Non-Key) |
| 72 |
Person is dropped from
the RU roster as ineligible: the person is a
non-Key student living away or the person is not
related to reference person or the RU is the
person’s residence only during the school year |
| 73 |
Not Key and not full-time military, moved without someone Key
and in-scope (not eligible) |
| 74 |
Moved as full-time military but not to a military facility and
without someone Key and in-scope (not eligible
this round) |
| 81 |
Person moved from original RU, full-time student living away from
home, did not respond |
Return To Table Of Contents
Since the variables PSTATS31, PSTATS42, and PSTATS53
indicate the reasons for either continuing or terminating data collection for
each person in MEPS, these variables can be used to explain the beginning and
ending dates for each individual’s reference period of data collection, as well
as which sections in the instrument each individual did not receive. By using
the information included in the following table, analysts will be able to
determine for each individual which sections of the MEPS questionnaire collected
data elements for that person.
Some individuals have a reference period that spans an
entire round, while other individuals may have data collected only for a portion
of the round. When an individual’s reference period does not coincide with the
RU reference period, the individual’s start date may be a later date, or the end
date may be an earlier date, or both. In addition, some individuals have
reference period information coded as “Inapplicable” (e.g., for individuals who
were not actually in the household). The information in this table indicates the
beginning and ending dates of reference periods for persons with various values
of PSTATS31, PSTATS42, and PSTATS53. The actual dates for each individual can be
found in the following variables included on this file: BEGRFM31, BEGRFM42,
BEGRFM53, BEGRFY31, BEGRFY42, BEGRFY53, ENDRFM31, ENDRFM42, ENDRFM53, ENDRFY31,
ENDRFY42, ENDRFY53, ENDRFM13, and ENDRFY13.
The table below also describes the section or sections
of the questionnaire that were NOT asked for each value of PSTATS31,
PSTATS42, and PSTATS53. For example, the Condition Enumeration (CE) and
Preventive Care (AP) sections have questions that are not asked for deceased
persons. The Closing (CL) section also contains some questions or question
rosters (see CL07A, CL35 through CL37, CL48 through CL50, CL54, CL58, and CL64)
that exclude certain persons depending on whether the person died, became
institutionalized, or otherwise left the RU; however, no one is considered to
have skipped the entire section. Some questions or sections (e.g., Health Status
(HE), Employment (RJ, EM, EW)) are skipped if individuals are not within a
certain age range. Since the PSTATS variables do not address skip patterns based
on age, analysts will need to use the appropriate age variables.
The paper-and-pencil Self-Administered Questionnaire
(SAQ) was designed to collect information based on two age categories during
Panel 18 Round 2 and Panel 17 Round 4. A person was considered eligible to
receive an SAQ if that person did not have a status of deceased or
institutionalized, did not move out of the U.S. or to a military facility, was
not a non-response at the time of the Round 2 or Round 4 interview date, and was
18 years of age or older. No RU members added in Round 3 or Round 5 were asked
to complete an SAQ questionnaire. Because PSTATS variables do not address skip
patterns based on age, this questionnaire was not included in the table below.
Once again, analysts will need to use the appropriate age variable which in this
case would be AGE42X. The documentation for this questionnaire appears in the
SAQ section of this document under “Health Status Variables.”
Please note that the end reference date shown below
for PSTATS53 reflects the Round 5/3 reference period rather than the portion of
Round 5/3 that occurred during 2013.
| PSTATS Value |
PSTATS Description |
Sections in the instrument which persons with this PSTATS value do NOT receive |
Begin Reference Date |
End Reference Date |
| -1 |
The person was not fielded during the round or the RU was non-response |
ALL sections |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 0 |
Incorrectly listed in RU at NHIS - Round 1 only |
ALL sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 11 |
Person in original household, not FT active military duty (Person is in the same RU as the previous round) |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview date |
Interview date |
| 12 |
Person in original household, FT active military duty, out-of-scope
for whole reference period. |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview date |
Interview date |
| 13 |
FT student living away from home, but associated with sampled household |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview date |
Interview date |
| 14 |
The person is FT 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 |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview date |
PSTATS31: Interview date PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: If the person is
living w/ someone Key and in-scope, then the
interview date. If not living w/ someone who is
Key and inscope, then the date the person joined
the military |
| 21 |
The person remains in a health care institution for the whole round - Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 22 |
The person leaves a health care institution and rejoins the
community - Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
-- |
Date rejoined the community |
Interview date |
| 23 |
The person leaves a health care institution, goes into community and
then dies - Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
PE - Priority Conditions Enumeration
Part of CE - Condition Enumeration: Skip CE1 to CE5
HE - Health Status AC - Access to Care Part of AP - Preventive Care: Skip AP12 to AP22 |
Date rejoined the community |
Date of Death |
| 24 |
The person dies in a
health care institution during the round (former
household member) - Rounds 4/2 and 5/3 only |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 31 |
Person from original household, dies during reference period |
PE - Priority Conditions Enumeration
Part of CE - Condition Enumeration: Skip CE1 to CE5
HE - Health Status AC - Access to Care Part of
AP - Preventive Care: Skip AP12 to AP22 |
PSTATS31: January 1,
2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Date of Death |
| 32 |
Went to healthcare institution during reference period |
Access to Care (AC) |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Date institutionalized |
| 33 |
Went to non-healthcare institution during reference period |
Access to Care (AC) |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Date institutionalized |
| 34 |
Moved from original household, outside US |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Date left the RU |
| 35 |
Moved from original household, to a military facility while on FT
active military duty |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Date left the RU |
| 36 |
Went to institution (type unknown) during reference period |
Access to Care (AC) |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Date institutionalized |
| 41 |
Moved from the original household, to new household within US
(new households include RUs originally
classified as a student RU but which converted
to a new RU; these are individuals in an RU that
has split from an RU since the previous round) |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Interview date |
| 42 |
The person joins household and is not full-time military during round |
-- |
The later date of January 1, 2013 and the date the person joined
the RU |
Interview date |
| 43 |
The person’s disposition as to why the person is not in the
RU is unknown or the person moves and it is
unknown whether the person moved inside or
outside the U.S. |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 44 |
The person leaves an RU and joins an existing RU and is not both in
the military and coded as inscope during the round |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date of the RU the person has joined.
This may not be the interview date of the RU
that the person came from |
Interview date |
| 51 |
Newborn in reference period |
Questions where age must be > 1
Health Status (HE) Disability Days (DD) Employment (RJ/EM/EW) |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 if born prior to 2013. The date of birth if
born in 2013.
PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: The later of the prior
round interview date and date of birth |
Interview date |
| 61 |
Died prior to reference period (not eligible)--Round 3/1 only |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 62 |
Institutionalized prior to reference period (not eligible)--Round 3/1 only |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 63 |
Moved outside U.S., prior to reference period (not eligible)--Round
3/1 only |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 64 |
FT military, moved prior to reference period (not eligible)--Round
3/1 only |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 71 |
Student under 24 living away at school in grades 1 through 12
(Non-Key) |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2013 PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round
interview date |
Interview date |
| 72 |
Person is dropped from the RU roster as ineligible:
the person is a Non-Key student living away
or the person is not related to reference person
or the RU is the person’s residence only during
the school year |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 73 |
Not Key and not full-time military, moved w/o someone Key and
inscope (not eligible) |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 74 |
Moved as full-time military but not to a military facility and w/o
someone Key and in-scope (not eligible) |
All sections after RE |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
| 81 |
Person moved from original household, FT student living away from
home, did not respond |
No data were collected |
Inapplicable |
Inapplicable |
Return To Table Of Contents
General Information
Demographic variables provide information about the
demographic characteristics of each person from the MEPS-HC. The characteristics
include age, sex, race, ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, and
military service. As noted below, some variables have edited and imputed values.
Most demographic variables on this file were asked during every round of the
MEPS interview. These variables describe data for Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 17
(the panel that started in 2012); Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of Panel 18 (the panel that
started in 2013); and status as of December 31, 2013. Demographic variables that
are round-specific are identified by names including numbers “xy”, where x and y
refer to Round numbers of Panel 17 and Panel 18 respectively. Thus, for example,
AGE31X represents the age data relevant to Round 3 of Panel 17 or Round 1 of
Panel 18. As mentioned in Section 2.5.1 “Survey Administration Variables”, the
variable PANEL indicates the panel from which the data were derived. A value of
17 indicates Panel 17 data and a value of 18 indicates Panel 18 data. The
remaining demographic variables on this file are not round-specific.
The variables describing demographic status of the
person as of December 31, 2013 were developed in two ways. First, the age
variable (AGE13X) represents the exact age, calculated from date of birth and
indicates age status as of 12/31/13. For the remaining December 31st
variables [i.e., related to marital status (MARRY13X, SPOUID13, SPOUIN13),
student status (FTSTU13X), and the relationship to reference persons
(REFRL13X)], the following algorithm was used: data were taken from Round 5/3
counterpart if non-missing; else, if missing, data were taken from the Round 4/2
counterpart; else from the Round 3/1 counterpart. If no valid data were
available during any of these rounds of data collection, the algorithm assigned
the missing value (other than -1 “Inapplicable”) from the first round that the
person was part of the study. When all three rounds were set to –1, a value of
–9 “Not Ascertained” was assigned.
Age
Date of birth and age for each RU member were asked or
verified during each MEPS interview (DOBMM, DOBYY, AGE31X, AGE42X, AGE53X). 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 variables AGE31X, AGE42X, AGE53X, AGE13X, and
AGELAST were top-coded at 85 years.
When date of birth was not provided but age was
provided (either from the MEPS interviews or the 2011-2012 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:
- the mean age difference between MEPS participants
with certain family relationships (where available) or
- the mean age value for MEPS participants.
For example, a mother’s age is imputed as her child’s
age plus 26, where 26 is the mean age difference between MEPS mothers and their
children. A wife’s age is imputed as the husband’s age minus 3, where 3 is the
mean age difference between MEPS wives and husbands.
Age was imputed in this way for 26 persons on this
file. Age was determined for 75 additional persons from data in a later round.
AGELAST indicates a person’s age from the last time
the person was eligible for data collection during a specific calendar year. The
age range for this variable is between 0 and 85.
Sex
Data on the gender of each RU member (SEX) were
initially determined from the 2011 NHIS for Panel 17 and from the 2012 NHIS for
Panel 18. The SEX variable 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 interviews) were also obtained during each MEPS
Round. When gender of the RU member was not available from the NHIS interviews
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 gender
if obvious (no cases were resolved in this way). If the person’s first name
provided no indication of gender, then family relationships were reviewed (no
cases were resolved this way). If neither of these approaches made it possible
to determine the individual’s gender, gender was randomly assigned (no cases
were resolved this way).
Race and Ethnicity Group
The race and the ethnic background questions were
asked for each RU member during the MEPS interview. If the information was not
obtained in Round 1, the questions were asked in subsequent rounds. It should be
noted that race/ethnicity questions in the MEPS were revised starting with data
collection in 2012 for Panel 16 Round 5, Panel 17 Round 3, and Panel 18 Round 1.
The main change for race is that there is only one race question starting in
2012; previously there were two questions. All Asian categories listed in the
second question, RE101B, were moved to one question, RE101A. In addition, the
new race question had additional detail for the Native Hawaiian and Other
Pacific Islander categories. The main change for ethnicity is that the new
questions allowed respondents to report more than one Hispanic ethnicity.
Race/ethnicity data from earlier years may not be directly comparable. The
following table shows the variables used for FY 2002-2011 and FY 2012-2013, with
these exceptions: 1) in FY 2012, RACEV1X categories 4 and 5 were not combined
but are combined in 2013, and 2) RACEV2X and HISPNCAT were first introduced in
2013. See a detailed description below.
MEPS Race and Ethnicity Variables, by Years, 2002 to Present
| FY PUFS 2002–2011 |
FY PUFS 2012–2013 |
| RACE |
| |
RACEVER (for both old and new questions)
1 Old race questions
2 New race questions
|
RACEX
1 White – No other race reported
2 Black – No other race reported
3 American Indian/Alaska Native – No other race reported
4 Asian – No other race reported
5 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – No other race reported
6 Multiple races reported
|
RACEV1X (for both old and new questions)
1 White – No other race reported
2 Black – No other race reported
3 American Indian/Alaska Native – No other race reported
4 Asian/Natv Hawaiian/Pacfc Isl – No Oth
5 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – No other race reported (only in 2012, not in 2013)
6 Multiple races reported
|
RACEV2X (new in 2013, for only new question)
1 White – No other race reported
2 Black – No other race reported
3 American Indian/Alaska Native – No other race reported
4 Asian Indian – No other race reported
5 Chinese – No other race reported
6 Filipino – No other race reported
10 Other Asian/Natv Hawaiian/Pacfc Isl-No Oth
12 Multiple races reported
-1 Inapplicable (new question was not asked)
|
RACETHNX
1 Person is Hispanic
2 Person is Black – No other race reported/Not Hispanic
3 Person is Asian – No other race reported/Not Hispanic
4 Other race/Not Hispanic
|
RACETHX (for both old and new questions)
1 Hispanic
2 Non-Hispanic White only
3 Non-Hispanic Black only
4 Non-Hispanic Asian only
5 Non-Hispanic Other race or multi-race
|
RACEAX
1 Asian – No other race reported
2 Asian – Other race(s) reported
3 All other race assignments
|
RACEAX (for both old and new questions)
1 Asian – No other race reported
2 Asian – Other race(s) reported
3 All other race assignments
|
RACEBX
1 Black – No other race reported
2 Black – Other race(s) reported
3 All other race assignments
|
RACEBX (for both old and new questions)
1 Black – No other race reported
2 Black – Other race(s) reported
3 All other race assignments
|
RACEWX
1 White – No other race reported
2 White – Other race(s) reported
3 All other race assignments
|
RACEWX (for both old and new questions)
1 White – No other race reported
2 White – Other race(s) reported
3 All other race assignments
|
| ETHNICITY |
HISPANX
1 Hispanic
2 Not Hispanic
|
HISPANX (for both old and new questions)
1 Hispanic
2 Not Hispanic
|
HISPCAT
1 Puerto Rican
2 Cuban/Cuban American
3 Dominican
4 Mexican/Mexican American
5 Central or South American
6 Non-Hispanic
91 Other Latin American
92 Other Hispanic/ Latino
|
HISPCAT (for only old questions)
1 Puerto Rican
2 Cuban/Cuban American
3 Dominican
4 Mexican/Mexican American
5 Central or South American
6 Non-Hispanic
91 Other Latin American
92 Other Hispanic/ Latino
-1 Inapplicable (old question was not asked)
|
HISPNCAT (new in 2013, for only new question)
1 Mexican/Mexican American/Chicano – No other Hispanic reported
2 Puerto Rican – No other Hispanic reported
3 Cuban/Cuban American – No other Hispanic reported
4 Dominican – No other Hispanic reported
5 Central or South American – No other Hispanic reported
6 Oth Lat Am/Hisp/Latino/Spnsh orgn – No other Hispanic reported
8 Multiple Hispanic groups reported
9 Non-Hispanic
-1 Inapplicable (new question was not asked)
|
Race and ethnicity variables and their values for
years prior to 2002 are available in the documentation for the FY Consolidated
PUF for each data year.
Values for these variables were obtained based on the
following priority order. If available, data collected were used to determine
race and ethnicity. If race and/or ethnicity were not reported in the interview,
then data obtained from the originally collected NHIS data were used. If still
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 (this approach was used on 27 persons to
set race and 23 persons to set ethnicity).
For the FY12 and FY13 PUFs, three new race variables
were constructed for both the old and the new questions: RACEVER, RACEV1X, and
RACETHX. The new variable, RACEVER, was constructed to indicate which race
version questions were asked. In 2013, the old questions were asked for Panel 17
Rounds 1 and 2, and the new questions were asked for Panel 17 Rounds 3 to 5 and
Panel 18 Rounds 1 to 3. RACEVER will be included in only the 2012 and 2013 FY
PUFs. The variables RACEV1X and RACETHX replace the variables RACEX and RACETHNX
from 2002-2011. A new race variable, RACEV2X, was constructed only for the new
race question and was added for the first time to the 2013 files. This variable
includes the expanded detail Asian categories. Contrary to RACEV1X, a person
with multiple Asian races selected will be considered multiple races for
RACEV2X. RACEV2X was set to ‘-1’ “Inapplicable” for persons that were not asked
the new race question. The other specific race categories RACEAX, RACEBX, and
RACEWX continue in 2013.
For the FY 12 and FY13 PUFs, the two Hispanic
ethnicity variables from previous years are included: HISPANX and HISPCAT. The
HISPANX variable includes information from both the old and new questions. The
HISPCAT variable includes categories for specific Hispanic categories based only
on the old question. A new ethnicity variable, HISPNCAT, based on the new
question, was introduced starting with 2013. HISPNCAT includes similar
categories as HISPCAT but in a different order, and contains an additional
category, ‘8’ “Multiple Hispanic Groups Reported”, to represent any multiple
responses reported. HISPNCAT was set to ‘-1’ “Inapplicable” for persons that
were not asked the new ethnicity question.
Please note that, for the 2013 Use file, categories
have been collapsed in the variables RAVEV1X, RACEV2X and HISPNCAT. For RACEV1X,
categories ‘4’ and ‘5’ were collapsed in category ‘4’ as “ASIAN/NATV
HAWAIIAN/PACFC ISL-NO OTH”. For RACEV2X, categories ‘7’, ‘8’, ‘9’, ‘10’, and
‘11’ were collapsed in category ‘10’ as “OTH ASIAN/NATV HAWAIIAN/PACFC ISL-NO
OTH,” and for HISPNCAT, categories ‘6’ and ‘7’ were collapsed in category ‘6’ as
“OTH LAT AM/HISP/LATINO/SPNSH ORGN-NO OTH”.
Return To Table Of Contents
Language and English Proficiency
Starting in 2013, three questions were added to the
Demographic section to ascertain how well a person speaks English; they replaced
the preferred language questions that had been asked in the Access to Care
section in Rounds 2 and 4 from 2002 to 2012. Please see the Access to Care
section, 2.5.7, for information about the previous questions and their
variables.
All households were first asked whether anyone age 5
and above in their family spoke a language other than English at home (RE102,
OTHLANG). If the response to OTHLANG was ‘yes’, LANGSPK (RE102A) indicates
whether a person spoke Spanish or some other language at home. HWELLSPE (RE102B)
indicates how well a person who lives in a family where someone speaks some
other language at home, speaks English.
These questions were asked of everyone in Panel 18
Round 1, except deceased and institutionalized persons. OTHLANG was also asked
of new persons in Panel 18 Rounds 2 and 3, and if they reported speaking a
language other than English at home, they were asked what language they speak at
home and how well they speak English. However, OTHLANG and LANGSPK were set to
-1 “Inapplicable” for any new persons in Panel 18 Rounds 2 and 3, and HWELLSPE
was set to the appropriate value. The three language variables were set to -1
for persons in Panel 17.
As mentioned in the Access to Care section, for
persons in Panel 17, the 2012 Round 2 Access to Care variables LANGHM42,
ENGCMF42, ENGSPK42 were brought forward to the FY 2013 file and have a value of
-1 “Inapplicable” for anyone not in Panel 17 Round 2, and everyone in Panel 18.
Foreign Born Status
Starting in FY 2013, three foreign born questions were
asked in the Demographic section to ascertain whether a person was born in the
U.S. (RE102C), what year they came to the U.S. (RE102D) if not born in the U.S.,
and years lived in the U.S. (RE102E) if the response to RE102D was ‘Don’t Know’.
They replaced similar questions that had been asked in the Access to Care
section. Please see the Access to Care section, 2.5.7, for information about the
previous questions and their variables.
The three foreign born questions were only asked once
for each eligible person, that is, the first round the person was interviewed.
These new questions were asked of everyone in Panel 18, except deceased and
institutionalized persons. The data from RE102D and RE102E were used to
calculate the number of years a person has lived in the U.S. for the constructed
variable, YRSINUS. The data from RE102C are reported as the constructed variable
BORNUSA. The new variables were set to -1 “Inapplicable” for persons in Panel
17.
As mentioned in the Access to Care section, for
persons in Panel 17, the 2012 Round 2 Access to Care variable USBORN42 was
brought forward to the FY 2013 file and has a value of -1 for anyone not in
Panel 17 Round 2, and everyone in Panel 18. USLIVE42, was also brought forward
from the 2012 Access to Care variables but, for confidentiality, was converted
to a categorical format and renamed LIVEUS42 to provide the number of years a
person has lived in the U.S. LIVEUS42 has a value of -1 for anyone not in Panel
17 Round 2, and everyone in Panel 18.
Marital Status and Spouse ID
Current marital status was collected and/or updated
during every round of the MEPS interview. This information was obtained in RE13
and RE97 and is reported as MARRY31X, MARRY42X, MARRY53X, and MARRY13X. Persons
under the age of 16 were coded as 6 “Under 16 – Inapplicable”. If marital status
of a specified round differed from that of the previous round, then the marital
status of the specified round was edited to reflect a change during the round
(e.g., married in round, divorced in round, separated in round, or widowed in
round).
In instances where there were discrepancies between
the marital statuses of two individuals within a family, other person-level
variables were reviewed to determine the edited marital status for each
individual. Thus, 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”.
Edits were performed to ensure some consistency across
rounds. 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. Since marital status can change across rounds
and it was not feasible to edit every combination of values across rounds,
unlikely sequences for marital status across the round-specific variables do
exist.
The person identifier for each individual’s spouse is
reported in SPOUID31, SPOUID42, SPOUID53, and SPOUID13. These are the PIDs
(within each family) of the person identified as the spouse during Round 3/1,
Round 4/2, and Round 5/3 and as of December 31, 2013, respectively. 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 SPOUIN31, SPOUIN42, SPOUIN53, and SPOUIN13
variables indicate whether a person’s spouse was present in the RU during Round
3/1, Round 4/2, Round 5/3 and as of December 31, 2013 respectively. If the
person had no spouse in the household, the value was coded as 2 “Not Married/No
Spouse”. For persons under the age of 16 the value was coded as 3 “Under 16 – Inapplicable”.
The SPOUID and SPOUIN variables were obtained from
RE76A, 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 SPOUID and SPOUIN 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 SPOUIN and SPOUID 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.
- Discrepancies that cannot be explained for either of the previous reasons.
Student Status and Educational Attainment
The variables FTSTU31X, FTSTU42X, FTSTU53X, and
FTSTU13X indicate whether the person was a full-time student at the interview
date (or 12/31/13 for FTSTU13X). These variables have valid values for all
persons between the ages of 17 - 23 inclusive. When this question was asked
during Round 1 of Panel 18, it was based on age as of the 2012 NHIS interview
date.
Information on the highest level of school completed
or the highest degree received was obtained from question RE103. This question
was asked in the round a person was first interviewed during MEPS. In FY 2012,
the education variable EDUYRDEG was provided with more detailed level of
education. For confidentiality reasons, in FY 2013, the education information is
to be provided in less detailed level in the new variable EDUYRDG. In FY 2012,
categories 0 (less than first grade) to 8 (8th grade), categories 9
(9th grade) to 12 (12th grade, no diploma) and categories
19 (master’s degree) to 21 (doctorate degree) were not combined. In FY 2013,
these categories were combined in more general categories: 1 (less than/equal to
8th grade), 2 (9-12th grade, no high school diploma) and 9
(master’s, professional, or doctoral degree) respectively in EDUYRDG. The
remaining categories that were not collapsed were renumbered so the values for
this variable are sequential. The user should note that EDUYRDG is an unedited
variable and minimal data cleaning was performed on this variable.
As in FY 2012, the recoded variable EDRECODE was
edited using corresponding NHIS education data for a small subset of persons
(491) in Panel 18 who reported education grades of 11 or 12 (NO HS DIPLOMA OR
GED). The EDRECODE values of only these 491 persons were edited as assigned a
category of 13 (GED OR HS GRAD) to improve consistency between the education
data from the old and new education questions. As in FY 2012, education levels
reported over the Bachelor’s degree have been collapsed in category 16
(MASTER’S, DOCTORATE, OR PROFESSIONAL DEG). Starting with the FY 2013
Consolidated file, due to too much detail reported for grades 1 to 12, these
categories have then been collapsed into more general categories. EDRECODE was
assigned a value of 1 (LESS THAN/EQUAL TO 8TH GRADE) for categories between 0
(LESS THAN 1ST GRADE) and 8 (8TH GRADE), and was assigned a value of 2 (9-12TH
GRADE, NO HS DIPLOMA OR GED) for categories between 9 (9TH GRADE) and 12 (12TH
GRADE, NO HS DIPLOMA OR GED).
Military Service and Honorable Discharge
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 variables ACTDTY31, ACTDTY42,
and ACTDTY53. 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”.
Persons who have been honorably discharged from active
duty in the Armed Forces are identified by HONRDC31, HONRDC42, and HONRDC53.
Those 16 years of age and under are coded as 3 “16 or Younger – Inapplicable”, and those over 16 and currently serving on full-time active duty in the military
are coded as 4 “Now Active Duty”.
Relationship to the Reference Person within Reporting
Units
For each Reporting Unit (RU), the person who owns or
rents the DU is usually defined as the reference person. For student RUs, the
student is defined as the reference person. (For additional information on
reference persons, see the documentation on survey administration variables.)
The relationship variables indicate the relationship of each individual to the
reference person of the Reporting Unit (RU) in a given round. Prior to FY 2013,
these variables, RFREL31X, RFREL42X, RFREL53X, and RFREL13X, were provided with
detailed relationships. In FY 2013, for confidentiality, the detailed
relationships were combined into more general categories in the new variables
REFRL31X, REFRL42X, REFRL53X, and REFRL13X. For the reference person, these
variables have the value “Household reference person”; for all other persons in
the RU, relationship to the reference person is indicated by codes representing
“Spouse”, “Unmarried Partner”, “Child”, etc. A code of 91, meaning “Other Related, Specify”, was used to indicate rarely observed relationship descriptions such as “Mother of Partner”, “Partner of Sister”, etc. 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
from calendar year 2013 were not sufficient to identify the relationship of an
individual to the reference person, relationship variables from the 2012 MEPS or
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.
If the relationship of two individuals indicated they
were spouses, but both had marital status indicating they were not married,
their relationship was changed to non-marital partners. In addition, the
relationship variables were edited to insure that they did not change across
rounds for RUs in which the reference person did not change, with the exception
of relationships identified as partner, spouse, or foster relationships.
Parent Identifiers
The variables MOPID31X, MOPID42X, MOPID53X and
DAPID31X, DAPID42X DAPID53X are round-specific and are used to identify the
parents (biological, adopted, or step) of the person represented on that record.
MOPID##X contains the person identifier (PID) for each individual’s mother if
she lived in the RU in that panel/round of the survey, or a value of –1
“Inapplicable” if she did not. Similarly, DAPID##X contains the person
identifier (PID) for each individual’s father if he lived in the RU in that
panel/round of the survey, or a value of –1 “Inapplicable” if he did not.
MOPID##X and DAPID##X were constructed based on information collected in the
relationship grid of the instrument each round at question RE76A, and include
biological, adopted, and stepparents. Foster parents were not included. For
persons who were not present in the household during a round, MOPID##X and
DAPID##X have values of –1 “Inapplicable”.
Edits were performed to ensure that MOPID##X and
DAPID##X were consistent with each individual’s age, sex, and other
relationships within the family. For instance, the gender of the parent must be
consistent with the indicated relationship; mothers are at least 12 years older
than the person and no more than 55 years older than the person; fathers are at
least 12 years older than the person; each person has no more than one mother
and no more than one father; any values set for MOPID##X and DAPID##X were
removed from any person identified as a foster child; and the PID for the
person’s mother and father are valid PIDs for that person’s RU for the 2013 Full
Year File.
Return To Table Of Contents
The file provides income and tax-related variables
that were constructed primarily from data collected in the Panel 17 Round 5 and
Panel 18 Round 3 Income Sections. Person-level income amounts have been edited
and imputed for every record on the full-year file, with detailed imputation
flags provided as a guide to the method of editing. The tax-filing variables and
some program participation variables are unedited, as discussed below.
During imputation, logical editing and weighted,
sequential hot-decks were used to estimate income amounts for missing values
(both for item nonresponse and for persons in the full-year file who were not in
the income rounds). Reported income components were generally left unedited
(with the few exceptions noted below). Thus, analysts using these data may wish
to apply additional checks for outlier values that would appear to stem from
misreporting.
The editing process began with wage and salary income,
WAGEP13X. Complete responses were left unedited, and this group of people was
assigned WAGIMP13=1, where WAGIMP13 is the imputation flag for wage and salary
data. The only exception was for a small number of persons who reported zero
wage and salary income despite having been employed for pay during the year
according to round-level data (see below). Since data on tax filing and on
taxable income sources were collected using an approach that encouraged
respondents to provide information from their federal tax returns, logical edits
were used to assign separate income amounts to married persons whose responses
were based on combined income amounts on their joint tax returns.
Persons assigned WAGIMP13=2 were those providing broad
income ranges (brackets) rather than giving specific dollar amounts. Weighted
sequential hot-decking was used to provide these individuals with specific
dollar amounts. For this imputation, donors were persons who reported specific
dollar amounts within the corresponding broad income ranges. In 2013 (as in all
previous years) there were a small number of cases where WAGEPX13=0 and
WAGIMP13=2. These are cases where a married couple filing jointly reported wages
with a bracket, and reported that one spouse earned 0% of that bracketed amount.
All WAGEP13X hot-deck imputations used cells defined on the basis of a
conventional list of person-level characteristics including age, education,
employment status, race, sex, and region.
Persons assigned WAGIMP13=3 were those who did not
report wage and salary income and who were assigned WAGEP13X=0 based on not
having been employed during the year.
Persons assigned WAGIMP13=4 were those who did not
provide valid dollar amounts or dollar ranges, but for whom we had related
information from the employment sections of the survey. In most cases this
information included wages, hours, and weeks worked; for some persons, only
hours and weeks worked data were reported in the employment section. The
available employment section data were used to construct annualized wage amounts
to be used in place of missing income section annual wage and salary data.
Comparisons of reported and constructed wages and salaries using persons who
provided both sorts of information yielded a high degree of confidence that
employment data could be reliably used to derive values to serve in place of
missing wage and salary information. To implement this approach, part-year
responders were assumed to be fully employed during the remainder of the year if
they were employed during the period in which they provided data. An exception
was made for those who either died or were institutionalized. These persons were
assigned zero wages and salaries for the time they were not in MEPS.
Hot-deck imputation was used for the remaining persons
with missing WAGEP13X. Donor pools included persons whose WAGEP13X amounts were
edited in the steps described above. Whenever possible, the hot-deck imputations
used data on whether or not the person had been employed at any point during the
year (and, if available, the number of weeks worked). Imputations for persons
deemed to have been employed were conditional in nature, using only donors with
positive WAGEP13X amounts (WAGIMP13=5). Imputations for WAGEP13X for the
remaining persons were unconditional, using both workers and non-workers as
donors (WAGIMP13=6).
After editing WAGEP13X for all persons in the
full-year file, the remaining income sources were edited in the following
sequence: INTRP13X, BUSNP13X, DIVDP13X, ALIMP13X, SALEP13X, TRSTP13X, PENSP13X,
IRASP13X, SSECP13X, UNEMP13X, WCMPP13X, VETSP13X, CASHP13X, OTHRP13X, CHLDP13X,
SSIP13X, and PUBP13X. Income components were edited sequentially, in each case
using information regarding income amounts that had already been edited (so as
to maintain patterns of correlation across income sources whenever possible). In
all cases, bracketed responses were edited first (using hot-deck imputations
from donors in corresponding brackets who gave specific dollar amounts),
followed by imputations for remaining missing values. The hot-deck imputations
used cells defined on the basis of income amounts already edited and a
conventional list of person-level characteristics such as age, education,
employment status, race, sex, and region. In addition, hot-deck imputations for
CHLDP13X used family-level information concerning marital status and the number
of children. Hot-deck imputations for SSIP13X and PUBP13X were also assigned
using, in part, simulated program eligibility indicators that integrated
state-level program eligibility criteria with data on family composition and
income.
In the hot-decks for some income types, information
from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) was used. The NHIS sample is
the frame for the new sample selected for MEPS collection each year, with a
year’s time lag. Data from the 2011 NHIS correspond to MEPS Panel 17, while
those from the 2012 NHIS correspond to MEPS Panel 18. Because MEPS units come
from the NHIS, it is possible to match individual MEPS responding units to an
NHIS unit.
Taking advantage of this matching ability, income
recipiency indicators collected by NHIS were used in imputing for missing data
in certain MEPS income components − interest, dividends, business income,
pensions, and Social Security. (Not all MEPS income categories have an
equivalent in NHIS. Also, wage data were available from NHIS, but were not used
in the MEPS imputation process.)
In cases where data on a particular income category
were missing for a person in MEPS, the indicator in that income category on the
NHIS file was employed, if a valid response was supplied. Indicators were
examined for the entire tax-filing unit (two people in the case of married
couples filing jointly; one person in all other cases).
Reported income amounts of less than one dollar were
treated as missing amounts (to be hot-decked from donors with positive amounts
of the corresponding income source). Also, very few cases of outlier responses
were edited (primarily public sources of income that exceeded possible amounts).
Otherwise, reported amounts were left unchanged.
For each income component, the corresponding xxxxIMP13
variable contains an indicator concerning the method for editing/imputation. All
the flag variables have the following formatted values:
- 1 = Original response used;
- 2 = Bracket converted;
- 3 = Missing value set to 0;
- 4 = Weeks worked/earnings used (WAGIMP13 only);
- 5 = Conditional hot-deck;
- 6 = Unconditional hot-deck;
Missing values were set to zero when there were too
few recipients to warrant hot-deck imputations of positive values (as in the
case of ALIMP13X received by males). “Conditional hot-decks” indicate instances
where the respondent indicated receipt but not a specific dollar amount. In
these cases, the donor pool was restricted to persons with nonzero amounts of
the income source in question. “Unconditional hot-decks” indicate instances
where the donor pool included persons receiving both zero and nonzero amounts
(implemented in cases where there was little or no information about a person’s
income source).
Total person-level income (TTLP13X) is the sum of all
income components with the exception of SALEP13X (to match as closely as
possible the CPS definition of income; see Section 2.5.4.2). Some researchers
may wish to define their own income measure by adding in one or both of these
excluded components.
The tax variables, food stamp variables, and welfare participation flag are all completely unedited.
Note that while the welfare participation flag is named AFDC13, in fact this
variable reflects participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF), with respondents having been prompted with “TANF”, “AFDC”, and
“welfare.” Unedited tax variables are provided to assist researchers building
tax simulation programs. No efforts have been made to eliminate inconsistencies
among these program participation and tax variables and other MEPS data. All of
these unedited variables should be used with great care.
Return To Table Of Contents
All person-level income amounts on the file, including
both total income and the separate sources of income, were top-coded to preserve
confidentiality. For each income source, top codes were applied to the top
percentile of all cases (including negative amounts that exceeded income
thresholds in absolute value). In cases where less than one percent of all
persons received a particular income source, all recipients were top-coded.
Top-coded income amounts were masked using a
regression-based approach. The regressions relied on many of the same variables
used in the hot-deck imputations, with the dependent variable in each case being
the natural logarithm of the amount that the income component was in excess of
its top-code threshold. Predicted values from this regression were reconverted
from logarithms to levels using a smearing correction, and these predicted
amounts were then added back to the top-code thresholds. This approach preserves
the component-by-component weighted means (both overall and among top-coded
cases), while also preserving much of the income distribution conditional on the
variables contained in the regressions. At the same time, this approach ensures
that every reported amount in excess of its respective threshold is altered on
the public use file. The process of top-coding income amounts in this way
inevitably introduces measurement error in cases where income amounts were
reported correctly by respondents. Note, however, that top-coding can also help
to reduce the impact of outliers that occur due to reporting errors.
Total person-level income is constructed as the sum of
the adjusted person-level income components. Having constructed total income in
this manner, this total was then top-coded using the same regression-based
procedure described above (again masking the top percentile of cases). Finally,
the components of income were scaled up or down in order to make the sources of
income consistent with the newly-adjusted totals.
Return To Table Of Contents
The definitions of income, family, and poverty
categories used to construct the related variables in this file were taken from
the 2013 poverty statistics developed by the Current Population Survey (CPS).
The categorical variable for 2013 family income as a percentage of poverty
(POVCAT13) was constructed using the same method as in earlier years’ files.
FAMINC13 contains total family income for each
person’s CPS family. Family income was derived by constructing person-level
total income comprising annual earnings from wages, salaries, bonuses, tips,
commissions; business and farm gains and losses; unemployment and workers’
compensation; interest and dividends; alimony, child support, and other private
cash transfers; private pensions, IRA withdrawals, social security, and veterans
payments; supplemental security income and cash welfare payments from public
assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and related programs; gains
or losses from estates, trusts, partnerships, S corporations, rent, and
royalties; and a small amount of “other” income. Person-level income excluded
tax refunds and capital gains. Person-level income totals were then summed over
family members, as defined by CPSFAMID, to yield CPS family-level total income
(FAMINC13).
POVLEV13 is the continuous version of the POVCAT13
variable. The POVLEV13 percentage was computed by dividing CPS family income by
the applicable poverty line (based on family size and composition). POVCAT13
takes the POVLEV13 percentage for each person and classifies it into one of five
poverty categories: negative or poor (less than 100%), near poor (100% to less
than 125%), low income (125% to less than 200%), middle income (200% to less
than 400%), and high income (greater than or equal to 400%). Persons missing
CPSFAMID were treated as one-person families in constructing their poverty
percentage and category.
Family income, as well as the components of
person-level income, has been subjected to internal editing patterns and
derivation methods that are in accordance to specific definitions, and are not
being released at this time. Researchers working with a family definition other
than CPSFAMID may wish to create their own versions of total family income.
Health Insurance Eligibility Units (HIEUs) are
sub-family relationship units constructed to include adults plus those family
members who would typically be eligible for coverage under the adults' private
health insurance family plans. To construct the HIEUIDX variable, which links
persons into a common HIEU, we begin with the family identification variable
CPSFAMID. Working with this family ID, we define HIEUIDX using family
relationships as of the end of 2012. Persons missing end-of-year relationship
information are assigned to an HIEUIDX using relationship information from the
last round in which they provided such information. HIEUs comprise adults, their
spouses, and their unmarried natural/adoptive children age 18 and under. We also
include children under age 24 who are full-time students (living at home or away
from home). Other children who do not live with their natural/adoptive adult
parents are placed in an HIEUIDX as follows:
- Foster children always comprise a separate HIEUIDX.
- Other unmarried children are placed in stepparent HIEUIDX,
grandparent HIEUIDX, great-grandparent HIEUIDX, or aunt/uncle
HIEUIDX.
- Children of unmarried minors are placed (along with their
minor parents) in the HIEUIDX of their adult grandparents (if
possible). Married minors are placed into separate HIEUs along
with any spouses and children they might have.
- Some HIEUs are headed by unmarried minors, when there is no
adult family member present in the CPSFAMID.
HIEUs do not, in general, comprise adult (nonmarital)
partnerships, because unmarried adult partners are rarely eligible for dependent
coverage under each other's insurance. The exception to this rule is that we
include adult partners in the same HIEU if there is at least one
(out-of-wedlock) child in the family that links to both adult partners. In cases
of missing or contradictory relationship codes, HIEUs are edited by hand, with
the presumption being that the adults and children form a nuclear family.
Return To Table Of Contents
Perceived health status (RTHLTH31, RTHLTH42, and
RTHLTH53) and perceived mental health status (MNHLTH31, MNHLTH42, and MNHLTH53)
were collected in the Priority Conditions Enumeration (PE) section. The target
persons of the questions are all current or institutionalized persons regardless
of age. These questions (PE00A and PE00B) asked the respondent to rate each
person in the family according to the following categories: excellent, very
good, good, fair, and poor.
Respondents were asked if anyone had been pregnant
during the round (“Since (start date) has anyone in the family been pregnant at
any time?”). If it was reported that someone had been pregnant, questions about
pregnancy were asked about female persons aged 15 through 55. Males, and females
who were younger than 16 or older than 44 (for confidentiality purposes), were
coded as “Inapplicable” (-1). PREGNT31 indicates if the person was pregnant in
Round 3 of Panel 17 or Round 1 of Panel 18, PREGNT42 indicates if the person was
pregnant in Round 4 of Panel 17 or Round 2 of Panel 18, and PREGNT53 indicates
whether the person was pregnant in Round 5 of Panel 17 or Round 3 of Panel 18.
Return To Table Of Contents
The PE section was asked in its entirety in Round 1
for all current or institutionalized persons, and in Rounds 2 and 4 for only new
RU members. In Rounds 3 and 5, the specific condition questions (except joint
pain and chronic bronchitis) were asked only if the person had not reported the
condition in a previous round; the joint pain and chronic bronchitis questions
were asked in Rounds 3 and 5 for all current or institutionalized persons aged
18 or older, regardless of Round 1, Round 2, and Round 4 responses.
Priority condition variables whose names end in “DX”
indicate whether the person was ever diagnosed with the condition. For chronic
bronchitis, joint pain, and some asthma follow-up questions (ASSTIL##, ASATAK##,
and ASTHEP## described below), variables ending in “31” reflect data obtained in
Round 3 of Panel 17 and Round 1 or 2 of Panel 18 and variables ending in “53”
reflect data obtained in Round 4 or 5 of Panel 17 and Round 3 of Panel 18. For
asthma treatment variables (ASACUT53 through ASWNFL53), the data were obtained
in Round 5 of Panel 17 and Round 3 of Panel 18.
Before 2007, the DX variables contained a “53” suffix
because they reflected data collected only in Rounds 3 and 5 in the Priority
Conditions Supplement (PC) section. Beginning in 2007, the suffix was removed
because the data were collected in all rounds. Diagnoses data (except attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder/attention deficit disorder and asthma) were
collected for persons over 17 years of age. If edited age is within range for
the variable to be set, but the source data are missing because person’s age in
CAPI is not within range, the constructed variable is set to “Not Ascertained”
(-9). Additionally, if the person was 17 in Round 1, turned 18 in Round 2, and
was not a current or institutionalized RU member in Round 3, the source data are
missing per design. However, the DX variables are set to “Not Ascertained” (-9)
as the person was old enough to be asked the PE questions within the data year.
Following the same pattern, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder/attention
deficit disorder is asked of persons age 5 to 17 and asthma is asked of persons
of all ages. Exceptions to this pattern are the variables JTPAIN31, JTPAIN53,
CHBRON31, and CHBRON53 which are described in greater detail below.
Questions were asked regarding the following conditions:
- High blood pressure, including multiple diagnoses
- Heart disease (including coronary heart disease, angina,
myocardial infarction, and other unspecified heart disease)
- Stroke
- Emphysema
- Chronic Bronchitis
- High cholesterol, including the age of diagnosis
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Joint pain
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADHD/ADD)
These conditions were selected because of their
relatively high prevalence, and because generally accepted standards for
appropriate clinical care have been developed. As part of AHRQ’s focus on the
quality of health care, this series of questions obtained information on the
receipt of tests or procedures appropriate for each condition. This information
thus supplements other information on medical conditions that is gathered in
other parts of the interview.
Condition data were collected at the person-by-round
level (indicating if the person was ever diagnosed with the condition) and at
the condition level. If the person reported having been diagnosed with a
condition, the person-by-round variable was set to ‘1’ (Yes) and a condition
record for that medical condition was created.
Editing of these variables focused on checking that
skip patterns were consistent.
High Blood Pressure
Questions about high blood pressure (hypertension)
were asked only of persons aged 18 or older. Consequently, persons aged 17 or
younger were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1) on these variables. HIBPDX ascertained
whether the person had ever been diagnosed as having high blood pressure (other
than during pregnancy). Those who had received this diagnosis were also asked if
they had been told on two or more different visits that they had high blood
pressure (BPMLDX). The age of diagnosis for high blood pressure (HIBPAGED) is
included in this file. This variable is top-coded to 85 years of age.
Heart Disease
Heart disease questions were asked only of persons
aged 18 or older. Consequently, persons aged 17 or younger were coded as
“Inapplicable” (-1) on all the variables in this set.
- CHDDX – asked if the person had ever been diagnosed as
having coronary heart disease
- ANGIDX – asked if the person had ever been diagnosed
as having angina, or angina pectoris
- MIDX – asked if the person had ever been diagnosed as
having a heart attack, or myocardial infarction
- OHRTDX – asked if the person had ever been diagnosed
with any other kind of heart disease or condition
The age of diagnosis for coronary heart disease
(CHDAGED), angina (ANGIAGED), heart attack or myocardial infarction (MIAGED),
and other kind of heart disease (OHRTAGED) are included in this file. These
variables are top-coded to 85 years of age.
Stroke
STRKDX asked if the person (aged 18 or older) had ever
been diagnosed as having had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA or
ministroke). Persons aged 17 or younger were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1). The
age of diagnosis for stroke or TIA (STRKAGED) is included in this file. This
variable is top-coded to 85 years of age.
Emphysema
EMPHDX asked if the person (aged 18 or older) had ever
been diagnosed with emphysema. Persons aged 17 or younger were coded as
“Inapplicable” (-1). The age of diagnosis for emphysema (EMPHAGED) is included
in this file. This variable is top-coded to 85 years of age.
Chronic Bronchitis
CHBRON31 and CHBRON53 asked if the person (aged 18 or
older) has had chronic bronchitis in the last 12 months. Persons aged 17 or
younger were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1).
High Cholesterol
Questions about high cholesterol were asked of persons
aged 18 or older. Consequently, persons aged 17 or younger were coded as
“Inapplicable” (-1) on these variables. CHOLDX ascertained whether the person
had ever been diagnosed as having high cholesterol. Through 2007, a person-level
variable (CHLAGE) indicated the age of diagnosis for high cholesterol on the
Person-Level Use PUF. The age of diagnosis for high cholesterol (CHOLAGED) is
included in this file. This variable is top-coded to 85 years of age.
Cancer
Questions about cancer were asked only of persons aged
18 or older. Consequently, persons aged 17 or younger were coded as
“Inapplicable” (-1) on these variables. CANCERDX ascertained whether the person
had ever been diagnosed as having cancer or a malignancy of any kind. If the
person answered “Yes” they were asked at PE22 what type of cancer was diagnosed.
CABLADDR, CABLOOD, CABREAST, CACERVIX, CACOLON, CALUNG, CALYMPH, CAMELANO,
CAMUSCLE, CAOTHER, CAPROSTA, CASKINNM, CASKINDK, and CAUTERUS indicate selection
of cancer of the bladder, blood, breast, cervix, colon, or lung; lymphoma or
melanoma; cancer of the soft tissue, muscle, or fat; other type of cancer,
cancer of the prostate, skin, or uterus. Cancer of the cervix or uterus could
not be reported for males, and cancer of the prostate could not be reported for
females.
Beginning with the 2013 Consolidated file, variables
indicating the age of diagnosis for each reported cancer and whether each
reported cancer was in remission were removed from the file for confidentiality
reasons.
Recoding of Cancer Variables
Specific cancer diagnosis variables with a frequency
count fewer than 20 and those considered clinically rare (i.e., appear on the
National Institutes of Health’s list of rare diseases), were removed from the
file for confidentiality reasons, and the corresponding variable CAOTHER,
indicating diagnosis of a cancer that is not counted individually, was recoded
to Yes (1) as necessary.
In data year 2013, the clinically rare cancers are:
- bone
- brain
- esophagus
- gallbladder
- kidney
- larynx
- leukemia
- liver
- mouth
- ovary
- pancreas
- rectum
- stomach
- testis
- throat
- thyroid
The variable CABREAST, which indicates diagnosis of
breast cancer, was recoded to inapplicable (-1) for males for confidentiality
reasons. The corresponding value of the general cancer diagnosis variable,
CANCERDX, was recoded to not ascertained (-9), and the corresponding values of
remaining specific cancer variables were recoded to not applicable (-1).
Diabetes
DIABDX indicates whether each person (aged 18 or
older) had ever been diagnosed with diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes).
Persons aged 17 or younger were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1). The age of
diagnosis for diabetes (DIABAGED) is included in this file. This variable is
top-coded to 85 years of age.
REFDIAB allows the respondent to indicate that
diabetes was reported in the PE section in error (REFDIAB = 2). Respondents were
not prompted to confirm or deny the report of diabetes; REFDIAB was set to “2”
(Person Does Not Have Diabetes) only if the respondent offered the information,
and DIABDX is set to “No” (2).
Each person said to have received a diagnosis of
diabetes was asked to complete a special self-administered questionnaire. The
documentation for this questionnaire appears in the Diabetes Care Survey (DCS)
section of the documentation.
Joint Pain
JTPAIN31 and JTPAIN53 asked if the person (aged 18 or
older) had experienced pain, swelling, or stiffness around a joint in the last
12 months. This question is not intended to be used as an indicator of a
diagnosis of arthritis. Persons aged 17 or younger were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1).
Arthritis
ARTHDX asked if the person (aged 18 or older) had ever
been diagnosed with arthritis. Persons aged 17 or younger were coded as
“Inapplicable” (-1). Those who said “Yes” were asked a follow up question to determine the type of arthritis. ARTHTYPE indicates if the diagnosis was for
Rheumatoid Arthritis (1), Osteoarthritis (2), or non-specific arthritis (3). The
age of diagnosis for arthritis (ARTHAGED) is included in this file and may be
recoded in some cases to “Not Ascertained” (-9) for confidentiality reasons.
This variable is top-coded to 85 years of age.
Asthma
ASTHDX indicates whether a person had ever been
diagnosed with asthma. The age of diagnosis for asthma (ASTHAGED) is included in
this file. This variable is top-coded to 85 years of age.
Those who said “Yes” to asthma diagnosis were asked
additional questions. ASSTIL31 and ASSTIL53 asked if the person still had
asthma. ASATAK31 and ASATAK53 asked whether the person had experienced an
episode of asthma or an asthma attack in the past 12 months. If the person did
not experience an asthma attack in the past 12 months, a follow-up question
(ASTHEPIS31, ASTHEPIS53) asked when the last asthma episode or asthma attack
occurred.
Additional follow-up questions regarding asthma
medication used for quick relief (ASACUT53), preventive medicine (ASPREV53), and
peak flow meters (ASPKFL53) were asked. These questions were asked if the person
reported having been diagnosed with asthma (ASTHDX = 1). ASACUT53 asked whether
the person had used the kind of prescription inhaler that you breathe in through
your mouth that gives quick relief from asthma symptoms. ASPREV53 asked whether
the person had ever taken the preventive kind of asthma medicine used every day
to protect the lungs and prevent attacks, including both oral medicine and
inhalers. ASPKFL53 indicates whether the person with asthma had a peak flow
meter at home.
Persons who said “Yes” to ASACUT53 were asked whether
they had used more than three canisters of this type of inhaler in the past 3
months (ASMRCN53). Persons who said “Yes” to ASPREV53 were asked whether they
now took this kind of medication daily or almost daily (ASDALY53). Persons who
said “Yes” to ASPKFL53 were asked if they ever used the peak flow meter
(ASEVFL53). Those persons who said “Yes” to ASEVFL53 were asked when they last
used the peak flow meter (ASWNFL53).
Because the asthma diagnosis variable reflects three
rounds of data in Panel 18, it may appear that there are discrepancies between
the diagnosis variable and the follow-up variables. If a person reported asthma
in the PE section in Round 3, ASATAK31 and ASSTIL31 will be set to
“Inapplicable” (-1) as the person had not reported asthma in Round 1 or 2. If a
person reported asthma in the PE section in Round 1 or 2 but was not a current
RU member in Round 3, the 53 asthma variables will be set to “Inapplicable” (-1)
as the Round 3 follow-up data were not collected for the person.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention
Deficit Disorder
ADHDADDX asked if persons aged 5 through 17 had ever
been diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention
Deficit Disorder. Persons younger than 5 or older than 17 were coded as
“Inapplicable” (-1). The age of diagnosis for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder/attention deficit disorder (ADHDAGED) is included in this file.
Return To Table Of Contents
Due to the overlapping panel design of the MEPS (Round
3 for Panel 17 overlapped with Round 1 for Panel 18, Round 4 for Panel 17
coincided with Round 2 for Panel 18, and Round 5 for Panel 17 occurred at the
same time as Round 3 for Panel 18), data from overlapping rounds have been
combined across panels. Thus, any variable ending in “31” reflects data obtained
in Round 3 of Panel 17 and Round 1 of Panel 18. Analogous comments apply to
variables ending in “42” and “53”. Health Status variables whose names end in “13” indicate a full-year measurement.
This data release incorporates information from
calendar year 2013. However, health status data obtained in Round 3 of both
Panel 17 and Panel 18 are included in variables that have names ending in “31”
and “53” respectively. For persons in Panel 17, Round 3 extended from 2012 into
2013. Therefore, for these people, some information from late 2012 is included
for variables that have names ending in “31”. For persons in Panel 18, Round 3
extended from 2013 into 2014. Therefore, for these people, some information from
early 2014 is included for variables that have names ending in “53”. Note that
for most Panel 17 persons, the Round 5 reference period ends on December 31,
2013; however, the Round 5 interview actually occurs in 2014. Round 5
respondents receive an instruction at the start of the Health Status (HE)
section of CAPI to limit information about health status and limitations to the
period ending on December 31, 2013. Nevertheless, if respondents forget or
ignore this reference period instruction, some information collected in this
section in Round 5 (variables ending in “53”) might reflect circumstances in
early 2014. Further, health status questions asked in the Preventive Care (AP)
section of CAPI in Round 5 do not contain a similar explicit instruction that
the reference period ends on December 31, 2013, although this is stated at the
start of the overall interview. Hence, in these sections, respondents may also
be providing health status information that pertains to 2014.
Health Status variables in this data release can be
classified into several conceptually distinct sets:
- IADL (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) and ADL
(Activities of Daily Living) limitations
- Functional limitations and activity limitations
- Hearing, vision problems
- Disability status
- Hearing aids, eyeglasses
- Any limitations
- Child health and preventive care
- Preventive care
- Self-administered questionnaire
- Diabetes care survey
In general, Health Status variables involved the
construction of person-level variables based on information collected in the
Health Status section of the questionnaire. Many 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. All information
ascertained at the family level has been brought to the person level for this
file. Logical edits were performed in constructing the person-level variables to
assure that family-level and person-level values were consistent. Particular
attention was given to cases where missing values were reported at the family
level to ensure that appropriate information was carried to the person level.
Inapplicable cases occurred when a question was never
asked because of a skip pattern in the survey (e.g., individuals who were 13
years of age or older were not asked some follow-up verification questions;
individuals older than 17 were not asked questions pertaining to children’s
health status). Inapplicable cases are coded as -1. In addition, deceased
persons were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1).
Each of the sets of variables listed above will be
described in turn.
Return To Table Of Contents
IADL Help
The Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
Help or Supervision variables (IADLHP31 and IADLHP53) were each constructed from
a series of three questions administered in the Health Status section of the
interview in Panel 17 Rounds 3 and 5 and Panel 18 Rounds 1 and 3. 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(s) 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”, IADLHP31
and IADLHP53 were coded “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 “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), 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).
In FY 2013, the Panel 17 Round 4/Panel 18 Round 2 IADL
questions were dropped from the interview, so IADLHP42 is no longer constructed.
The Duration of IADL Condition variable for Panel 17
Round 3 and Panel 18 Round 1 (IADL3M31) was constructed from a follow-up
question (HE03A) in the Health Status section of the interview. For each person
who received IADL help or supervision due to an impairment or physical or mental
health problem (IADLHP31 is coded “Yes”), HE03A was asked to determine whether
the person was expected to need help or supervision with these activities for at
least three more months. For persons coded “No” (2), “Refused” (-7), “Don’t
Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9) for IADLHP31, IADL3M31 was coded
“Inapplicable” (-1). HE03A was dropped from the interview in Panel 17 Round
4/Panel 18 Round 2. Consequently, IADL3M42 and IADL3M53 are no longer
constructed; Panel 17 Round 3 and Panel 18 Round 1 are the last panels and
rounds for which the Duration of IADL Condition variable will be constructed.
ADL Help
The Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Help or
Supervision variables (ADLHLP31 and ADLHLP53) were each constructed in the same
manner, and for the same persons, as the IADL help variables, but using
questions HE04-HE06 in Panel 17 Rounds 3 and 5 and Panel 18 Rounds 1 and 3.
Coding conventions for missing data were the same as for the IADL variables.
In FY 2013, the Panel 17 Round 4/Panel 18 Round 2 ADL
questions were dropped from the interview, so ADLHLP42 is no longer constructed.
The Duration of ADL Condition variable (ADL3MO31) was
constructed from a follow-up question (HE06A) in the Health Status section of
the interview. For each person who received ADL help or supervision due to an
impairment or physical or mental health problem (ADLHLP31 is coded “Yes”), HE06A
was asked to determine whether the person was expected to need help or
supervision with these activities for at least three more months. For persons
coded “No” (2), “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9) for ADLHLP31, ADL3MO31 was coded “Inapplicable” (-1). HE06A was dropped from the interview in Panel 17 Round 4/Panel 18 Round 2. Consequently, ADL3MO42 and ADL3MO53 are no longer constructed; Panel 17 Round 3 and Panel 18 Round 1 are the last panels and rounds for which the Duration of ADL Condition variable will
be constructed.
Return To Table Of Contents
Functional Limitations
A series of questions asked in Panel 17 Rounds 3 and 5
and Panel 18 Rounds 1 and 3 pertained to functional limitations, which are
defined as difficulty in performing certain specific physical actions. WLKLIM31
and WLKLIM53 were the filter questions, depending on the round. These variables
were 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 WLKLIM31 or WLKLIM53. If the answer was “Yes”, then the specific
persons who had any of these difficulties were identified and coded as “Yes”
(1), and remaining family members were coded as “No” (2). If the response to the
family-level question was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), “Not Ascertained”
(-9), or “Inapplicable” (-1), then the corresponding missing value code was
applied to each family member’s value for WLKLIM31 or WLKLIM53. If the answer to
HE09 was “Yes” (1) but no specific individual was named as experiencing such
difficulties, then each family member was assigned “Don’t Know” (-8). Deceased persons were assigned a code of “Inapplicable” (-1) for WLKLIM31 or WLKLIM53.
For Rounds 3 (Panel 17) and 1 (Panel 18), if WLKLIM31
was coded “Yes” (1) for any family member, a subsequent series of questions was
administered. The series of questions for which WLKLIM31 served as a filter is
as follows:
- LFTDIF31 – difficulty lifting 10 pounds
- STPDIF31 – difficulty walking up 10 steps
- WLKDIF31 – difficulty walking 3 blocks
- MILDIF31 – difficulty walking a mile
- STNDIF31 – difficulty standing 20 minutes
- BENDIF31 – difficulty bending or stooping
- RCHDIF31 – difficulty reaching over head
- FNGRDF31 – difficulty using fingers to grasp
- WLK3MO31 – expected to have difficulty with any of these activities for at least 3 more months
This series of questions was asked separately for each
person whose response to WLKLIM31 was coded “Yes” (1). The series of questions
was not asked for other individual family members whose response to WLKLIM31 was
“No” (2). In addition, this series was not asked about family members who were
less than 13 years of age, regardless of their status on WLKLIM31. These
questions were not asked about deceased family members. In such cases (i.e.,
WLKLIM31 = 2, or age < 13, or PSTATS31 = 23, 24, or 31), each question in the
series was coded as “Inapplicable” (-1). Finally, if responses to WLKLIM31 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 WLKLIM31 was asked of all
household members, regardless of age. For the subsequent series of questions,
however, persons less than 13 years old were skipped and coded as “Inapplicable”
(-1). Therefore, it is possible for someone age 12 or younger to have a code of
“Yes” (1) on WLKLIM31, and also to have codes of “Inapplicable” on the subsequent series of questions.
Because of a design change in the interview, Panel 17
Round 3 and Panel 18 Round 1 are the last panels and rounds for which WLK3MO31,
the follow-up question which determines whether any person with functional
limitations was expected to have difficulties with any of these activities for
at least three or more months, will be constructed.
For Rounds 5 (Panel 17) and 3 (Panel 18), the
corresponding filter question was WLKLIM53.
The series of questions for which WLKLIM53 served as a
filter is as follows:
- LFTDIF53 – difficulty lifting 10 pounds
- STPDIF53 – difficulty walking up 10 steps
- WLKDIF53 – difficulty walking 3 blocks
- MILDIF53 – difficulty walking a mile
- STNDIF53 – difficulty standing 20 minutes
- BENDIF53 – difficulty bending or stooping
- RCHDIF53 – difficulty reaching over head
- FNGRDF53 – difficulty using fingers to grasp
Editing conventions were the same for this “53” series
of variables as they were for the corresponding “31” series described above.
Beginning with Panel 17 Round 4/Panel 18 Round 2,
WLK3MO53, the follow-up question which determines whether any person with
functional limitations was expected to have difficulties with any of these
activities for at least three or more months, was dropped from the interview.
Use of Assistive Technology and Social/Recreational
Limitations
The variables indicating use of assistive technology
(AIDHLP31 and AIDHLP53, from question HE07) and social/recreational limitations
(SOCLIM31 and SOCLIM53, from question HE22) were collected initially at the
family level. If there was a “Yes” (1) 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”
(1) for the appropriate variable; all remaining family members were coded “No”
(2). If the family-level response was “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not
Ascertained” (-9), 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 variables indicating any limitation in work,
housework, or school (ACTLIM31 and ACTLIM53) were constructed using questions
HE19-HE20. Specifically, information was collected initially at the family
level. If there was a “Yes” (1) response to the family-level question (HE19), a
second question (HE20) identified the specific individual(s) to whom the “Yes”
(1) response pertained. Each individual identified as having a limitation was
coded “Yes” (1) for the appropriate variable; all remaining family members were
coded “No” (2). If the family-level response was “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), all persons were coded with the family-level response. In cases where the family-level response was “Yes” (1) 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 ACTLIM31 and ACTLIM53.
For Round 3 (Panel 17) or Round 1 (Panel 18), if
ACTLIM31 was “Yes” (1) 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 (WRKLIM31), doing housework
(HSELIM31), or going to school (SCHLIM31). Respondents could answer “Yes” (1) or
“No” (2) to each activity; thus a person could report limitations in multiple
activities. WRKLIM31, HSELIM31, and SCHLIM31 have values of “Yes” (1) or “No” (2) only if ACTLIM31 was “Yes” (1); each variable was coded as “Inapplicable” (-1) if ACTLIM31 was “No” (2). When ACTLIM31 was “Refused” (-7), these variables were all coded as “Refused” (-7); when ACTLIM31 was “Don’t Know” (-8), these variables were all coded as
“Don’t Know” (-8); and when ACTLIM31 was “Not Ascertained” (-9), these variables were all coded as “Not Ascertained” (-9). If a person was under 5 years old or was deceased, WRKLIM31, HSELIM31, and SCHLIM31 were each coded as “Inapplicable” (-1).
An additional question (UNABLE31) asked if the person
was completely unable to work at a job, do housework, or go to school. Those
persons who were coded “No” (2), “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9) on ACTLIM31, were under 5 years of age, or were deceased were
coded as “Inapplicable” (-1) on UNABLE31. UNABLE31 was asked once for whichever
set of WRKLIM31, HSELIM31, and SCHLIM31 the person had limitations; if a person
was limited in more than one of these three activities, UNABLE31 did not
specify if the person was completely unable to perform all of them, or only some
of them.
For Rounds 5 (Panel 17) or 3 (Panel 18) corresponding
variables were ACTLIM53, WRKLIM53, HSELIM53, SCHLIM53, and UNABLE53. Editing
conventions were the same as those described above.
Cognitive Limitations
The variables indicating any cognitive limitation
(COGLIM31 or COGLIM53, depending on the round) were collected at the family
level as a three-part question (HE24-01 to HE24-03), asking 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
COGLIM31 or COGLIM53 was coded as “Yes” (1). Remaining family members not
identified were coded as “No” (2) for COGLIM31 or COGLIM53.
If responses to HE24-01 through HE24-03 were all “No”,
or if two of three were “No” (2) and the remaining was “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), all family members were coded as “No” (2). If responses to the three questions were combinations of “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), and missing, all persons were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8). If the
response to any of the three questions was “Yes” (1) but no individual was
identified in HE25, all persons were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
The cognitive limitations variables (COGLIM31 and
COGLIM53) reflect whether any of the three component questions is “Yes”
(1). Family members 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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A series of questions (HE26 to HE32), asked in Panel
17 Round 4 and Panel 18 Round 2, provides information on hearing and visual
impairment. Household members less than one year old and deceased RU members
were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1).
The previous hearing impairment questions were dropped
from the interview in FY 2013 and new hearing impairment questions were added at
HE26 through HE28. The variables HEARDI42 (ANY DIFFCLTY HEARING W/HEARING
AID-RD4/2), HEARMO42 (CAN HEAR MOST CONVERSATION - RD 4/2), HEARSM42 (CAN HEAR
SOME CONVERSATION - RD 4/2), and HEARNG42 (HEARING IMPAIRMENT (SUMMARY) - RD
4/2) are no longer constructed.
The new hearing impairment variable, DFHEAR42,
indicates whether a person has serious difficulty hearing. This variable was
based on two questions, HE26 and HE27. The initial question (HE26) determined if
anyone in the family had difficulty hearing. If the response was “Yes” (1), a
follow-up question (HE27) was asked to determine which household member(s) had a
hearing impairment. If the family-level response was “Don’t Know” (-8),
“Refused” (-7), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), all persons were coded with the family-level response. In cases where the family-level response was “Yes” (1) but no specific individual was identified as having serious difficulty hearing,
all family members were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
One subsequent question was asked only of individuals
who had difficulty hearing (i.e., DFHEAR42 was “Yes” (1)). DEAF42 indicates
whether the family member with hearing impairment is deaf. Persons with no
hearing impairment were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1) for this question, as were
persons with “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or “Not Ascertained” (-9) responses to DFHEAR42. Prior to FY 2013, HEARDI42 served as the gate question for DEAF42.
The previous visual impairment questions were dropped
from the interview in FY 2013 and new visual impairment questions were added at
HE29 through HE31. The variables SEEDIF42 (DIFFCLTY SEEING W/GLASSES/CNTCTS-RD
4/2), READNW42 (CAN READ NEWSPRNT W/GLASSES/CNTCTS-RD4/2), RECPEP42 (CAN RECGNZE
PEOPLE W/GLASSES/CNTCTS-R4/2), and VISION42 (VISION IMPAIRMENT (SUMMARY) - RD
4/2) are no longer constructed.
The new visual impairment variable, DFSEE42, indicates
whether a person has serious difficulty seeing. This variable was based on two
questions, HE29 and HE30. The initial question (HE29) determined if anyone in
the family had difficulty seeing. If the response was “Yes” (1), a follow-up
question (HE30) was asked to determine which household member(s) had a seeing
impairment. If the family-level response was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7),
or “Not Ascertained” (-9), all persons were coded with the family-level
response. In cases where the family-level response was “Yes” (1) but no specific
individual was identified as having serious difficulty seeing, all family
members were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
One subsequent question was asked only of individuals
who had difficulty seeing (i.e., DFSEE42 was “Yes” (1)). BLIND42 indicates
whether the family member with seeing impairment is blind. Persons with no
seeing impairment were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1) for this question, as were
persons with “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or “Not Ascertained” (-9)
responses to DFSEE42. Prior to FY 2013, SEEDIF42 served as the gate question for
BLIND42.
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A series of questions (HE32 to HE39) in Panel 17 Round
4 and Panel 18 Round 2 provides information on cognitive difficulty, difficulty
walking or climbing stairs, difficulty dressing or bathing, and difficulty doing
errands. Questions regarding cognitive difficulty, difficulty walking or
climbing stairs, and difficulty dressing or bathing were asked of household
members 5 years of age and older. The question regarding difficulty doing
errands was asked of household members 15 years of age and older. Deceased RU
members were coded “Inapplicable” (-1).
DFCOG42 indicates whether a person had serious
cognitive difficulty. This variable was based on two questions, HE32 and HE33.
The initial question (HE32) determined if anyone in the family had difficulty
concentrating, remembering or making decisions. If the response was “Yes” (1), a
follow-up question (HE33) was asked to determine which household member(s) had
difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions. If the family-level
response was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), all
persons were coded with the family-level response. In cases where the
family-level response was “Yes” (1) but no specific individual was identified as
having serious cognitive difficulty, all family members were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
DFWLKC42 indicates whether a person has serious
difficulty walking or climbing stairs. This variable was based on two questions,
HE34 and HE35. The initial question (HE34) determined if anyone in the family
had serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. If the response was “Yes”
(1), a follow-up question (HE35) was asked to determine which household
member(s) had difficulty walking or climbing stairs. If the family-level
response was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), all
persons were coded with the family-level response. In cases where the
family-level response was “Yes” (1) but no specific individual was identified as
having serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs, all family members were
coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
DFDRSB42 indicates whether a person has difficulty
dressing or bathing. This variable was based on two questions, HE36 and HE37.
The initial question (HE36) determined if anyone in the family had difficulty
dressing or bathing. If the response was “Yes” (1), a follow-up question (HE37)
was asked to determine which household member(s) had difficulty dressing or
bathing. If the family-level response was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or
“Not Ascertained” (-9), all persons were coded with the family-level response.
In cases where the family-level response was “Yes” (1) but no specific
individual was identified as having difficulty dressing or bathing, all family
members were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
DFERND42 indicates whether a person has difficulty
doing errands alone. This variable was based on two questions, HE38 and HE39.
The initial question (HE38) determined if anyone in the family had difficulty
doing errands alone. If the response was “Yes” (1), a follow-up question (HE39)
was asked to determine which household member(s) had difficulty doing errands
alone. If the family-level response was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or
“Not Ascertained” (-9), all persons were coded with the family-level response.
In cases where the family-level response was “Yes” (1) but no specific
individual was identified as having difficulty doing errands alone, all family
members were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
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A series of questions (HE40 to HE43) provides
information on hearing aids and eyeglasses. These questions were asked of all
household members, regardless of age. Deceased RU members were coded
“Inapplicable” (-1).
HEARAD42 indicates whether a person wears a hearing
aid. This variable was based on two questions, HE40 and HE41. The initial
question (HE40) determined if anyone in the family wore a hearing aid. If the
response was “Yes”, a follow-up question (HE41) was asked to determine which
household member(s) wore a hearing aid. If the family-level response was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), 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 wearing a hearing aid, all
family members were coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
WRGLAS42 indicates whether a person wears eyeglasses
or contact lenses. This variable was based on two questions, HE42 and HE43. The
initial question (HE42) determined if anyone in the family wore eyeglasses or
contact lenses. If the response was “Yes” (1), a follow-up question (HE43) was
asked to determine which household member(s) wore eyeglasses or contact lenses.
If the family-level response was “Don’t Know” (-8), “Refused” (-7), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), all persons were coded with the family-level response. In
cases where the family-level response was “Yes” (1) but no specific individual
was identified as wearing glasses or contact lenses, all family members were
coded as “Don’t Know” (-8).
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In FY 2013, the Round 2 and Round 4 variables
(IADLHP42, ADLHLP42, SEEDIF42, and HEARDI42), which would be used to construct
ANYLIM13 (ANY LIMITATION IN P17R3,4,5/P18R1,2,3) were dropped from the MEPS
interview. Consequently, the variable ANYLIM13 was renamed ANYLMT13 and is now
constructed from Rounds 1, 3, and 5 data only.
ANYLMT13 summarizes whether a person has any IADL,
ADL, functional, or activity limitations in any of the pertinent rounds. This
variable was derived based on data from Rounds 3 and 5 (Panel 17) or Rounds 1
and 3 (Panel 18). ANYLMT13 was built using the component variables IADLHP31,
IADLHP53, ADLHLP31, ADLHLP53, WLKLIM31, WLKLIM53, ACTLIM31, and ACTLIM53. If any
of these components was coded “Yes”, then ANYLMT13 was coded “Yes” (1). If all
components were coded “No”, then ANYLMT13 was coded “No” (2). If all the
components were “Inapplicable” (-1), then ANYLMT13 was coded as “Inapplicable”
(-1). If all the components had missing value codes (i.e., -7, -8, -9, or -1),
ANYLMT13 was coded as “Not Ascertained” (-9). If some components were “No” and
others had missing value codes, ANYLMT13 was coded as “Not Ascertained” (-9).
The exception to this latter rule was for children younger than five years old,
who were not asked questions that are the basis for ACTLIM31 or ACTLIM53; for
these RU members, if all other components were “No”, then ANYLMT13 was coded as
“No” (2). The variable label for ANYLMT13 departs slightly from conventions.
Typically, variables that end in “13” refer only to 2013. However, some of the
variables used to construct ANYLMT13 were assessed in 2014, so some information
from early 2014 is incorporated into this variable.
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Questions were asked about each child (under the age
of 18 excluding deceased children) in the applicable age subgroups to which they
pertained. For the Child Supplement variables, a code of “Inapplicable” (-1) was
assigned if a person was deceased, was not in the appropriate Round 2 or 4, or
was not in the applicable age subgroup as of the interview date. This public use
dataset contains variables and frequency distributions from the Child Health and
Preventive Care Section associated with 11,038 children who were eligible for
the Child Health and Preventive Care Section. Children were eligible for this
section when PSTATS42 was not equal to 23, 24, 31 (Deceased) and 0 <= AGE42X <=
17. Of these children, 9,898 were assigned a positive person-level weight for
2013 (PERWT13F > 0). Cases not eligible for the Child Health and Preventive Care
Section should be excluded from estimates made with the Child Health and
Preventive Care Section. Questions in this section that previously had been in
the Parent Administered Questionnaire (PAQ) in 2000 may produce slightly
different estimates starting in 2001 due to the change in mode from a
self-administered parent questionnaire in 2000 to an interviewer administered
questionnaire starting in 2001.
Children’s General Health Status Questions (ages 0 -
17)
Several questions from the General Health Subscale of
the Child Health Questionnaire were asked about all children ages 0 through 17.
The questions asked starting in 2001 are slightly different from the questions
asked in previous years. A key reference for the Child Health Questionnaire is:
Landgraf JM, Abaetz L., Ware JE. The CHQ User’s
Manual. First Edition. Boston, MA: The Health Institute, New England Medical
Center, 1996.
Five questions asked for ratings of the child’s health
on a 5-point scale, ranging from “Definitely True” (1) to “Definitely False” (5). These questions were:
- LSHLTH42 – child seems less healthy than other children
- NEVILL42 – child has never been seriously ill
- SICEAS42 – child usually catches whatever is going around
- HLTHLF42 – expect child will have a healthy life
- WRHLTH42 – worry more than is usual about child’s health
Children with Special Health Care Needs Screener (ages 0 - 17)
The Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)
Screener instrument was developed through a national collaborative process as
part of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI)
coordinated by the Foundation for Accountability. A key reference for this
screener instrument is:
Bethel CD, Read D, Stein REK, Blumberg SJ, Wells N,
Newacheck PW. Identifying Children with Special Health Care Needs: Development
and Evaluation of a Short Screening Instrument. Ambulatory Pediatrics
Volume 2, No. 1, January-February 2002, pp 38-48.
These questions are asked about children ages 0 –17
and were asked in the 2000 PAQ. In general, the CSHCN screener identifies
children with activity limitation or need or use of more health care or other
services than is usual for most children of the same age. When a response to a
gate question was set to “No” (2), “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), follow-up variables based on the gate question were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1).
The variable CSHCN42 identifies children with special
health care needs, and was created using the CSHCN screener questions according
to the specifications in the reference above. The CSHCN screener questions
consist of a series of question-sequences about the following five health
consequences: the need or use of medicines prescribed by a doctor; the need or
use of more medical care, mental health, or education services than is usual for
most children; being limited or prevented in doing things most children can do;
the need or use of special therapy such as physical, occupational, or speech
therapy; and the need or use of treatment or counseling for emotional,
developmental, or behavioral problems. Parents who responded “yes” to any of the
“initial” questions in the five-question sequences were then asked to respond to
up to two follow-up questions about whether the health consequence was
attributable to a medical, behavioral, or other health condition lasting or
expected to last at least 12 months. Children with positive responses to at
least one of the five health consequences along with all of the follow-up
questions were identified as having a Special Health Care Need. Children with a
“no” response for all five-question sequences
were considered NOT to have a Special Health Care Need. Those children whose
“special health care need” status could not be determined (due to missing data
for any of the questions) were coded as “Unknown”. More information about the
CSHCN screener questions can be obtained from (www.cahmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CSHCNS-Fast-Facts.pdf).
The CSHCN screener questions were:
- CHPMED42 – child needs or uses prescribed medicines
- CHPMHB42 – prescribed medicines were because of a
medical, behavioral, or other health condition
- CHPMCN42 – health condition that causes a person to
need prescribed medicines has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12
months
- CHSERV42 – child needs or uses more medical care,
mental health, or education services than is usual for most children of the same
age
- CHSRHB42 – child needs or uses more medical and other
service because of a medical, behavioral, or other health condition
- CHSRCN42 – health condition that causes a person to
need or use more medical and other services has lasted or is expected to last
for at least 12 months
- CHLIMI42 – child is limited or prevented in any way in
ability to do the things most children of the same age can do
- CHLIHB42 – child is limited in the ability to do the
things most children can do because of a medical, behavioral, or other health
condition
- CHLICO42 – health condition that causes a person to be
limited in the ability to do the things most children can do has lasted or is
expected to last for at least 12 months
- CHTHER42 – child needs or gets special therapy such as
physical, occupational, or speech therapy
- CHTHHB42 – child needs or gets special therapy because
of a medical, behavioral, or other health condition
- CHTHCO42 – health condition that causes a person to
need or get special therapy has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12
months
- CHCOUN42 – child has an emotional, developmental, or
behavioral problem for which he or she needs or gets treatment or counseling
- CHEMPB42 – problem for which a person needs or gets
treatment or counseling is a condition that has lasted or is expected to last
for at least 12 months
- CSHCN42 – identifies children with special health care
needs
Columbia Impairment Scale (ages 5 - 17)
These questions inquired about possible child
behavioral problems and were asked in previous years. Respondents were asked to
rate on a scale from 0 to 4, where “0” indicates “No Problem” and “4” indicates
“A Very Big Problem”, how much of a problem the child has with thirteen
specified activities. A key reference for the Columbia Impairment Scale is:
Bird HR, Andrews H, et. al. “Global Measures of
Impairment for Epidemiologic and Clinical Use with Children and Adolescents.”
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, vol. 6, 1996, pp.
295-307.
Certain questions in this series were coded to “Asked,
but Inapplicable” (99) when the question was not applicable for a specific
child. For example, if a child’s mother was deceased, a question about how much
of a problem a child has getting along with his/her mother would be set to
“Asked, but Inapplicable” (99). Similarly, the question about problems getting
along with siblings would be set to “Asked, but Inapplicable” (99) for children
with no siblings. Variables in this set include:
- MOMPRO42 – getting along with mother
- DADPRO42 – getting along with father
- UNHAP42 – feeling unhappy or sad
- SCHLBH42 – (his/her) behavior at school
- HAVFUN42 – having fun
- ADUPRO42 – getting along with adults
- NERVAF42 – feeling nervous or afraid
- SIBPRO42 – getting along with brothers and sisters
- KIDPRO42 – getting along with other kids
- SPRPRO42 – getting involved in activities like sports or hobbies
- SCHPRO42 – (his/her) schoolwork
- HOMEBH42 – (his/her) behavior at home
- TRBLE42 – staying out of trouble
CAHPS® (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers
and Systems) ages 0 - 17
The health care quality measures were taken from the
health plan version of CAHPS®, an AHRQ sponsored family of survey instruments
designed to measure quality of care from the consumer’s perspective, and were
asked in the 2000 PAQ. All of the CAHPS® variables refer to events experienced
in the last 12 months. The variables included from the CAHPS® are:
- CHILCR42 – whether a person had an illness, injury, or condition that needed
care right away from a clinic, emergency room, or doctor’s office
- CHILWW42 – how often a person got care as soon as was needed (coded
as “-1 Inapplicable” when CHILCR42 = 2, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHRTCR42 – whether any appointments were made
- CHRTWW42 – how often a person got an appointment for
health care as soon as was needed (coded as “-1 Inapplicable” when
CHRTCR42 = 2, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHAPPT42 – how many times a person went to a doctor’s
office or clinic for health care
- CHNDCR42 – whether the parent or a doctor believed the
person needed any care, tests or treatment (coded as “-1
Inapplicable” when CHAPPT42 = 0, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHENEC42 – how often it was easy to get a person the
care, tests, or treatment that the parent or a doctor believed necessary (coded
as “-1 Inapplicable” when CHAPPT42 = 0, -7, -8, or -9 or when
CHNDCR42 = 2, -7, -8, or -9).
- CHLIST42 – how often a person’s doctors or other
health providers listened carefully to the parent (coded as “-1
Inapplicable” when CHAPPT42 = 0, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHEXPL42 – how often a person’s doctors or other
health providers explained things in a way the parent could understand (coded as
“-1 Inapplicable” when CHAPPT42 = 0, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHRESP42 – how often a person’s doctors or other health
providers showed respect for what the parent had to say (coded
as “-1 Inapplicable” when CHAPPT42 = 0, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHPRTM42 – how often doctors or other health providers
spent enough time with a person (coded as “-1 Inapplicable”
when CHAPPT42 = 0, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHHECR42 – rating of health care from 0 to 10 where 0
=Worst health care possible and 10=Best health care possible (coded
as “-1 Inapplicable” when CHAPPT42 = 0, -7, -8, or -9)
- CHSPEC42 – whether a person needed to see a specialist
- CHEYRE42 – how often it was easy to see a specialist
(coded as “-1 Inapplicable” when CHSPEC42 = 2, -7, -8, or -9).
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Child Preventive Care (age range depends on question)
A series of questions was asked about amounts and
types of preventive care a child may receive when going to see a doctor or other
health provider. Questions are asked of children of different age groups
depending on the nature of the questions. When a response to a gate question was
set to “No” (2), “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9),
follow-up variables based on the gate question were coded as “Inapplicable”
(-1). Variables in this set include:
- MESHGT42 – doctor or other health provider ever measured child’s height (0 – 17)
- WHNHGT42 – when doctor or other health provider
measured child’s height (0 – 17)
- MESWGT42 – doctor or other health provider ever
measured child’s weight (0 – 17)
- WHNWGT42 – when doctor or other health provider
measured child’s weight (0 – 17)
- CHBMIX42 – child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) as based on
child’s reported height and weight (6 – 17)
- MESVIS42 – doctor or other health provider ever
checked child’s vision (3 – 6)
- MESBPR42 – Doctor or other health provider ever
checked child’s blood pressure (2 – 17)
- WHNBPR42 – when doctor or other health provider
checked child’s blood pressure (2 – 17)
- DENTAL42 – doctor or other health provider ever
advised a dental checkup (2 – 17)
- WHNDEN42 – when doctor or other health provider
advised a dental checkup (2 – 17)
- EATHLT42 – doctor or other health provider ever given
advice about child’s eating healthy (2 – 17)
- WHNEAT42 – when doctor or other health provider gave
advice about eating healthy (2 – 17)
- PHYSCL42 – doctor or other health provider ever given
advice about the amount and kind of exercise, sports or physically active
hobbies the child should have (2 – 17)
- WHNPHY42 – when doctor or other health provider gave
advice about exercise (2 – 17)
- SAFEST42 – doctor or other health provider ever given
advice about using a safety seat when child rides in the car (weight <= 40
pounds or age 0 - 4 if weight is missing)
- WHNSAF42 – when doctor or other health provider gave
advice about using a safety seat (weight <= 40 pounds or age 0 - 4 if weight is
missing)
- BOOST42 – doctor or other health provider ever given
advice about using a booster seat when child rides in the car (weight between 41
and 80 pounds or age > 4 and age <= 9 if weight is missing)
- WHNBST42 – when doctor or other health provider gave
advice about using a booster seat (weight between 41 and 80 pounds or age > 4
and age <= 9 if weight is missing)
- LAPBLT42 – doctor or other health provider ever given
advice about using lap and shoulder belts when child rides in the car (weight >
80 pounds or age > 9 if weight is missing)
- WHNLAP42 – when doctor or other health provider gave
advice about using lap and shoulder belts (weight > 80 pounds or age > 9 if
weight is missing)
- HELMET42 – doctor or other health provider ever given
advice about the child’s using a helmet when riding a bicycle or motorcycle (2 –
17)
- WHNHEL42 – when doctor or other health provider gave
advice about the child’s using a helmet when riding a bicycle or motorcycle (2 –
17)
- NOSMOK42 – doctor or other health provider ever given
advice about how smoking in the house can be bad for child’s health (0 – 17)
- WHNSMK42 – when doctor or other health provider gave
advice about how smoking in the house can be bad for the child’s health (0 – 17)
- TIMALN42 – during last health care visit, doctor or
other health provider spent any time alone with the child (12 – 17)
Beginning in 2001, due to confidentiality concerns and
restrictions, the variables HGTFT42, HGTIN42, WGTLB42, and WGTOZ42, were dropped
from the Full-Year file. Instead, a Body Mass Index (BMI) variable, CHBMIX42, is
calculated and included for children 6-17 years old. Due to a high percentage of
missing height data for children ages 5 and under (34%), all children 5 and
under were given a “-1 Inapplicable” code for the variable CHBMIX42. CHBMIX42 is
included in the 2013 file and on the above list. Please note: analysts can have
access to the height and weight variables and/or can construct a BMI variable of
their own through the MEPS Data Center. To access information on the MEPS Data
Center including an application, please go to the following Web address:
meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/onsite_datacenter.jsp.
The steps used to calculate the BMI for children 6-17
are as follows:
- Construct child height and weight variables HGTFT42,
HGTIN42, WGTLB42, and WGTOZ42 based on collected data
- Create a preliminary data set containing height, weight,
sex, and age data
- Generate a preliminary child BMI using the preliminary data
set and the procedure for calculating the BMI for children as
described on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) Web site
- Create the child BMI variable CHBMIX42 using the preliminary
child BMI, setting all deceased persons, all persons over 17
years old, and all persons 5 years old or younger to
Inapplicable (-1)
Note that for FY 2013, child height and weight were
not top-coded prior to the construction of the preliminary data set. Where
height in feet was > 0 and height in inches was missing, the mid-point value for
height in inches (6 inches) was assigned to HGTIN42 for use in the calculation
of the child BMI. Where height in feet was 0 and height in inches was missing,
the preliminary child BMI was set to “Not Ascertained” (-9).
For cases where weight in pounds was between 1 and 20
and weight in ounces was missing (WGTOZ42 in (-7, -8, -9)), the mid-point value
for weight in ounces (8 ounces) was assigned to WGTOZ42 for use in the
calculation of the child BMI. Where weight in pounds was 0 and weight in ounces
was missing, the preliminary child BMI was set to “Not Ascertained” (-9).
This use of the mid-points for inches and ounces
ensures that children who have feet but not inches in height and/or pounds but
not ounces in weight are included in the BMI calculation.
As indicated in step 2 above, a preliminary SAS data
set containing height, weight, sex, and age data for children 6-17 years old in
FY 2013 was created. One SAS program and one SAS dataset were downloaded from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site for the purpose of
calculating the BMI for children (step 3). The program used the preliminary data
set of children to generate a preliminary child BMI based on the 2000 CDC growth
charts (www.cdc.gov/growthcharts).
The program used the following formula to calculate the preliminary BMI for
children:
Weight in Kilograms / [(Height in Centimeters/100)]2
Note that weight in pounds and ounces was converted to
weight in kilograms in the preliminary data set. Similarly, height in feet and
inches was converted to height in centimeters in the preliminary data set.
As indicated in step 4 above, the child BMI variable
CHBMIX42 was calculated using this preliminary BMI from step 3. Deceased
persons, persons > 17 years old, and children younger than 6 years old were set
to Inapplicable (-1) for CHBMIX42. Children 6-17 years old with a missing value
for height in feet (HGTFT42 is “Refused” (–7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9)) and/or weight in pounds (WGTLB42 is “Refused” (–7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9)) were set to Not Ascertained (-9) for
CHBMIX42. Children whose height in feet was 0 and height in inches was missing
(HGTIN42 is “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9)) were
set to “Not Ascertained” (-9) for CHBMIX42. Children whose weight in pounds was
0 and weight in ounces was missing (WGTOZ42 is “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know”
(-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9)) were set to “Not Ascertained” (-9) for
CHBMIX42. All other children 6-17 years old have a calculated BMI for FY 2013.
CHBMIX42 is not top- or bottom-coded or edited.
Return To Table Of Contents
For each person, excluding deceased persons, a series
of questions was asked about the receipt of preventive care or screening
examinations. Questions varied in the applicable age or gender subgroups to
which they pertained.
The list of preventive care variables, along with
their applicable subgroup is as follows:
- DENTCK53 – on average, frequency of dental check-up
Age > 1; both genders
- BPCHEK53 – how long since last blood pressure check
Age > 17; both genders
- CHOLCK53 – about how long since last blood cholesterol
check by doctor or health professional
Age >17; both genders
- CHECK53 – how long since last routine check-up by
doctor or other health professional for assessing overall health
Age >17; both genders
- NOFAT53 – has a doctor or other health professional
ever advised the person to eat fewer high fat or high cholesterol foods
Age > 17; both genders
- EXRCIS53 – has a doctor advised the person to exercise
more
Age > 17; both genders
- FLUSHT53 – how long since last flu vaccination
Age >17; both genders
- ASPRIN53 – does the person take aspirin frequently
Age > 17; both genders
- NOASPR53 – is taking aspirin unsafe due to a medical
condition
Age > 17; both genders; ASPRIN53 is “No” (2), “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8),
or “Not Ascertained” (-9)
- STOMCH53 – is taking aspirin unsafe due to a
stomach-related reason or something else
Age > 17; both genders; NOASPR53=1 (taking aspirin is not safe)
- LSTETH53 – has person lost all natural (permanent)
teeth
Age >17; both genders
- PSA53 – how long since last prostate specific antigen
(PSA) test
Age >39; males only
- HYSTER53 – had a hysterectomy
Age >17; females only
- PAPSMR53 – how long since last pap smear test
Age >17; females only
- BRSTEX53 – how long since last breast exam
Age >17; females only
- MAMOGR53 – how long since last mammogram
Age >29; females only
- BSTST53 – when last blood stool test using the home
kit
Age >39; both genders
- BSTSRE53 – reason for blood stool test
Age >39; BSTST53 indicates person had a blood stool test
- CLNTST53 – when last colonoscopy
Age >39; both genders
- CLNTRE53 – reason for colonoscopy
Age >39; CLNTST53 indicates person had a colonoscopy
- SGMTST53 – when last sigmoidoscopy
Age >39; both genders
- SGMTRE53 – reason for sigmoidoscopy
Age >39; SGMTST53 indicates person had a sigmoidoscopy
- PHYEXE53 – currently spends half hour or more in
moderate to vigorous physical activity at least five times a week
Age>17; both genders
- BMINDX53 – Adult Body Mass Index (BMI) as based on
reported height and weight
Age > 17; both genders
- SEATBE53 – wears seat belt when drives or rides in a
car
Age >15; both genders
For each of the variables above, a code of
“Inapplicable” (-1) was assigned if the person was deceased or if the person did
not belong to the applicable subgroups.
Beginning in FY 2013, BPMONT53 (# MOS SNCE LST BLOOD
PRES CHK (>17)-R5/3) was dropped from this file.
A Body Mass Index (BMI) variable, BMINDX53, is
calculated for adults 18 years of age or older. Please note: analysts can have
access to the height and weight variables and/or construct a BMI variable of
their own through the MEPS Data Center. To access information on the MEPS Data
Center including an application, please go to the following Web address:
meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/onsite_datacenter.jsp.
BMI categories for adults are the following:
- Underweight = BMI is less than 18.5,
- Normal Weight = BMI is between 18.5 – 24.9 inclusive,
- Overweight = BMI is between 25.0 – 29.9 inclusive, and
- Obesity = BMI greater than or equal to 30.0
The following formula used to calculate the BMI for
adults was taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) Web site:
BMI = [Weight in Pounds / (Height in Inches)2
] * 703
The steps used to calculate the BMI for adults are as
follows:
- Construct adult height, weight, and weight estimate
variables HGHTFT53, HGHTIN53, WEIGHT53, and WGTEST53
- Create the building block variable ADHGTIN, indicating total
height in inches for adults => 18 years old
- Create the temporary variable MIDWGT, indicating the
mid-point value of a person’s estimate of weight (WGTEST53)
- Create the adult BMI variable BMINDX53 using the building
block and the temporary variable, setting all deceased persons
and all persons < 18 years old to Inapplicable (-1)
Adult height and weight were not top- or bottom-coded
prior to the construction of the adult BMI.
The building block variable ADHGTIN was calculated as
[(HGHTFT53 * 12) + (HGHTIN53)] to indicate total adult height in inches, step 2.
Note that ADHGTIN was created for programming efficiency only and is not
included in this data release. For cases where height in feet was > 0 (HGHTFT53
> 0) and height in inches was missing (HGHTIN53 in (-7, -8, -9)), the mid-point
value for height in inches (6 inches) was used in the calculation of total
height in inches [ADHGTIN = (HGHTFT53 * 12) + 6]. This use of the mid-point for
inches ensures that adults who have feet but not inches in height are included
in the BMI calculation. ADHGTIN was set to Not Ascertained (-9) for all cases
where adult height in feet was “Refused”, “Don’t Know”, or “Not Ascertained”
(HGHTFT53 in (-7, -8, -9)). Deceased persons and persons whose age was less than
18 years old were set to Inapplicable (-1) for ADHGTIN.
The temporary variable MIDWGT was calculated to
indicate the mid-point value of person’s estimate of weight (WGTEST53), step 3.
Note that MIDWGT was created for programming efficiency only and is not included
in this data release.
The adult BMI variable BMINDX53 was calculated (step
4) using the building block variable ADHGTIN and adult weight in pounds
(WEIGHT53) as follows:
BMINDX53 = [WEIGHT53 / (ADHGTIN)2 ] * 703
For adults whose weight in pounds was “Don’t Know”
(WEIGHT53 = -8) and whose estimate of weight was > 0 (WGTEST53 between 1 and 6),
MIDWGT was used in the calculation of BMINDX53:
BMINDX53 = [MIDWGT / (ADHGTIN)2 ] * 703
BMINDX53 was set to “Not Ascertained” (-9) for adults
whose weight in pounds was “Refused” or “Not Ascertained” (WEIGHT53 in (-7,
-9)). BMINDX53 was set to “Not Ascertained” (-9) for adults whose weight in
pounds was “Don’t Know” (-8) and whose estimate of weight was “Refused”, “Don’t Know”, or “Not Ascertained” (WGTEST53 in (-7, -8, -9)). BMINDX53 was set to “Not Ascertained” (-9) for adults whose total height in inches was “Not Ascertained”
(ADHGTIN = -9). Deceased persons and persons whose age was less than 18 years
old were set to “Inapplicable” (-1) for BMINDX53.
BMINDX53 is not top- or bottom-coded or edited.
Return To Table Of Contents
The 2013 Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ), a
paper-and-pencil questionnaire, was fielded during Panel 17 Round 4 and Panel 18
Round 2 of the 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The survey was
designed to collect a variety of health status and health care quality measures
of adults. All adults age 18 and older as of the Round 2 or 4 interview date
(AGE42X >= 18) in MEPS households were asked to complete a SAQ. The
questionnaires were administered in late 2013 and early 2014.
The variable SAQELIG indicates the person’s
eligibility status for the SAQ. SAQELIG was used to construct the variables
based on the SAQ data. SAQELIG was coded “0” (Not Eligible For SAQ) if there was
no record for person in the round, if the person was deceased or
institutionalized, moved out of the US, moved to a military facility, if the
person’s disposition status was inapplicable, or if the person was less than 18
years old. SAQELIG was coded “1” (Eligible For SAQ and Has SAQ Data) if a SAQ
record existed for the person in Round 2 (for Panel 18) or Round 4 (for Panel
17). SAQELIG was coded “2” (Eligible For SAQ, But No SAQ Data) if no SAQ record
existed for the person in the round.
If a person was unable to respond to the SAQ, the
questionnaire was completed by a proxy, indicated by the variable ADPRX42
(ADPRX42 > 0). For the SAQ variables, a code of “Inapplicable” (-1) was assigned
if a person was not eligible or was eligible but no data existed based on
SAQELIG (SAQELIG was coded “0” or “2”). If a person was not assigned a positive
SAQ weight, all SAQ variables, with the exception of SAQELIG, were coded
“Inapplicable” (-1). When a gate question answer was set to “No” (2), follow-up variables based
on the gate question were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1). When a gate question
answer was set to “Refused” (-7), “Don’t Know” (-8), or “Not Ascertained” (-9), follow-up variable answers
were left as reported. A special weight variable (SAQWT13F) has been designed to
be used with the SAQ for persons who were age 18 and older at the interview
date. This weight adjusts for SAQ non-response and weights to the US civilian
noninstitutionalized population (see Section 3.0 “Survey Sample Information” for
details). The variables created from the SAQ begin with “AD”.
The language in which the SAQ was completed is
indicated by the variable ADLANG42. If the English version of the SAQ was
completed, ADLANG42 was coded “1” (English Version SAQ Was Administered). If the
Spanish version of the SAQ was completed, or if the English version was
translated into Spanish, ADLANG42 was coded “2” (Spanish Version SAQ Was
Administered). If the language in which the SAQ was administered was not
ascertained, ADLANG42 was coded “-9” (Not Ascertained).
The month and year the SAQ was completed are indicated
by the variables ADCMPM42 and ADCMPY42, respectively.
Health Care Quality
CAHPS® (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers
and Systems)
The health care quality measures in the SAQ were taken
from the health plan version of CAHPS®, an AHRQ-sponsored family of survey
instruments designed to measure quality of care from the consumer’s perspective.
All of the variables refer to events experienced in the last 12 months and were
asked of adults age 18 and older. The variables included from the CAHPS® are:
- ADILCR42 – Had an illness, injury or condition needing
care right away from a clinic, emergency room or doctor’s office
- ADILWW42 – If ADILCR42 = 1, how often got care right
away
- ADRTCR42 – Any appointment was made with a doctor or
clinic for health care
- ADRTWW42 – If ADRTCR42 = 1, how often got an
appointment for health care as soon as he or she thought it was needed
- ADAPPT42 – Number of times went to doctor’s office or
clinic to get care
- ADNDCR42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, whether you or a doctor
believed you needed any care, tests, or treatment
- ADEGMC42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0 and ADNDCR42= 1, how oftenit was easyto get care, tests or treatment you or a doctor believed
necessary
- ADLIST42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, how often health providers
listened carefully to you
- ADEXPL42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, how often health providers
explained things in a way that was easy to understand
- ADRESP42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, how often providers showed
respect for what you had to say
- ADPRTM42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, how often health providers
spent enough time with you
- ADINST42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, whether doctors or other
health providers gave instructions about what to do about a specific illness or
health condition
- ADEZUN42 – If ADINST42 = 1, how often the advice given
by doctors or other health providers was easy to understand
- ADTLHW42 – If ADINST42 = 1, how often doctors or other
health providers asked you to describe how you are going to follow their
instructions
- ADFFRM42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, whether had to fill out or
sign any forms at the doctor’s office or other health provider’s office
- ADFHLP42 – If ADFFRM42 = 1, how often you were offered
help with filling out forms at the office
- ADHECR42 – If ADAPPT42 > 0, rating of healthcare from
all doctors and other health providers, from 0 (worst health care possible) to
10 (best health care possible)
General Health
- ADSMOK42 – Currently smoke
- ADNSMK42 – If ADSMOK42 = 1, doctor advised you to quit
smoking
- ADDRBP42 – Blood pressure has been checked by a
doctor, nurse, or other health professional
- ADSPEC42 – Needed to see a specialist
- ADESSP42 – If ADSPEC42 = 1, how easy to see a
specialist
Beginning with the FY13 Consolidated file, the
variable ADSPRF42 (SAQ 12MOS: HOW ESY GETTING SPEC REFERRAL) is replaced by
ADESSP42 (SAQ 12MOS: HOW ESY TO SEE SPECIALIST).
Health Status
The SAQ contained three measures of health
status: the Short-Form 12 Version 2 (SF-12v2 (r), a registered trademark), the
Kessler Index (K6) of non-specific psychological distress, and the Patient
Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2). Key references for these three measures are:
- Ware, J.E., Kosinski, M., and Keller, S.D. (1996). A 12-item
short-form health survey: Construction of scales and preliminary
tests of reliability and validity. Medical Care 34:220.
- Kessler, R.C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L.J., Hiripi, E.,
Mroczek, D.K., Normand, S.-L., Walters, E.E., and Zaslavsky,
A.M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population
prevalence and trends in non-specific psychological distress.
Psychological Medicine 32: 959-976.
- Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R.L., and Williams, J.B. (2003). The
Patient Health Questionnaire-2: Validity of a two-item
depressive screener. Medical Care 41: 1284-1292.
The SF-12v2 questions are as follows:
- ADGENH42 – General health today
- ADDAYA42 – During a typical day, limitations in
moderate activities
- ADCLIM42 – During a typical day, limitations in
climbing several flights of stairs
- ADPALS42 – During past 4 weeks, as result of physical
health, accomplished less than would like
- ADPWLM42 – During past 4 weeks, as result of physical
health, limited in kind of work or other activities
- ADMALS42 – During past 4 weeks, as result of mental
problems, accomplished less than you would like
- ADMWLM42 – During past 4 weeks, as result of mental
problems, did work or other activities less carefully than usual
- ADPAIN42 – During past 4 weeks, pain interfered with
normal work outside the home and housework
- ADCAPE42 – During the past 4 weeks, felt calm and peaceful
- ADNRGY42 – During the past 4 weeks, had a lot of
energy
- ADDOWN42 – During the past 4 weeks, felt downhearted
and depressed
- ADSOCA42 – During the past 4 weeks, physical health or
emotional problems interfered with social activities
Short-Form 12 Version 2 (SF-12v2)
In analyzing data from the SF-12v2, the standard
approach is to form two summary scores based on responses to these questions.
The scoring algorithms for both the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the
Mental Component Summary (MCS) incorporate information from all 12 questions.
However, the PCS weights more heavily responses to the following questions:
ADGENH42, ADDAYA42, ADCLIM42, ADPALS42, ADPWLM42, and ADPAIN42. The MCS weights
more heavily responses to the following questions: ADDOWN42, ADCAPE42, ADMALS42,
ADMWLM42, and ADSOCA42. The algorithm for computing the PCS and the MCS summary
scores may be available through Optum™. For more information see
www.optum.com/optum-outcomes/what-we-do/health-surveys/sf-12v2-health-survey.html
The PCS and MCS cannot be computed directly if a
person has missing data for any of the twelve items. A proprietary method was
used for imputing the PCS and MCS scores if some data are missing. PCS and MCS
scores calculated according to the standard algorithm and incorporating
imputations for some cases with missing data
are available for analysts in this file. The PCS-12 score is PCS42, and
the MCS-12 score is MCS42. Note that negative values are possible in PCS42 and
MCS42 in rare cases. There are no records in 2013 where MCS42 or PCS42 is set to
a negative value. Persons who were not eligible for the SAQ, or who were
eligible but for whom no data existed based on SAQELIG, or who did not have a
positive SAQ weight, were set to “Inapplicable” (-1) for PCS42 and MCS42. (These
persons were set to missing in 2002.)
The variables PCS42 and MCS42 include cases in which
the scores were imputed. SFFLAG42 indicates whether the physical component
summary, PCS42, or the mental component, MCS42, was imputed for a respondent. In
some cases the software could not impute a score due to amount of missing data;
these cases have SFFLAG42 = 0 (No). (This represents a change from 2002, when
these cases had SFFLAG42 = 1 (Yes)). Persons who were not eligible for the SAQ,
or who were eligible but for whom no data existed based on SAQELIG, or who did
not have a positive SAQ weight, were set to “Inapplicable” (-1) for SFFLAG42.
(These persons were set to missing in 2002.)
In 2000, 2001, and 2002, MEPS used Version 1 of the
SF-12. The PCS and MCS scores based on Version 1 of the SF-12 in these years
were based on norms from 1990. Version 2 scores are based on norms from a 1998
national study. To appropriately compare Version 1 scores with Version 2 scores,
Version 1 scores need to be rescaled to 1998 norms. This can be done by adding
1.07897 to PCS scores from Version 1, and by subtracting 0.16934 from Version 1
MCS scores. For full details, please consult the SF-12 reference manual:
Ware, Jr., J.E., Kosinski, M., Turner-Bowker, DM, and
Gandek, B. How to Score Version 2 of the SF-12 (r) Health Survey.
(October, 2002). QualityMetric, Inc., Lincoln, RI.
Non-Specific Psychological Distress
The 2013 SAQ includes six mental health-related
questions, using the “K-6” scale developed by R.C. Kessler and colleagues. These
questions assess the person’s non-specific psychological distress during the
past 30 days.
The non-specific psychological distress variables are
as follows:
- ADNERV42 – During the past 30 days, felt nervous
- ADHOPE42 – During the past 30 days, felt hopeless
- ADREST42 – During the past 30 days, felt restless or
fidgety
- ADSAD42 – During the past 30 days, felt so sad that
nothing could cheer the person up
- ADEFRT42 – During the past 30 days, felt that
everything was an effort
- ADWRTH42 - During the past 30 days, felt worthless
Kessler Index (K6)
A summary of the six variables above provides an index
to measure non-specific, rather than disorder-specific, psychological distress,
using the following values:
- 0 None of the Time
- 1 A Little of the Time
- 2 Some of the Time
- 3 Most of the Time
- 4 All of the Time
The index, called K6SUM42, is a summation of the
values of the six variables above. The higher the value of K6SUM42, the greater
the person’s tendency towards mental disability.
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2)
The 2013 SAQ includes two additional mental health
questions. These questions assess the frequency of the person’s depressed mood
and decreased interest in usual activities.
- ADINTR42 – During the past two weeks, bothered by
having little interest or pleasure in doing things
- ADDPRS42 – During the past two weeks, bothered by
feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
PHQ242 is a summation of the values of the two
variables above, with scores ranging from 0 through 6. The higher the value of
PHQ242, the greater the person’s tendency towards depression. Kroenke et al.
(2004) suggest a score of 3 as the optimal cut point for screening purposes.
Note that these items are intended as a screening measure for depression and are
not equivalent to a DSM-IV diagnosis of depression.
Attitudes about Health
The SAQ included four questions that ascertain certain
health-related attitudes. Two items (ADINSA42 and ADINSB42) deal with attitudes
toward health insurance. The other two questions (ADRISK42 and ADOVER42) deal
with attitudes that might influence decisions to purchase health insurance or to
use health services. These items were used in the 1987 National Medical
Expenditure Survey. No editing has been performed for these items.
- ADINSA42 – Do not need health insurance
- ADINSB42 – Health insurance is not worth the money it
costs
- ADRISK42 – More likely to take risks than the average
person
- ADOVER42 – Can overcome illness without help from a
medically trained person
When using the SAQ and DCS variables in analysis,
weights specific to each of these sets of questions should be used (SAQWT13F,
DIABW13F). For persons who are not assigned a positive SAQ weight, the SAQ
variables are recoded to “Inapplicable” (-1). Please see Section 3.0 “Survey
Sample Information” for details.
Return To Table Of Contents
The Diabetes Care Survey (DCS), a self-administered
paper-and-pencil questionnaire, was fielded during Panel 17, Round 5 and Panel
18, Round 3. Households received a DCS based on their response to DIABDX in the
Priority Conditions Enumeration (PE) section of the CAPI instrument, which asks
whether the person was ever told by a doctor or health professional that he/she
had diabetes. REFDIAB, collected at PC02A, allows the respondent to indicate
that diabetes was reported in the PE section in error (REFDIAB = 2). Respondents
were not prompted to confirm or deny the report of diabetes; REFDIAB was set to
“2” (Person Does Not Have Diabetes) only if the respondent offered the
information. DIABDX is set to “No” (2) and the DCS was not distributed to
persons who reported diabetes in error.
The DCS asks the same question as DIABDX with
responses summarized in the variable DSDIA53. DSDIA53 confirms that the person
has ever been told by a health professional that he/she had diabetes or sugar
diabetes. For a small number of cases DIABDX =YES (1) but DSDIA53 = NO (2).
These people do not have a positive DCS weight. The DCS data are unedited, and,
therefore, these and other data inconsistencies remain in the data. For all
persons 17 years of age or younger, all the DCS variables are set to
“Inapplicable” (-1) because there is not an appropriate weight included on the
file to make national estimates for this population.
DSA1C53 indicates the number of times the respondent
reported having a hemoglobin A1c blood test in 2013. Note that, prior to 2005,
DSA1C53 did not reflect whether the person had a hemoglobin A1c blood test, only
whether the person had a hemoglobin A1c test. DSFT1453, DSFT1353, DSFT1253,
DSFB1253, and DSFTNV53 indicate whether the respondent reported having his or
her feet checked for sores or irritations: in 2014, in 2013, in 2012, before
2012, or never, respectively. DSEY1453, DSEY1353, DSEY1253, DSEB1253 and
DSEYNV53 indicate whether the respondent reported having an eye exam in which
the pupils were dilated: in 2014, in 2013, in 2012, before 2012, or never,
respectively. DSCH1453, DSCH1353, DSCH1253, DSCB1253, and DSCHNV53 indicate the
last time the respondent reported having his or her blood cholesterol checked:
in 2014, in 2013, in 2012, before 2012, or never, respectively. DSFL1453,
DSFL1353, DSFL1253, DSVB1253, and DSFLNV53 indicate the when the person got a
flu vaccination including the flu vaccine nasal spray: in 2014, in 2013, in
2012, before 2012, or never, respectively. DSKIDN53 and DSEYPR53 ascertain
whether the diabetes has caused kidney or eye problems, respectively. DSDIET53,
DSMED53, and DSINSU53 indicate if the respondent reported being treated for
his/her diabetes by the following methods: diet, oral medications, or insulin,
respectively.
The five variables that assess different ways the
person with diabetes can learn about diabetes care are: DSCPCP53 (learned care
from a primary care provider), DSCNPC53 (learned care from a provider not in the
person’s primary care practice), DSCPHN53 (learned care from a phone call with a
provider), DSCINT53 (learned care from reading about it on the internet),
DSCGRP53 (learned care by taking a group class). Creation of these variables is
based on the answer to a gate question, which asks, “During the last 12 months,
have you learned how to take care of your diabetes?” Please note that there is
no variable listed in the codebook to indicate the answer to that question,
since it is only used for creation of the follow-up variables DSCPCP53,
DSCNPC53, DSCPHN53, DSCINT53, and DSCGRP53. These follow-up variables are set to
Inapplicable (-1) for persons who report not having learned how to take
care of their diabetes during the last 12 months. The variable DSCONF53
indicates how confident the person is in treating his or her diabetes. Those
variables that indicate a range of care outside the data year may represent
persons with additional information included on the 2012 or the 2014 Full Year
Consolidated PUF. Additional data for the second-year panel may be available on
the 2012 PUF.
If a person was unable to respond to the DCS, the
questionnaire was completed by a proxy (DSPRX53 = 1). A special weight variable
(DIABW13F) has been designed to be used with DCS data. This weight adjusts for
DCS nonresponse and weights to the number of diabetics in the US civilian
noninstitutionalized population in 2013 (see Section 3.0 “Survey Sample
Information” for details). Please note that the weighted frequencies displayed
in the HC-163 codebook for the health status variables collected in the SAQ and
DCS (as designated in the variable labels) are based on the full-year 2013
person weight PERWT13F. However, when using these variables in analysis, weights
specific to each of these sets of questions should be used (SAQWT13F, DIABW13F).
For persons who are not assigned a positive DCS weight, the DCS variables are
recoded to “Inapplicable” (-1). Please see Section 3.0 “Survey Sample
Information” for details.
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The Disability Days (DD) section of the core interview
contains questions about time lost from work or school because of a physical
illness or injury, or a mental or emotional problem. Data were collected on each
individual in the household. These questions were repeated in each round of
interviews; this file contains data from Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of the MEPS Panel
17, initiated in 2012, and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of the MEPS Panel 18, initiated in
2013. The number at the end of the variable name (31, 42, or 53) identifies the
rounds in which the information was collected.
The reference period for these questions is the time
period between the beginning of the panel or the previous interview date and the
current interview date. In order to establish the length of a round, analysts
are referred to the variables that indicate the beginning date and ending date
of each round (BEGRFD##, BEGRFM##, BEGRFY##, ENDRFD##, ENDRFM##, and ENDRFY##).
Analysts should be aware that Round 3 is conducted across years. The Disability
Days variables reflect only the data pertinent to the calendar year (i.e., the
current delivery year of 2013). Previously, some data from Round 3 pertained to
the following year. Analysts who are interested in examining disability days
data across years can link to other person-level PUFs using the DUPERSID.
The flow of the Disability Days section relies on the
person’s age as of the interview date. Therefore, the round-specific constructed
age variables (AGE31X, AGE42X, and AGE53X) are used to construct the comparable
round-specific Disability Days PUF variables. Due to the age-specific nature of
the Disability Days section, age data from other rounds are not used should the
person’s age for the round be missing.
The variables DDNWRK31, DDNWRK42, and DDNWRK53
represent the number of times the person lost a half-day or more from work
because of illness, injury, or mental or emotional problems during Rounds 31,
42, and 53, respectively. A response of “no work days lost” was coded zero; if
the person did not work, these variables were coded -1 (Inapplicable). The
analyst should note that there are cases where EMPST## = 1 or 2 (has current job
or job to return to) where DDNOWORK indicates work around the house only. This
is because the responses to the Disability Days questions are independent of the
responses to the employment questions. Persons who were less than 16 years old
or whose age is missing (AGE##X is set to -1) were not asked about work days
lost, thus these variables are also coded -1 (Inapplicable).
DDNSCL31, DDNSCL42, and DDNSCL53 indicate the number
of times that a person missed a half-day or more of school during Rounds 31, 42,
or 53, respectively. These questions were asked of persons aged 3 to 22; persons
aged less than 3 or older than 22 and persons whose age is missing did not
receive these questions and are coded as -1 on these variables (in a small
number of cases this was not done for the 1996 data, the analyst will need to
make this edit when doing longitudinal analyses). A code of -1 may also indicate
that the person does not attend school. The analyst should be aware that there
was no attempt to reconcile school days lost with the time of year (e.g., summer
vacation). In order to establish time of year, analysts are referred to the
variables that indicate the beginning date and ending date of each round
(BEGRFD##, BEGRFM##, BEGRFY##, ENDRFD##, ENDRFM##, and ENDRFY##).
Beginning in FY 2013, the variables WRKINBED (Work
Days Missed To Stay In Bed), SCLINBED (Missed Schl Days To Stay In Bed),
DDBEDAYS (Other Days Spend In Bed Since Start Day), and the related variables
WKBEDLYR (Work Days Missed To Stay In Bed Last Yr), SCBEDLYR (Missed Schl Days
To Stay In Bed Last Yr), and BEDAYLYR (Other Days Spent In Bed Last Year) were
not collected. Any conditions that could be created from these questions were
not collected.
A final set of variables indicate if an individual
took a half-day or more off from work to care for the health problems of another
individual in the family. OTHDYS31, OTHDYS42, and OTHDYS53 indicate if a person
missed work because of someone else’s illness, injury, or health care needs, for
example to take care of a sick child or relative. These variables each have
three possible answers: yes - missed work to care for another (coded 1); no –
did not miss work to care for another (coded 2); or the person does not work
(coded 2), based on responses to the DDNWRK variable for the same round. Persons
younger than 16 and persons whose age is missing were not asked these questions
and are coded as -1 (in a small number of cases this was not done for the 1996
data, the analyst will need to make this edit when doing longitudinal analyses).
OTHNDD31, OTHNDD42, and OTHNDD53 indicate the number
of days during each round in which work was lost because of another’s health
problem. Persons younger than 16, those whose age is missing, those who do not
work, and those who answer “no” to OTHDYS are skipped out of OTHNDD and receive
codes of -1.
Note that, because Disability Days variables use only
those Round 3 data pertinent to the data year, it is possible to have a person
report missing work to care for the health problems of another individual
(OTHDYS## = 1) but report no days missed (OTHNDD## = 0). This combination
indicates that the person did not miss those work days during the data year. For
OTHDYS31, a value of ‘0’ indicates that the person missed no work during the
2013 portion of Panel 17 Round 3 (i.e. any missed work days reported here
occurred in the 2012 portion of Panel 17 Round 3). For OTHDYS53, a value of ‘0’
indicates that the person missed no work during the 2013 portion of Panel 18
Round 3 (i.e. any missed work days reported here occurred in the 2014 portion of
Panel 18 Round 3).
Editing was done on these variables to preserve the
skip patterns. No imputation was done for those with missing data.
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The variables ACCELI42 through PMDLPR42 describe data
from the Access to Care (AC) section of the MEPS HC questionnaire, which was
administered in Panel 17 Round 4 and Panel 18 Round 2. This supplement serves a
number of purposes in the MEPS HC by gathering information on family members’
origins and preferred languages from 2002 to 2012; family members’ usual source
of health care; characteristics of usual source of health care providers; access
to and satisfaction with the usual source of health care provider; and access
to medical treatment, dental treatment, and prescription medicines. The
variable ACCELI42 indicates whether persons were eligible to receive the Access
to Care questions. Persons with ACCELI42 set to ‘-1’ (Inapplicable) should be
excluded from estimates made with the Access to Care data.
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Beginning in 2013, three questions concerning whether
a person was born in the U.S. were asked in the Demographic section of the
interview and replaced similar questions that had been asked in the Access to
Care (AC) section (USBORN42, USLIVE42). Information about the 2013 residency
questions and variables are in Section 2.5.3, Demographic variables. These AC
questions were previously asked only if a language other than English was spoken
in the home (AC01), not all members of the household were comfortable speaking
English (AC02), and only of those persons selected at AC02A as being
uncomfortable speaking English. Because of this narrow population, these
variables were not included in the 2005 or 2006 person-level files. Beginning in
2007, they are asked of all RU members regardless of language most often spoken
in the home or whether all household members are comfortable speaking English.
For Panel 17, the 2012 Round 2 Access to Care variable
(USBORN42) was brought forward to the FY 2013 PUF. USLIVE42, was also brought
forward from the 2012 Access to Care variables but, for confidentiality, was
converted to a categorical format and renamed LIVEUS42 to provide the number of
years a person has lived in the U.S. Both USBORN42 and LIVEUS42 have a value of
-1 (Inapplicable) for anyone not in Panel 17 Round 2 and everyone in Panel 18.
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Starting in 2013, three language questions were asked
in the Demographic section of the interview, RE102, RE102A, RE102B (OTHLANG,
LANGSPK, HWELLSPE), and replaced the language questions that had been asked in
the Access to Care section, AC01, AC02, AC02A (LANGHM42, ENGCMF42, ENGSPK42).
Information about the 2013 language questions and variables is in Section 2.5.3,
Demographic variables.
Starting with 2002 data through 2012, the AC section
ascertained in which language the person preferred to speak at home (LANGHM42)
and whether or not persons were comfortable conversing in English (ENGSPK42)
From 2003 to 2007, all households eligible for the AC
section were asked what language was spoken in their home most of the time, and
households where the language was not English were asked whether all members of
the household were comfortable conversing in English (ENGHME42). If not all
persons in the household were comfortable conversing in English, the AC section
asked which persons were not comfortable conversing in English (ENGSPK42).
From 2008 to 2011, all households eligible for the AC
section were asked what language was spoken in their home most of the time and
also asked whether all members of the household were comfortable conversing in
English (ENGCMF42). If not all persons in the household were comfortable
conversing in English, the AC section asked which persons were not comfortable
conversing in English (ENGSPK42).
In 2011 and 2012, the editing of ENGSPK42 changed.
From 2003 through 2010, -1 (Not Applicable) indicated persons in households not
eligible for the AC section, or in households eligible for the AC section in
which all members were comfortable conversing in English or it could not be
determined whether all members of the household were comfortable conversing in
English. In 2011 and 2012, ENGSPK42 = -1 (Not Applicable) indicates persons in
households not eligible for the AC section or in households eligible for the AC
section in which it could not be determined whether all members of the household
were comfortable conversing in English; all persons in households eligible for
the AC section in which all members were comfortable conversing in English have
ENGSPK42 = 2 (No, not “not comfortable conversing in English”).
Analysts examining 2002 data should note that, in
2002, the variable ENGSPK42 indicated persons who were comfortable conversing in
English. Since 2003, ENGSPK42 indicates those persons who are not comfortable
speaking English. Therefore, ENGSPK42 = 1 (Yes) in 2002 is the same as ENGSPK42
= 2 (No) in 2003 through the present, and ENGSPK42 = 2 (No) in 2002 is the same
as ENGSPK42 = 1 (Yes) in 2003 through the present.
For Panel 17, the 2012 Round 2 Access to Care
variables (LANGHM42, ENGCMF42, ENGSPK42) were brought forward to the FY 2013
file and have a value of -1 (Inapplicable) for anyone not in Panel 17 Round 2,
and for everyone in Panel 18.
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For each individual family member, the AC section
ascertains whether there is a particular doctor’s office, clinic, health center,
or other place that the individual usually goes to if he/she is sick or needs
advice about his/her health (HAVEUS42).
YNOUSC42 indicates the main reason why a person does
not have a usual source of care (USC) provider. For those family members who do
not have a USC provider, question AC07 ascertains the main reason why.
- 1 Seldom or Never Sick
- 2 Recently Moved to Area
- 3 Don’t Know Where to Go
- 4 USC in Area Not Available
- 5 Can’t Find Provider Who Speaks Language
- 6 Goes Different Places for Diff Needs
- 7 Just Changed Insurance Plans
- 8 Don’t Use Docs/Treat Self
- 9 Cost of Medical Care
- 10 No Health Insurance
- 91 Other Reason
If persons choose ‘91’ (Other Reason) at AC07, they
are asked at AC07OV to provide a verbal explanation of what the main reason is
that they do not have a USC provider. These “text strings” can be recoded to one
of the existing categorical values listed above or, if the frequency of the
response warrants it, additional categorical values. Recoding is described in
greater detail below.
Family members without a USC provider are then asked
AC08, which ascertains whether there are any additional reasons why. The person
may choose one or more reasons. A variable is constructed for each reason why:
- NOREAS42 No Other Reason
- SELDSI42 Seldom or Never Sick
- NEWARE42 Recently Moved to Area
- DKWHRU42 Don’t Know Where to Go
- USCNOT42 USC in Area Not Available
- PERSLA42 Can’t Find Provider Who Speaks Language
- DIFFPL42 Goes Different Places For Diff Needs
- INSRPL42 Just Changed Insurance Plans
- MYSELF42 Don’t Use Docs/Treat Self
- CARECO42 Cost of Medical Care
- NOHINS42 No Health Insurance
- OTHREA42 Other Reason
These variables reflect the answer categories given at
AC08. If persons choose ‘91’ (Other Reason) at AC08, they are asked at AC08OV to
provide a verbal explanation of what the additional reason is that they do not
have a USC provider. These “text strings” can be recoded to one of the existing
yes/no variables listed above or, if the frequency of response warrants it, an
additional yes/no variable. Recoding is described in greater detail below.
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The AC section collects information about the
different characteristics of each unique USC provider for a given family. If a
person does not have a USC provider (HAVEUS42 is set to ‘2’ (No), ‘-7’
(Refused), ‘-8’ (Don’t Know) or ‘-9’ (Not Ascertained)), then these variables
are set to ‘-1’ (Inapplicable).
The basis for the AC provider questions is PROVTY42.
This variable indicates whether the person’s provider is a facility (‘1’), a
person (‘2’), or a person-in-facility (‘3’). PROVTY42 is a copy of PROVTYPE
(Provider Type) for persons who have a USC provider.
Depending on how PROVTY42 is set, persons are asked
about the provider’s location, the provider’s personal characteristics (e.g.,
race), the provider’s accessibility, and the person’s satisfaction with the
provider.
Provider Location
Two variables indicate the location of the provider.
For facility or person-in-facility type providers, PLCTYP42 indicates whether
the person’s facility is a Hospital Clinic/Outpatient Department (‘1’), a
Hospital Emergency Room (‘2’), or a Non-Hospital Place (‘3’). According to CAPI
flow, persons do not report the type of facility for person-type providers;
therefore, if PROVTY42 is set to ‘2’ (Person), PLCTYP42 is set to ‘-1’
(Inapplicable). For all provider types, including person-type, LOCATN42
indicates whether the person’s provider is located in an Office (‘1’), a
Hospital but Not the Emergency Room (‘2’), or a Hospital Emergency Room (‘3’).
Personal Characteristics of Providers
For person and person-in-facility type providers,
TYPEPE42 indicates what type of doctor or other medical provider the person’s
provider is. The possible values include:
- 1 MD – General/Family Practice
- 2 MD – Internal Medicine
- 3 MD – Pediatrics
- 4 MD – OB/Gyn
- 5 MD – Surgery
- 6 MD – Other
- 7 Chiropractor
- 8 Nurse
- 9 Nurse Practitioner
- 10 Physician’s Assistant
- 11 Other Non-MD Provider
- 12 Unknown
- 13 MD - Cardiologist
- 14 Doctor of Osteopathy
- 15 MD – Endocrinologist
- 16 MD – Gastroenterologist
- 17 MD – Geriatrician
- 18 MD – Nephrologist
- 19 MD – Oncologist
- 20 MD – Pulmonologist
- 21 MD – Rheumatologist
- 22 Psychiatrist / Psychologist
- 23 MD – Neurologist
- 24 Alternative Care Provider
TYPEPE42 is constructed using variables collected at
several questions: AC15 “Is provider a medical doctor?” (PROV.MEDTYPE); AC16 “Is
provider a nurse, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, midwife, or some
other kind of person?” (PROV.OTHTYPE); and AC17 “What is provider’s specialty?”
(PROV.MDSPECLT). If persons choose ‘91’ (Other) at AC16 or AC17, they are asked
at AC16OV or AC17OV, respectively, to provide a verbal explanation of the type
of provider or medical doctor. These “text strings” can be recoded to one of the
existing categorical values listed above or, if the frequency of the response
warrants it, additional categorical values. Recoding is described in greater
detail below.
The AC section also collects demographic information
about person and person-in-facility type providers (PROVTY42 = 2 or 3). Six
variables indicate the provider’s race: WHITPR42 (white), BLCKPR42
(Black/African American), ASIANP42 (Asian), NATAMP42 (Indian/Native
American/Alaska Native), PACISP42 (Other Pacific Islander) and OTHRCP42 (Other
Race). The respondent may choose more than one race for a single provider. These
variables reflect the answer categories given at AC19. If respondents choose
‘91’ (Some Other Race) at AC19, they are asked at AC19OV to provide a verbal
explanation of the provider’s race. These “text strings” can be recoded to one
of the existing yes/no variables listed above or, if the frequency of response
warrants it, an additional yes/no variable. Recoding is described in greater
detail below.
In addition to the race variables, two other
demographic variables are created: HSPLAP42 indicates whether the provider is
Hispanic or Latino, and GENDRP42 indicates whether the provider is Male (‘1’) or
Female (‘2’).
Using Constructed Variables to Describe the Usual
Source of Care Provider
These variables describing a person’s USC provider can
be used in combination to present a broader picture of the provider. For
example, a person-in-facility provider with a particular person named who is a
white, Hispanic, female pediatrician, with no other race specified, and whose
location is in an office in a hospital is coded as:
- PROVTY42 = 3
- PLCTYP42 = 1
- TYPEPE42 = 3
- HSPLAP42 = 1
- WHITPR42 = 1
- BLCKPR42 = 2
- ASIANP42 = 2
- NATAMP42 = 2
- PACISP42 = 2
- OTHRCP42 = 2
- GENDRP42 = 2
- LOCATN42 = 1
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The AC section collects information regarding the
person’s ability to access the USC provider as well as the person’s satisfaction
with the USC provider.
Access to the Provider
Two variables describe the person’s method of
traveling to the USC provider. GOTOUS42 indicates how the person travels to the
USC provider: Drives (‘1’), Is Driven (‘2’), Taxi, Bus, Train, Other Public Transportation (‘3’), Walks (‘4’), or Some Other Way (‘5’). TMTKUS42 indicates how long it takes the person to travel to the USC provider: Less Than 15 Minutes (‘1’), 15 to 30 Minutes (‘2’), 31 to 60 Minutes (‘3’), 61 to 90 Minutes (‘4’), 91 Minutes to 120 Minutes (‘5’), or More than 120 Minutes (‘6’).
OFFHOU42, DFTOUS42, PHNREG42, and AFTHOU42 assess
aspects of the provider that may make it difficult for the person to get in
contact with the USC provider. OFFHOU42 indicates whether the provider has
office hours at night or on the weekend. The remaining three variables reflect
the person’s rating of the difficulty of accessing the USC provider by travel
(DFTOUS42), by phone (PHNREG42), and after hours (AFTHOU42). The person has the
following choices: Very Difficult (‘1’), Somewhat Difficult (‘2’), Not Too
Difficult (‘3’), or Not at All Difficult (‘4’).
Satisfaction with the Provider
These variables reflect the person’s confidence in,
and satisfaction with, the USC provider. Four different facets of the person’s
level of confidence in the USC provider are examined: Is the provider the person
or place family members would go to for routine or minor health problems
(MINORP42), preventive health care (PREVEN42), referrals to other health
professionals (REFFRL42), or ongoing health problems (ONGONG42). The person’s
level of satisfaction with the USC provider is examined in five ways: Does the
USC provider: usually ask about prescription medications and treatments other
doctors may give them (TREATM42), ask about and show respect for medical,
traditional, and alternative treatments that the person is happy with
(RESPCT42), ask the person to help make decisions between a choice of treatments
(DECIDE42), present and explain all options to the person (EXPLOP42), and speak
the person’s language or provide translator services, based on AC31. Two
variables based on AC31 will be delivered for FY 2013 only: LANGPR42 (Panel 17)
and PRVSPK42 (Panel 18).
For Panel 17, LANGPR42 is a copy of the 2012 variable
for persons who, in 2013 were eligible for the Access to Care supplement and had
a usual source of care, and were present in the household in 2012 for Panel 17
Round 2. Those not meeting these criteria were set to ‘-1’ “Inapplicable”.
LANGPR42 is set to ‘-1’ for all persons in Panel 18.
For Panel 18, PRVSPK42 is set to a value other than -1
for persons eligible for the Access to Care supplement, who had a usual source
of care, and were identified as speaking a language other than English at home
(OTHLANG = ‘1’) and speaking English either “Not Well” or “Not at All” (HWELLSPE
= ‘3’ or ‘4’). PRVSPK42 is set to ‘-1’ for all persons not meeting this criteria
or who were deceased, institutionalized, or younger than 5 years of age.
PRVSPK42 is set to ‘-1’ for all persons in Panel 17.
The labels for the variables LANGPR42 and PRVSPK42
indicate the rounds that these variables represent.
In 2013 only, if the person was under 5 years old in
Round 1 and turned 5 in Round 2, the source data are missing per design. For
these 4 records, PRVSPK42 was set to ‘1’, based on AC31.
Prior to 2003, all household members who shared a USC
provider and where at least one RU member with that USC provider had LANGHM42
(AC01 PERS LANGUAGE PRFERNCE AT HOME-R4/2) set to either ‘2’ (SPANISH) or ‘3’
(ANOTHER LANGUAGE) had LANGPR42 set. Starting in 2003, only those persons who
are not comfortable speaking English (ENGSPK42 (AC02A NOT COMFRTBLE SPEAKING
ENGLISH-R4/2) = 1) have LANGPR42 set.
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The Access to Care supplement gathers information on
family members’ abilities to receive treatment and receive it without delay.
These questions are split into three sections inquiring about medical, dental,
and prescription medicine treatments. Each section inquires whether the person
was unable to receive treatment (MDUNAB42, DNUNAB42, PMUNAB42) or was delayed in
receiving treatment (MDDLAY42, DNDLAY42, PMDLAY42). A value of ‘1’ (Yes) for
these two sets of variables indicates that the person needed treatment but was
unable to receive it or was delayed in receiving it. A value of ‘2’ (No) for
these two sets of variables indicates that either the person did not need
treatment or the person needed treatment and was able to receive it without
delay. If the person was unable to receive treatment, the respondent was asked
why (MDUNRS42, DNUNRS42, PMUNRS42). Respondents were also asked why there was
delay in receiving treatment (MDDLRS42, DNDLRS42, PMDLRS42). Possible reasons
include:
- 1 Could Not Afford Care
- 2 Ins Co Would Not Approve/Cover/Pay
- 3 Doctor Refused Family Ins Plan
- 4 Problems Getting To Doctor’s Office
- 5 Different Language
- 6 Could Not Get Time Off Work
- 7 DK Where To Go To Get Care
- 8 Was Refused Services
- 9 Could Not Get Child Care
- 10 Did Not Have Time or Took Too Long
- 91 Other
Finally, respondents were also asked how much of a
problem was not receiving treatment (MDUNPR42, DNUNPR42, PMUNPR42) or being
delayed in receiving treatment (MDDLPR42, DNDLPR42, PMDLPR42).
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Editing consisted primarily of logical editing for
consistency with skip patterns. Other editing included the construction of new
response values and new variables describing the recoding of several “other
specify” text items into existing or new categorical values, which are described
below.
In previous years, not all variables or categories
that appear in the Access to Care section of the HC questionnaire are included
on the file, as some small cell sizes have been suppressed to maintain
confidentiality. No variable or category was suppressed in 2013.
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For Access to Care items AC07, AC08, AC16, AC17, and
AC19, the “other specify” text responses were reviewed and coded as an existing
or new value for the related categorical variable (for AC07, AC16, and AC17), or
coded as an existing or new “yes/no” variable (for items AC08 and AC19). Note
that, starting in 2005, additional categories and variables are retained for low
frequency responses to allow for pooling data. In 2009, No Health Insurance was
added as category ‘10’ at AC07 and AC08 for the main reason and for another
reason why a person does not have a usual source of care. In order to
distinguish between category ‘10’ selected within CAPI (No Health Insurance) and
category ‘10’ in recoding (Other Insurance Related Reason), the recoding
category for Other Insurance Related Reason was updated to category ‘24’. In
order to compare data from 2009 or later with data previous to 2009, users can
compare a combination of the CAPI category ‘10’ and recoding category ‘24’ for
2009 or later with the previous recoding category ‘10’ alone.
The following are the additional codes or variables
which were created from these “other specify” text responses.
For item AC07 (“What is the main reason person does
not have a usual source of health care”), the following additional values were
available for the variable YNOUSC42:
- 11 Job-Related Reasons
- 12 Looking for a New Doctor
- 13 Doctor is Located Elsewhere
- 14 Don’t Like/Don’t Trust Doctors
- 15 Health-Related Reasons
- 16 Newborn-No Doctor Yet
- 17 Self, Relative, or Friend is a Doctor
- 19 Care Available on Job
- 20 Will Not Go to the Doctor
- 21 Problems with Time and Transportation
- 22 Person Goes to a Hospital, Clinic, or Emergency Room
- 23 Uses Alternative Care
- 24 Other Insurance Related Reason
For item AC08 (“What are the other reasons person does
not have a usual source of health care”), the
following additional variables were constructed:
- OTHINS42 For Other Insurance Reasons;
- JOBRSN42 For Job-Related Reasons;
- NEWDOC42 Is Looking for a Doctor;
- DOCELS42 Doctor is Located Elsewhere;
- NOLIKE42 Does Not Like Doctor;
- HEALTH42 Health-Related Reasons;
- KNOWDR42 The Person Knows or is a Doctor;
- ONJOB42 Works with Medical Personnel;
- NOGODR42 Person Will Not Go to the Doctor;
- TRANS42 The Person Had Problems Finding Transportation
or Time;
- CLINIC42 The Person Goes to a Hospital, Clinic, or
Emergency Room;
- NOHINS42 No Health Insurance.
OTHTYPE and MDSPECLT are used to construct the
variable TYPEPE42. Unlike the other recoded variables, these variables’ text
strings can be recoded to each other’s categories. For example, for persons who
indicate that their USC provider is not a medical doctor (PROV.MEDTYPE = 2), the
other type of USC provider is other (PROV.OTHTYPE = 91), and the text string
collected is “GYNECOLOGIST”, TYPEPE42 would be set to ‘4’ (MD – OB/GYN) instead
of ‘11’ (OTHER NON-MD PROVIDER.)
Text responses at AC19 were not coded as new responses
or new variables.
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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.
Most employment variables pertain to the round
interview date. The round dates are indicated by two numbers following the
variable name; the first number representing the round for Panel 17 persons, the
second number representing the round for Panel 18 persons. For example, EMPST31
refers to employment status on the Round 3 interview date for Panel 17 persons
and employment status on the Round 1 interview date for Panel 18 persons.
With the exception of some health insurance and wage
variables, no attempt has been made to logically edit any employment variables.
When missing, values were imputed for certain persons’ hourly wages. Due to
confidentiality concerns, hourly wages greater than or equal to $76.96 were
top-coded to -10 and the number of employees variable was top-coded at 500. With
the exception of a variable indicating whether the employer has more than one
location (MORE), all employer-specific variables refer to the establishment that
is the location of a person’s current main job.
The MEPS employment section used dependent
interviewing in Rounds 2 through 5. If employment status and certain job
characteristics did not change from the previous round, as identified in the
Review of Employment (RJ) section, the respondent was skipped through the main
employment section. A code of “–2” is used to indicate that the information in
question was obtained in a previous round. For example, if the HRWG42X (Round 4
interview date hourly wage for Panel 17 persons or Round 2 interview date hourly
wage for Panel 18 persons) is coded as “–2”, refer to HRWG31X (Round 3 interview
date hourly wage for Panel 17 persons or Round 1 interview date hourly wage for
Panel 18 persons) for the value for HRWG42X. Note that there may be a value for
the Round 3/1 hourly wage or there may be an “Inapplicable” code (-1). The “–2”
value for HRWG42X indicates that the person was skipped past the question at the
time of the subsequent interview. To determine who should be skipped through
various employment questions, certain information, such as employment status,
had to be asked in every round and, thus, “-2” codes do not apply to employment
status. Additionally, information on whether the person currently worked at more
than one job or whether the person held health insurance from a current main
employer was asked in every round, and, therefore, those variables also have no
“–2” codes.
For Panel 17 persons who have a current main job in
Round 3 that continues from Round 1 or 2, the “–2” code is not sufficient for
those variables that the person was skipped past at the time of the interview.
This is because the Panel 17 Round 1 and 2 data are not included on this release
and therefore there are no data to refer to. For such persons, the values for
the variables for these skipped questions are copied from the Round 1 or 2
constructed variable on the 2012 Full Year Public Use Release, depending on the
round in which the job first became the current main job. The accompanying
variable RNDFLG31 indicates the round in which these data were collected. For
example, if the person has a Round 3 current main job that continues from Round
2 and was first reported as the current main job in Round 2, HRWG31X will be a
copy of the HRWG42X variable from the 2012 Full Year Public Use Release and
RNDFLG31 will be “2”, indicating the round in which the job was first reported
as the current main job.
Employment Status (EMPST31, EMPST42, and EMPST53)
Employment status was asked for all persons age 16 or
older. Allowable responses to the employment status questions were as follows:
- “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 the round;
- “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 which he or she
could return.
These responses were mutually exclusive. A current
main job was defined for persons who either reported that they were currently
employed and identified a current main job or 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 as of the interview date.
The analyst should note that there are cases where
EMPST## = 1 or 2 (has current job or job to return to) where DDNOWORK indicates
work around the house only. This is because the responses to the Disability Days
questions are independent of the responses to the employment questions.
Data Collection Round for Round 3/1 CMJ (RNDFLG31)
As mentioned above, for Panel 17, if a person’s Round
3 current main job (CMJ) is a continuation CMJ from Round 2 or Round 1, the
value of most “31” variables will be copied forward from the variable
representing the round in which the job was first reported as the CMJ. For
persons in Panel 17, RNDFLG31 indicates the round in which the Round 3 CMJ was
first reported as the CMJ and provides a timeframe for the reported wage
information and other job details. RNDFLG31 is used with many “31” variables to
indicate the round on which the reported information is based.
RNDFLG31 is set to “Inapplicable” (–1) for persons in
either panel who are under age 16 or who do not have a CMJ in Panel 17 Round 3
or Panel 18 Round 1. For persons who are part of Panel 17, RNDFLG31 is also set
to “Inapplicable” (–1) if the person is out-of-scope in the 2013 portion of
Round 3. For persons who are part of Panel 18, RNDFLG31 is also set to
“Inapplicable” (–1) if the person is out-of-scope in Round 1. For persons who
are part of Panel 17, other values for RNDFLG31 are set as follows:
- 1 continuing Round 3 CMJs reported first in Round 1;
- 2 continuing Round 3 CMJs reported first in Round 2;
- 3 jobs newly reported as current main in Round 3;
- -9 Round 3 CMJ is a continuation CMJ (wage information
and other details were not collected in Round 3) but the Round 2 CMJ record
either does not exist or is not the same job. This can occur in rare instances
because corrections made to a person’s record in a current file cannot be made
to that record in an earlier file due to data base processing constraints.
Corrections are made based on respondent comments in subsequent rounds that
affect employment information previously reported.
For persons who are part of Panel 18 and reported a
Round 1 CMJ, RNDFLG31 is set to “1” indicating that the job information
represented in the “31” variables was collected in Round 1.
Self-Employed (SELFCM31, SELFCM42, and SELFCM53)
Information on whether an individual was self-employed
at the current main job was obtained for all persons who reported a current main
job. Certain questions, namely those regarding benefits and hourly wage, were
not asked of the self-employed. Variables constructed from these questions
indicate whether the establishment reported by wage earners (those not
self-employed) as the main source of employment offered any of the following
benefits:
- Paid leave to visit a doctor (PAYDR31, PAYDR42, and PAYDR53)
- Paid sick leave (SICPAY31, SICPAY42, and SICPAY53)
- Paid vacation (PAYVAC31, PAYVAC42, and PAYVAC53)
- Pension plan (RETPLN31, RETPLN42, and RETPLN53)
For persons who were self-employed at their current
main job, these benefits variables were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1).
Additionally, information on whether the firm had more than one business
location (MORE31, MORE42, and MORE53) and whether the establishment was a
private for-profit, nonprofit, or a government entity (JOBORG31, JOBORG42, and
JOBORG53) was not applicable for self-employed persons. Conversely, the
variables that identify whether a business was incorporated, a proprietorship,
or a partnership (BSNTY31, BSNTY42, and BSNTY53) applied only to those who were
self-employed at their current main job.
Hourly wage (HRWG31X, HRWG42X, HRWG53X), Wage Update
Variable (DIFFWG31, DIFFWG42, DIFFWG53), and Updated Hourly Wage (NHRWG31,
NHRWG42, NHRWG53)
Hourly wage was asked of all persons who reported a
current main job that was not self-employment (SELFCM). HRWG31/42/53X provide
the wage amount reported initially for a person’s current main job. If a current
main job continues into subsequent rounds DIFFWG31/42/53 indicate if the wage
has changed since the previous round. If the job continues and there is a
different wage at that job, NHRWG31/42/53 indicate the new wage amount.
Some wage information was logically edited for
consistency. Edits were performed under two circumstances:
- in some cases where wages reported as less than $1.00 per
hour are updated in a subsequent round to greater than $1.00,
and the wage increased by a factor of 10 or 100 (for example, if
a Round 4 wage is updated to $20.00, the Round 3 wage of $0.20
could logically be updated to $20.00); in some of these cases,
additional comments may have also indicated an error
- in some cases where wages changed substantially from round
to round and a keying error was evident (for example, ‘the
number of hours on which the salary is based’ is updated from
‘40’ to ‘4’; the ‘4’ could logically
be updated to ‘40’)
In all cases that result in an edit, a complete review
of wage and employment history is performed; in some cases, comparisons are made
to employment at similar establishments within the MEPS as well as to data
reported and summarized by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The initial hourly wage variables (HRWG31X, HRWG42X,
HRWG53X) on this file should be considered along with their accompanying
variables – HRHOW31, HRHOW42, and HRHOW53 – which indicate how the respective
round hourly wage was constructed. Hourly wage could be 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 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 HRHOW variable.
The initial hourly wage variable HRWG31/42/53X was
imputed using a weighted sequential hot-deck procedure for those identified as
having a current main job who were not self-employed and who did not know their
wage or refused to report a wage. Hourly wage for persons for whom employment
status was not known was coded as “Not Ascertained” (-9). Additionally, wages
were imputed for wage earners reporting a wage range and not a specific value.
For each of these persons, a value was imputed from other persons on the file
who did report a specific value that fell within the reported range. The
variables HRWGIM31, HRWGIM42, and HRWGIM53 identify persons whose wages were
imputed. Note that wages were imputed only for persons with a positive person
and/or positive family weight.
The variable DIFFWG31/42/53 indicates whether a
person’s wage amount was different in the current round at a continuing, current
main job. NHRWG31/42/53 contains the updated wage amount in cases where a person
indicates a change in wages (DIFFWG = 1). While the question regarding wage
changes pertains to the primary wage at the main job, occasionally respondents
update a person’s supplemental wage at the main job. In these cases, users
should note that HRWG31/42/53X and NHRWG31/42/53 may not differ. Users may wish
to refer to the 2013 Full-Year Jobs PUF to obtain the reason for the wage change
by linking on DUPERSID for the appropriate round.
For all Panel 18 Round 1 persons, DIFFWG31 and NHRWG31
are set to ‘inapplicable’ because this was the first round that wages could be
reported for those persons. In Rounds 2 through 5, no imputation was performed
on NHRWG31/42/53. Instead, where an updated wage amount is ‘not known’ or is
‘refused,’ NHRWG31/42/53 is set to ‘not ascertained.’ For persons whose hourly
wage variable HRWG31/42/53X was imputed and the respondent provides an updated
wage amount in a subsequent round, the new wage, NHRWG31/42/53, is not
presented. Instead, NHRWG31/42/53 is set to ‘-13’ to indicate that the initial
HRWG31/42/53X was imputed. Users may wish to refer to the 2013 Full-Year Jobs
PUF to obtain updated wage amounts for these jobs.
For reasons of confidentiality, the hourly wage
variables were top-coded. A value of –10 indicates that the hourly wage was
greater than or equal to $76.96. As of Full-Year 2004, the wage top-code process
used the highest reported wage on the file for an individual regardless of
whether it was reported in an HRWG31/42/53X or NHRWG31/42/53X variable. Prior to
Full-Year 2004, only the initial reported wage in Rounds 3 or 1 (HRWG31X) was
used to calculate the wage top-code amount. Also beginning with the 2004 file,
all wages for a person were top-coded if any wage variable was above the
top-code amount.
In order to protect the confidentiality of persons
across deliveries, the same top-code amount used in this Full-Year Use file was
also applied to the Full-Year 2013 Jobs file. Because a person can have other
jobs besides a current main job which are included in the corresponding 2013
Full Year Jobs PUF, wages at these other jobs were reviewed in the top-coding
process. In some cases for these persons, wages reported at the current main job
were below the top-code amount while the wage at another job had to be
top-coded. To further protect the confidentiality of such persons across
deliveries, wages reported at all jobs in the Full-Year 2013 Jobs PUF were
top-coded and the wages at their current main job (HRWG31/42/53X and
NHRWG31/42/53) included in this file were also top-coded.
Health Insurance (HELD31X, HELD42X, HELD53X, OFFER31X,
OFFER42X, OFFER53X, CHOIC31, CHOIC42, CHOIC53, DISVW31X, DISVW42X, DISVW53X,
OFREMP31, OFREMP42, OFREMP53)
There are several employment-related health insurance
measures included in this release: health insurance held at a current main job
(HELD31X, HELD42X, HELD53X), health insurance offered through a current main job
(OFFER31X, OFFER42X, OFFER53X), and a choice of health plans available through
the current main job (CHOIC31, CHOIC42, CHOIC53).
Several persons indicated that they held health
insurance through a current main job in the employment section and then denied
this coverage later in the interview in the health insurance section. Employment
section health insurance HELD variables were edited for consistency to match the
health insurance measures obtained in the health insurance section. To allow for
easy identification of these individuals, round-specific flag variables were
constructed (DISVW31X, DISVW42X, DISVW53X).
Responses in the employment section for health
insurance held were recoded to be consistent with the variables in the health
insurance section of the survey. Due to questionnaire skip patterns, the
responses to health insurance offered were affected by editing the HELD
variable. For example, if a person responded that health insurance was held from
a current main job, the question relating to whether health insurance was
offered was skipped. For persons who responded in the employment section that
they held health insurance coverage and then disavowed the coverage in the
health insurance section, it could not be ascertained whether they were offered
a policy. These individuals are coded as –9 for the OFFER variables.
In the first round in which a person is reported as
having a specific CMJ, MEPS asks if the person holds health insurance through
that job. If the person does not hold insurance, then a follow-up question is
asked as to whether the person was offered insurance (but declined coverage).
However, if a person does hold insurance, then that person is skipped over the
offered question and the offer variable (OFFER31X, OFFER42X, OFFER53X) is
automatically set to “Yes” (1).
In the rounds after a CMJ is initially reported, the
“held” question is asked again in each interview (whether a person now holds
insurance). This is to determine if there has been any change in coverage. For
persons with a continuing job who did not have coverage in the current round,
the respondent is asked if the person was offered insurance. This current round
information can also affect the setting of the DISVW variable as well.
In addition to this modification to OFFER, MEPS
includes several clarifying questions regarding insurance availability to the
jobholder through an employer. When a respondent indicates that the jobholder
neither held nor was offered health insurance at the job, the respondent is
asked if any other employees at the job were offered health insurance.
The variable OFREMP31/42/53 indicates whether an employer offered health
insurance to other employees at a firm. As of FY 2013, MEPS no longer collects
information indicating the reason a jobholder is not eligible for coverage.
Consequently, YNOINS31, YNOINS42, and YNOINS53 have been removed from this file.
Data users should note that OFREMP31/42/53 is
automatically set to ‘1’ in cases where HELD and OFFER are ‘1,’ thus indicating
that the jobholder has health insurance coverage through the employer, that
coverage is offered to the employee, and that the employer offers insurance to
its employees.
The employment-related insurance variables, HELD,
OFFER, DISVW, and OFREMP for each round are logically edited for consistency.
Hours (HOUR31, HOUR42, HOUR53)
The hours measure refers to usual hours worked per
week at the current main job. Note that, in cases where the respondent estimated
hours worked per week at 35 hours or more, HOUR31, HOUR42, and HOUR53 were set
to ‘40.’
Temporary (TEMPJB31, TEMPJB42, TEMPJB53) and Seasonal
(SSNLJB31, SSNLJB42, SSNLJB53) Jobs
The temporary job variables (TEMPJB31, TEMPJB42,
TEMPJB53) indicate whether a newly reported current main job lasts for
only a limited amount of time or until the completion of a project.
The seasonal job variables (SSNLJB31, SSNLJB42,
SSNLJB53) indicate whether the newly reported current main job is only
available during certain times of the year. SSNLJB is “YES” (‘1’) if the job is
only available during certain times of the year, SSNLJB is “NO” (‘2’) if the job
is year round. Teachers and other school personnel who work only during the
school year are considered to work year round.
Both variables are set on current main jobs whether a
person is self-employed or not. Beginning FY 2013, MEPS no longer asks in each
round whether a job is temporary or if it is seasonal. Instead, these questions
are asked only in the round the job is newly reported. Consequently, in rounds
following the initial report, a code of ‘-2’, “Determined In Previous Round”, is
used to indicate that the information in the question was obtained in a previous
round. This differs from previous files where both questions were asked in each
round and ‘-2’ was not an allowed value.
Number of Employees (NUMEMP31, NUMEMP42, NUMEMP53)
NUMEMP indicates the number of employees at the
location of the person’s current main job. Due to confidentiality concerns, this
variable indicating the number of employees at the establishment has been
top-coded at 500 or more employees. For persons who reported a categorical size,
a median estimated size from donors within the reported range is used.
Other Employment Variables
Information about industry and occupation types for a
person’s current main job at the interview date is also contained in this
release. Based on verbatim text fields collected during the interview, numeric
industry and occupation codes are assigned by trained coders at the Bureau of
the Census. Beginning in 2010, Census uses 2007 Census Industry and 2010 Census
Occupation Coding schemes instead of the 2003 versions used from FY2002 through
FY2009. Both coding schemes were developed for the Bureau’s Current Population
Survey and American Community Survey. Users should note that coding schemes are
comparable for the FY2002 through FY2009 data files. Earlier versions of Census
coding schemes were used on files prior to FY2002.
Current main jobs were initially coded at the 4-digit
level for both industry and occupation. Then, for confidentiality reasons, these
codes were condensed into broader groups for release on the file. INDCAT31,
INDCAT42, and INDCAT53 represent the condensed industry codes for a person’s
current main job at the interview date. OCCCAT31, OCCCAT42, and OCCCAT53
represent the condensed occupation codes for a person’s current main job at the
interview date.
This release incorporates crosswalks showing how the
detailed 2007 Census industry and 2010 Census occupation codes were collapsed
into the condensed codes on the file, in both HTML and PDF formats. The schemes
used in this file can be linked directly to the 2007 North American Industry
Code System (NAICS) and the 2010 Standard Occupation Code scheme (SOC) by going
to the Bureau of the Census website where a variety of additional crosswalks is
also available:
http://www.census.gov/people/io/.
Information indicating whether a person belonged to a
labor union (UNION31, UNION42, and UNION53) is also contained in this release.
The month and year that the current main job started
for Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 17 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 18 are
provided in this release (STJBMM31, STJBYY31, STJBMM42, STJBYY42,
STJBMM53, and STJBYY53). To protect the confidentiality of jobholders, as of FY
2013, the variables indicating the start day of a current main job (STJBDD31,
STJBDD42, and STJBDD53) have been removed from this file.
There are two measures included in this release that
relate to a person’s work history over a lifetime. One indicates whether a
person ever retired from a job as of the Round 5 interview date for Panel 17
persons or the Round 3 interview date for Panel 18 persons (EVRETIRE). The other
indicates whether a person ever worked for pay as of the Round 5 interview date
for Panel 17 persons or the Round 3 interview date for Panel 18 persons
(EVRWRK). The latter was asked of everyone who indicated that they were not
working as of the round interview date. Therefore, anyone who indicated current
employment or who had a job during any of the previous or current rounds was
skipped past the question identifying whether the person ever worked for pay.
These individuals were coded as “Inapplicable” (-1). All persons who ever
reported a job and were 55 years or older as of the round interview date were
asked if they “ever retired”. Since both of these variables are not round
specific, there are no “-2” codes.
This release contains variables indicating the main
reason a person did not work since the start of the reference period (NWK31,
NWK42, and NWK53). If a person was not employed at all during the reference
period (at the interview date or at any time during the reference period) but
was employed some time prior to the reference period, the person was asked to
choose from a list the main reason he or she did not work during the reference
period. The “Inapplicable” (-1) category for the NWK variables includes:
- Persons who were employed during the reference period;
- Persons who were not employed during the reference period
and who were never employed;
- Persons who were out-of-scope the entire reference period
and;
- Persons who were less than 16 years old.
A measure of whether an individual had more than one
job on the round interview date (MORJOB31, MORJOB42, and MORJOB53) is provided
on this release. In addition to those under 16 and those individuals who were
out-of-scope, the “Inapplicable” category includes those who did not report
having a current main job. Because this is not a job-specific variable, there
are no “–2” codes.
This release contains variables indicating if a
current main job changed between the third and fourth rounds for Panel 17
persons or between the first and second rounds for Panel 18 persons (CHGJ3142)
and between the fourth and fifth rounds for Panel 17 persons or between the
second and third rounds for Panel 18 persons (CHGJ4253). In addition to the
“Inapplicable”, “Refused”, “Don’t Know”, and “Not Ascertained” categories, the
change job variables were coded to represent the following:
- person left previous round current main job and now
has a new current main job;
- person still working at the previous round’s current
main job but, as of the new round, no longer considers this job to be the
current main job and defines a new main job (previous round’s current main job
is now a current miscellaneous job);
- person left previous round’s current main job and
does not have a new job;
- person did not change current main job.
Finally, this release contains the reason given by the
respondent for the job change (YCHJ3142 and YCHJ4253). The reasons for a job
change were listed in the CAPI questionnaire and a respondent was asked to
choose the main reason from this list. In addition to those out-of-scope, those
under 16, and those not having a current main job, the “Inapplicable” category
for YCHJ3142 and YCHJ4253 includes workers who did not change jobs.
Return To Table Of Contents
Constructed and edited variables are provided that
indicate any coverage in each month of 2013 for the sources of health insurance
coverage collected during the MEPS interviews (Panel 17 Rounds 3 through 5 and
Panel 18 Rounds 1 through 3). In Rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5, insurance that was in
effect at the previous round’s interview date was reviewed with the respondent.
Most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues
that arose during such reviews in Rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5. One edit to the private
insurance variables corrects for a problem concerning covered benefits that
occurred when respondents reported a change in any of their private health
insurance plan names. Additional edits address issues of missing data on the
time period of coverage for both public and private coverage that was either
reviewed or initially reported in a given round. Additional edits, described
below, were performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these
sources. Observations that contain edits assigning persons to Medicare or
Medicaid/SCHIP coverage can be identified by comparing the edited and unedited
versions of the Medicare and Medicaid/SCHIP variables. Starting October 1, 2001,
persons 65 years and older have been able to retain TRICARE coverage in addition
to Medicare. Therefore, unlike in earlier MEPS public use files, persons 65
years and older do not have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRIJA13X –
TRIDE13X) overturned. TRICARE acts as a supplemental insurance for Medicare,
similar to Medigap insurance.
Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid,
SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program
participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STAJA13– STADE13) was also
identified but is not considered health insurance for the purpose of this
survey.
For FY 2013, the ‘13’ versions of the health insurance
variables represent 2013, and do not indicate Round 1/Round 3. The ‘31’ versions
represent coverage in Panel 17 Round 3/Panel 18 Round 1.
Medicare
Medicare (MCRJA13 – MCRDE13) coverage was edited
(MCRJA13X – MCRDE13X) 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 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 over and covered by Medicare; or
- They reported TRICARE coverage.
Note that age (AGE##X) is checked for edited Medicare,
however date of birth is not considered. Edited Medicare is somewhat imprecise
with regard to a person’s 65th birthday.
Medicaid/SCHIP 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 the 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 the recipient paid anything for the coverage
and/or if a government source paid for the coverage.
The Medicaid/SCHIP variables (MCDJA13– MCDDE13) have
been edited (MCDJA13X – MCDDE13X) 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.
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 (OPAJA13 –
OPADE13); and
- The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public
B Insurance (OPBJA13 – OPBDE13).
The variables OPAJA13 – OPADE13 and OPBJA13 – OPBDE13
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 Month
The file also includes summary measures that indicate
whether or not a sample person has any public insurance in a month (PUBJA13X –
PUBDE13X). 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 (STAJA13 – STADE13), for example,
the Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage
when constructing the variables PUBJA13X – PUBDE13X.
Private Insurance
Variables identifying private insurance in general
(PRIJA13 – PRIDE13) and specific private insurance sources [such as
employer/union group insurance (PEGJA13 – PEGDE13); non-group (PNGJA13 –
PNGDE13); and other group (POGJA13 – POGDE13)] were constructed. Private
insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during each month of
2013. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders
(policyholder variables begin with the letter “H”, e.g., HPEJA13 – HPEDE13).
These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do
not distinguish between persons who are covered or are policyholders on one or
more than one policy within a given source. In some cases, the policyholder was
unable to characterize the source of insurance (PDKJA13 – PDKDE13). Covered
persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living
outside the RU (POUJA13 – POUDE13). An individual was considered to have private
health insurance coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for
hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of
insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed
to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private
hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Coverage
indicated by these variables may be from any type of job where the employment
section insurance variables delivered on this file reflect only coverage through
a current main job.
Health insurance through a job or union (PEGJA13 –
PEGDE13, PRSJA13 – PRSDE13) 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
(PEGJA13 – PEGDE13) 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 (PRSJA13 – PRSDE13) was initially reported
in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance section. Unlike
the other employment-related variables (PEGJA13 – PEGDE13), self-employed-firm
size 1 (PRSJA13 – PRSDE13) health insurance could not be reported in the Health
Insurance section for the first time. The variables PRSJA13 – PRSDE13 have been
constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered
employment-related.
Private insurance that was not employment-related
(POGJA13 – POGDE13, PNGJA13 – PNGDE13, PDKJA13 – PDKDE13 and POUJA13 – POUDE13)
was reported in the Health Insurance section only.
Beginning in Panel 12 Round 2, the response category
“Health Insurance Purchasing Alliance” was removed from HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=4)
and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=2) because it was infrequently reported and it was not
clear how respondents were using this category.
Beginning in Panel 14 Round 5/Panel 15 Round 3, “High
Risk Pool” was added to the list of categories at HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=10) and
HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=13). Beginning FY 2010, High Risk Pool was included in all
Other Group insurance categories.
Any Insurance in Month
The file also includes summary measures that indicate
whether or not a person has any insurance in a month (INSJA13X – INSDE13X).
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 (STAJA13 – STADE13), for example, the
Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits
(for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, or for accidents
or specific diseases) were not considered to be insured when constructing the
variables INSJA13X – INSDE13X.
Return To Table Of Contents
The variables PRVEV13-UNINS13 summarize health
insurance coverage for the person in 2013 for the following types of insurance:
private (PRVEV13); TRICARE (TRIEV13); Medicaid or SCHIP (MCDEV13); Medicare
(MCREV13); other public A (OPAEV13); other public B (OPBEV13). Each variable was
constructed based on the values of the corresponding 12 month-by-month health
insurance variables described above. A value of 1 indicates that the person was
covered for at least one day of at least one month during 2013. A value of 2
indicates that the person was not covered for a given type of insurance for all
of 2013. The variable UNINS13 summarizes PRVEV13-OPBEV13. Where PRVEV13-OPBEV13
are all equal to 2, then UNINS13 equals 1; person was uninsured for all of 2013.
Otherwise, UNINS13 is set to 2, not uninsured for some portion of 2013. For
persons not in scope for the full year these summary variables are based on the
period of eligibility.
For user convenience this file contains a constructed
variable INSCOV13 that summarizes health insurance coverage for the person in
2013, with the following three values:
- 1 = ANY PRIVATE (Person had any private insurance
coverage [including TRICARE/CHAMPVA] any time during 2013)
- 2 = PUBLIC ONLY (Person had only public insurance
coverage during 2013)
- 3 = UNINSURED (Person was uninsured during all of
2013)
INSURC13 summarizes health insurance coverage for the
person in 2013 using eight categories of insurance separated by age:
- 1 = ANY PRIVATE (0-64) (Person is between 0 and 64
years old and is covered by private insurance or TRICARE/CHAMPVA in 2013)
- 2 = PUBLIC ONLY (0-64) (Person is between 0 and 64
years old and is covered by public insurance only (excluding TRICARE/CHAMPVA) in
2013)
- 3 = UNINSURED (0-64) (Person is between 0 and 64 years
old and is uninsured for all of 2013)
- 4 = EDITED MEDICARE ONLY (65+) (Person is 65 years old
or more and is covered by edited Medicare only in 2013)
- 5 = EDITED MEDICARE & PRIV (65+) (Person is 65 years
old or more and is covered by edited Medicare and (private insurance or
TRICARE/CHAMPVA) in 2013)
- 6 = EDITED MEDICARE & OTH PUB ONLY (65+) (Person is 65
years old or more and is covered by edited Medicare and (edited Medicaid/SCHIP,
Other Government (type A) or Other Government (type B)) in 2013)
- 7 = UNINSURED (65+) (Person is 65 years old or more
and is uninsured for all of 2013)
- 8 = NO MEDICARE BUT ANY PUBLIC/PRIVATE (65+) (Person
is 65 years old or more and is not covered by Medicare but is covered by private
insurance or Medicaid, TRICARE/CHAMPVA, Other Public A, or Other Public B in
2013)
Please note, beginning in 2012, Category 7 was revised
to categorize persons who are 65 yrs. or older and uninsured, and Category 8 was
added to include persons 65 years or older who do not have Medicare, but are
covered by public or private insurance.
Please note that both INSCOV13 and INSURC13 categorize
TRICARE as private coverage. All other health insurance indicators included in
this data release categorize TRICARE as public coverage. If an analyst wishes to
consider TRICARE public coverage, the variable can easily be reconstructed using
the PRVEV13 and TRIEV13 variables. Also note that these categories are mutually
exclusive, with preference given to private insurance and TRICARE. Persons with
both private insurance/TRICARE and public insurance will be coded as “1” for
INSCOV13 and INSURC13.
Finally, note that out-of-scope persons are coded “2”
(No) for PRVEV13-INSCOV13. For all other health insurance variables in this data
release, including INSURC13, out-of-scope persons are coded “-1” (Inapplicable).
Return To Table Of Contents
In addition to the month-by-month indicators of
coverage, there are round-specific health insurance variables indicating
coverage by an HMO or managed care plan. Managed care variables have been
constructed from information on health insurance coverage at any time in a
reference period and the characteristics of the plan. A separate set of managed
care variables has been constructed for private insurance, Medicaid/SCHIP, and
Medicare coverage. The purpose of these variables is to provide information on
managed care participation during the portion of the three rounds (i.e.,
reference periods) that fall within the same calendar year.
Managed care variables for calendar year 2013 are
based on responses to health insurance questions asked during the Round 3, 4,
and 5 interviews of Panel 17, and the Round 1, 2, and 3 interviews of Panel 18.
Each variable ends in “xy” where x and y denote the interview round for Panel 17
and Panel 18, respectively. The variables ending in “31” and “42” correspond to
the first two interviews of each panel in the calendar year. Because Round 3
interviews typically overlap the final months of one year and the beginning
months of the next year, the “31” variables for Panel 17 have been restricted to
the year 2013 portion of the reference period. Similarly, the Panel 17 Round 5
and Panel 18 Round 3 interviews have been restricted to the year 2013 portion of
these reference periods, and the corresponding managed care variables have been
given the suffix “13” (as opposed to “53”) to emphasize the restricted time
frame.
Construction of the managed care variables is
straightforward, but three caveats are appropriate. First, MEPS estimates of the
number of persons in HMOs are higher than figures reported by other sources,
particularly those based on HMO industry data. The differences stem from the use
of household-reported information, which may include respondent error, to
determine HMO coverage in MEPS.
Second, the managed care questions are asked about the
last plan held by a person through his or her establishment (employer or
insurer) even though the person could have had a different plan through the
establishment at an earlier point during the interview period. As a result, in
instances where a person changed his or her establishment-related insurance, the
managed care variables describe the characteristics of the last plan held
through the establishment.
Third, the “13” versions of the managed care variables
for Panel 18 are developed from Round 3 variables that cover different time
frames. The health insurance variable for Round 3 is restricted to the same
calendar year as the Round 1 and 2 data. The Round 3 variables describing plan
type, on the other hand, overlap the next calendar year. As a consequence, the
Round 3 managed care variables may not describe the characteristics of the last
plan held in the calendar year if the person changed plans after the first of
the year.
The variables PRVHMO31/42/13 indicate coverage by a
private HMO in Panel 18 Rounds 1 - 3, and Panel 17 Rounds 3 - 5. The variables
PRVMNC31/42 indicate coverage by a gatekeeper plan in Panel 18 Rounds 1 - 2 and
Panel 17 Rounds 3 - 4. The variables PRVDRL31/42 indicate coverage by a private
insurance source that has a book or list of doctors in Panel 18 Rounds 1 - 2,
and Panel 17 Rounds 3 - 4. The variables PRDRNP31/42 indicate coverage by at
least one private insurance plan with a book or list of doctors that pays for
visits to non-plan doctors in Panel 18 Rounds 1 - 2, and Panel 17, Rounds 3 - 4.
The variables PHMONP31/42 indicate coverage by at least one private insurance
source through an HMO that pays for visits to non-plan doctors in Panel 18
Rounds 1 - 2, and Panel 17 Rounds 3 - 4. Finally, the variables PMNCNP31/42
indicate coverage by at least one private insurance source through a Gatekeeper
Plan that pays for visits to non-plan doctors in Panel 18 Rounds 1 - 2, and
Panel 17 Rounds 3 - 4. The variables MCRPHO31/42/13 indicate coverage by a
Medicare managed care plan in Panel 18 Rounds 1 - 3, and Panel 17 Rounds 3 - 5.
The variables MCRPD31/42/13 indicate coverage by Medicare prescription drug
benefit, also known as Part D, in Panel 18 Rounds 1 - 3, and Panel 17 Rounds 3 -
5. The edited version of the Medicare prescription drug coverage variables
(MCRPD31/42/13X) include persons who are covered by both edited Medicare and
edited Medicaid. The variables MCDHMO31/42/13 and MCDMC31/42/13 indicate
coverage by a Medicaid or SCHIP HMO or managed care plan in Panel 18 Rounds 1 -
3, and Panel 17 Rounds 3 - 5. For Panel 18, the “31” version indicates coverage
at any time in Round 1, the “42” version indicates coverage at any time in Round
2, and the “13” version represents coverage at any time during the 2013 portion
of Round 3. For Panel 17, the “31” version indicates coverage at any time during
the 2013 portion of Round 3, the “42” version indicates coverage at any time in
Round 4, and the “13” version represents coverage at any time during Round 5
(because Round 5 ends on 12/31/13).
In the health insurance section of the questionnaire,
respondents reporting private health insurance were asked to identify what types
of coverage a person had via a checklist. If the respondent selected
prescription drug or dental coverage from this checklist, variables were
constructed to indicate prescription drug or dental coverage respectively. It
should be noted, however, that in some cases respondents may have failed to
identify prescription drug or dental coverage that was included as part of a
hospital and physician plan.
Beginning in 2013, the HINS HMO constructed variables,
PRDRNP13, PMNCNP13, PHMONP13, PRVDRL13, and PRVMNC13 were dropped from this file
because their source variables (PROGDR, DRLIST, and VISITPAY) were removed from
the interview starting in Panel 17 Round 5 and Panel 18 Round 3.
TRICARE Plan Variables
Round-specific variables are provided that indicate
which TRICARE plan the person was covered by for each round of 2013. These
variables indicate whether the person was covered by TRICARE Standard
(TRIST31/42/13X), TRICARE Prime (TRIPR31/42/13X), TRICARE Extra
(TRIEX31/42/13X), and TRICARE for Life (TRILI31/42/13X). Beginning in Panel 9
Rounds 4 and 5/Panel 10 Rounds 1 through 3, CHAMPVA was added to the list of
Tricare Plans collected in the instrument. Therefore, the variables TRICH42/13X
were created. The “31” version of this variable was constructed starting in
2006. It should be noted that the TRICARE Plan
information was elicited from a pick-list, code-all-that-apply question that
asked which type of TRICARE plan the person obtained. It should also be noted
that the TRICARE plan question was asked at the RU-level, that is, if any person
in the RU reported coverage under TRICARE, a follow-up question was asked to
determine which TRICARE plan anyone in the RU was covered by. After indicating
the specific TRICARE plan or plans for the RU, a second question was asked to
determine who in the RU was covered by TRICARE. In each round, each TRICARE Plan
variable has five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by the applicable TRICARE
plan [Standard, Prime, Extra, For Life, or CHAMPVA].
- 2 The person was covered by TRICARE, but it was not
through that particular plan [Standard, Prime, Extra, For Life, or CHAMPVA].
- 3 The person was not covered by TRICARE.
- -9 The person was covered by TRICARE but the plan type
was not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
Medicare Managed Care Plans, Part B, and Prescription
Drug Benefit
Persons were assigned Medicare coverage based on their
responses to the health insurance questions or through logical editing of the
survey data. A small number of persons were edited to have Medicare. For this
group, coverage through a managed care plan, Part B, and coverage by
prescription drug plan questions were not asked. Since no Medicare
establishment-person pair exists for this group, the persons’ Medicare managed
care, Part B, and prescription drug benefit statuses are set to not ascertained.
For those persons who reported Medicare coverage based on their responses to the
health insurance questions, the Medicare managed care plan, Part B, and
prescription drug benefit questions were asked. Medicare managed care plan and
prescription drug benefit questions were asked for each round a person indicates
Medicare coverage. Medicare Part B questions were asked during the first report
of Medicare only. The Medicare Part B indicator for those persons who indicated
not having a Medicare card available was introduced for Panel 14 Round 2 and
Panel 13 Round 4. For those persons who reported having Medicare coverage in
Round 1, but did not have a Medicare card available, Medicare Part B coverage
was set to not ascertained (-9).
The Medicare prescription drug benefit variables
(MCRPD31/42/13) have been edited (MCRPD31/42/13X) to turn on coverage for all
persons who are covered by both edited Medicare and edited Medicaid regardless
of the status on their unedited Medicare prescription drug benefit variable.
In each round, the variables MCRPHO31, MCRPHO42, and
MCRPHO13 have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by Medicare and covered
through a Medicare Managed Care Plan.
- 2 The person was covered by Medicare but not covered
through a Medicare Managed Care Plan.
- 3 The person was not covered by Medicare.
- -9 The person was covered by Medicare but whether the
coverage is through a Medicare Managed Care Plan is refused, don’t know, or not
ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
In each round, the variables MCRPD31(X), MCRPD42(X),
and MCRPD13(X) have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by Medicare and covered by
prescription drug benefit.
- 2 The person was covered by Medicare but not covered
by prescription drug benefit.
- 3 The person was not covered by Medicare.
- -9 The person was covered by Medicare but prescription
drug benefit coverage is refused, don’t know, or not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
In each round, the variables MCRPB31, MCRPB42, and
MCRPB13 have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by Medicare and covered by
Part B.
- 2 The person was covered by Medicare but not covered
by Part B.
- 3 The person was not covered by Medicare.
- -9 The person was covered by Medicare but Part B is
refused, don’t know, or not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
Medicaid/SCHIP Managed Care Plans
Persons were assigned Medicaid or SCHIP coverage based
on their responses to the health insurance questions or through logical editing
of the survey data. The number of persons who were edited to have Medicaid or
SCHIP coverage is small. These persons indicated coverage through an Other
Government program that was identified as being in a Medicaid HMO or gatekeeper
plan that did not require premium payment from the insured party. By definition,
respondents were asked about the managed care characteristics of this insurance
coverage.
Medicaid/SCHIP HMOs
If Medicaid/SCHIP or Other Government programs were
identified as the source of hospital/physician insurance coverage, the
respondent was asked about the characteristics of the plan. The variables
MCDHMO31, MCDHMO42, and MCDHMO13 have been set to “Yes” if the plan was
identified from a list of state names or programs for Medicaid HMOs in the area,
or if an affirmative response was provided to the following question:
Under {{Medicaid/{STATE NAME FOR MEDICAID}/the program
sponsored by a state or local government agency which provides hospital and
physician benefits} (are/is) (READ NAME(S) FROM BELOW) signed up with an HMO,
that is a Health Maintenance Organization?
[With an HMO, you must generally receive care from HMO
physicians. If another doctor is seen, the expense is not covered unless you
were referred by the HMO, or there was a medical emergency.]
In subsequent rounds, for persons who had been
previously identified as covered by Medicaid, the respondent was asked whether
the name of the person’s insurance plan had changed since the previous
interview. An affirmative response triggered the previous set of questions about
managed care (name on list of Medicaid HMOs or signed up with an HMO).
In each round, the variables MCDHMO31, MCDHMO42, and
MCDHMO13 have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by a Medicaid/SCHIP HMO.
- 2 The person was covered by Medicaid/SCHIP but the
plan was not an HMO.
- 3 The person was not covered by Medicaid/SCHIP.
- -9 The person was covered by Medicaid/SCHIP but the
plan type was not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
Return To Table Of Contents
Medicaid/SCHIP Gatekeeper Plans
If a person did not belong to a Medicaid/SCHIP HMO, a
third question was used to determine whether the person was in a gatekeeper
plan. The variables MCDMC31, MCDMC42, and MCDMC13 were set to “Yes” if the
respondent provided an affirmative response to the following question:
Does {{Medicaid /{STATE NAME FOR MEDICAID}} require
(READ NAME(S) BELOW) to sign up with a certain primary care doctor, group of
doctors, or with a certain clinic which they must go to for all of their routine
care?
Probe: Do not include emergency care or care from a
specialist they were referred to.
In each round, the variables MCDMC31, MCDMC42, and
MCDMC13 have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by a Medicaid/SCHIP gatekeeper plan.
- 2 The person was covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, but it was not a
gatekeeper plan.
- 3 The person was not covered by Medicaid/SCHIP.
- -9 The person was covered by Medicaid/SCHIP but the
plan type was not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
Private Managed Care Plans
Persons with private insurance were identified from
their responses to questions in the health insurance section of the MEPS
questionnaire. In some cases, persons were assigned private insurance as a
result of comments collected during the interview, but data editing was minimal.
As a consequence, most persons with private insurance were asked about the
characteristics of their plan, and their responses were used to identify HMO and
gatekeeper plans.
Private HMOs
Persons with private insurance were classified as
being covered by an HMO if they met any of the three following conditions:
- The person reported that his or her insurance was purchased
directly through an HMO,
- The person reporting private insurance coverage identified
the type of insurance company as an HMO, or
- The person answered “Yes” to the following question:
Now I will ask you a few questions about how
(POLICYHOLDER)’s insurance through (ESTABLISHMENT) works for non-emergency care.
We are interested in knowing if (POLICYHOLDER)’s
(ESTABLISHMENT) plan is an HMO, that is, a health maintenance organization. With
an HMO, you must generally receive care from HMO physicians. For other doctors,
the expense is not covered unless you were referred by the HMO or there was a
medical emergency. Is (POLICYHOLDER)’s (INSURER NAME) an HMO?
In subsequent rounds, policyholders were asked whether
the name of their insurance plan had changed since the previous interview. An
affirmative response triggered the detailed question about managed care (i.e.,
was the insurer an HMO).
Some insured persons have more than one private plan.
In these cases, if the policyholder identified any plan as an HMO, the variables
PRVHMO31, PRVHMO42, and PRVHMO13 were set to “Yes.” If a person had multiple
plans and one or more were identified as not being an HMO and the other(s) had
missing plan type information, the person-level variable was set to missing.
Additionally, if a person had multiple plans and none were identified as an HMO,
the person-level variable was set to “No.” In each round, the variables
PRVHMO31, PRVHMO42, and PRVHMO13 have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by a private HMO.
- 2 The person was covered by private insurance, but it
was not an HMO.
- 3 The person was not covered by private insurance.
- -9 The person was covered by private insurance, but
the plan type was not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
Private Gatekeeper Plans
If the respondent did not report that a person
belonged to a private HMO, a follow-up question was used to determine whether
the person was in a gatekeeper plan. Persons with private insurance were
classified as being covered by a gatekeeper plan if the respondent provided an
affirmative response to the following question:
(Do/Does) (POLICYHOLDER)’s insurance plan require (POLICYHOLDER) to sign up with a certain primary care doctor, group of doctors,
or a certain clinic which POLICYHOLDER) must go to for all of (POLICYHOLDER)’s
routine care?
Probe: Do not include emergency care or care from a specialist you were referred to.
Some insured persons have more than one private plan.
In these cases, if the policyholder identified any plan as a gatekeeper plan,
the variables PRVMNC31 and PRVMNC42 were set to “Yes.” If a person had multiple
plans and one or more were identified as not being a gatekeeper plan and the
other(s) had missing plan type information, the person-level variable was set to
missing. Additionally, if a person had multiple plans and none were identified
as a gatekeeper plan, the person-level variable was set to “No”. In each round,
the variables PRVMNC31 and PRVMNC42 have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by a private gatekeeper plan.
- 2 The person was covered by private insurance, but it
was not a gatekeeper plan.
- 3 The person was not covered by private insurance.
- -9 The person was covered by private insurance, but
the plan type was not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
Return To Table Of Contents
Private Plan that has a Book or List of Doctors
If the respondent did not report that a person
belonged to a private gatekeeper plan, a follow-up question was used to
determine whether the person belonged to a plan that had a book or list of
doctors. Persons with private insurance were classified as being covered by such
a plan if the respondent provided an affirmative response to the following
question:
Is there a book or list of doctors associated with the plan?
Some insured persons have more than one private plan.
In these cases, if the policyholder identified any plan that had a book or list
of doctors, the variables PRVDRL31 and PRVDRL42 were set to “Yes”. If a person
had multiple plans and one or more were identified as not being a plan that had
a book or list of doctors and the other(s) had missing information, the
person-level variable was set to missing. Additionally, if a person had multiple
plans and none were identified as a plan that had a book or list of doctors, the
person-level variable was set to “No”. In each round, the variables PRVDRL31 and
PRVDRL42 have five possible values:
- 1 The person was covered by a private insurance plan
that has a book or list of doctors.
- 2 The person was covered by private insurance, but it
did not have a book or list of doctors.
- 3 The person was not covered by private insurance.
- -9 The person was covered by private insurance but the
plan type was not ascertained.
- -1 The person was out-of-scope.
Private HMO Plans that Pay for Visits to Non-Plan
Doctors
If the respondent reported that a person belonged to a
private HMO plan, a follow-up question was used to determine whether the person
was in a plan that pays for visits to non-plan doctors. Persons with private HMO
insurance were classified as being covered by a plan that pays for visits to
non-plan doctors if the res>
pondent provided an affirmative response to the
following question:
Will (POLICYHOLDER)’s plan pay for any of the costs of
visits to doctors who are not associated with (POLICYHOLDER)’s plan, even if (POLICYHOLDER) (do/does) not have a referral?
Some insured persons have more than one private plan.
In these cases, if the policyholder identified any plan as an HMO plan that pays
for visits to non-plan doctors, the variables PHMONP31 and PHMONP42 were set to
“Yes”. If a person had multiple plans and one or more were identified as being
an HMO plan that does not pay for visits to non-plan doctors and the other(s)
had missing information, the person-level variable was set to missing.
Additionally, if a person had multiple plans and one or more were identified as
being an HMO but none were identified as an HMO plan that pays for visits to
non-plan doctors, the person-level variable was set to “No”. In each round, the
variables PHMONP31 and PHMONP42 have four possible values:
- 1 Person was covered by at least one private insurance
source through an HMO, and the HMO pays for visits to non-plan doctors.
- 2 Person was covered by at least one private insurance
source through an HMO, but the HMO does not pay for visits to non-plan doctors.
- -9 Person was covered by private insurance through an
HMO and whether the HMO covers visits to non-plan doctors was refused, don’t
know, or not ascertained.
- -1 Person was out-of-scope for the round, was not
privately insured at any time in the round, or was not covered by private
insurance through an HMO.
Private Gatekeeper Plans that Pay for Visits to
Non-Plan Doctors
If the respondent reported that a person belonged to a
private gatekeeper plan, a follow-up question was used to determine whether the
person was in a plan that pays for visits to non-plan doctors. Persons with
private gatekeeper insurance were classified as being covered by a plan that
pays for visits to non-plan doctors if the respondent provided an affirmative
response to the following question:
Will (POLICYHOLDER)’s plan pay for any of the costs of
visits to doctors who are not associated with (POLICYHOLDER)’s plan, even
if (POLICYHOLDER) (do/does) not have a referral?
Some insured persons have more than one private plan.
In these cases, if the policyholder identified any plan as a gatekeeper plan
that pays for visits to non-plan doctors, the variables PMNCNP31 and PMNCNP42
were set to “Yes.” If a person had multiple plans and one or more were
identified as being a gatekeeper plan that does not pay for visits to non-plan
doctors and the other(s) had missing information, the person-level variable was
set to missing. Additionally, if a person had multiple plans and one or more was
identified as being a gatekeeper plan, but none were identified as a gatekeeper
plan that pays for visits to non-plan doctors, the person-level variable was set
to “No.” In each round, the variables PMNCNP31 and PMNCNP42 have four possible
values:
- 1 Person was covered by at least one private insurance
source through a Gatekeeper Plan, and the plan pays for visits to non-plan
doctors.
- 2 Person was covered by at least one private insurance
source through a Gatekeeper Plan, but the plan does not pay for visits to
non-plan doctors.
- -9 Person was covered by private insurance through a
Gatekeeper Plan, and whether the plan covers visits to non-plan doctors was
refused, don’t know, or not ascertained.
- -1 Person was out-of-scope for the round, was not
privately insured at any time in the round, or was not covered by private
insurance through a Gatekeeper Plan.
Private Plan that has a Book or List of Doctors that
Pays for Non-Plan Visits
If the respondent reported that a person belonged to a
plan that had a book or list of doctors, a follow-up question was used to
determine whether the person was in a plan that pays for visits to non-plan
doctors. Persons with a private insurance plan that has a book or list of
doctors were classified as being covered by a plan that pays for visits to
non-plan doctors if the respondent provided an affirmative response to the
following question:
Will (POLICYHOLDER)’s plan pay for any of the costs of
visits to doctors who are not associated with (POLICYHOLDER)’s plan, even
if (POLICYHOLDER) (do/does) not have a referral?
Some insured persons have more than one private plan.
In these cases, if the policyholder identified any plan as a plan that had a
book or list of doctors and that pays for visits to non-plan doctors, the
variables PRDRNP31 and PRDRNP42 were set to “Yes.” If a person had multiple
plans and one or more were identified as being a plan that had a book or list of
doctors that does not pay for visits to non-plan doctors and the other(s) had
missing information, the person-level variable was set to missing. Additionally,
if a person had multiple plans and one or more were identified as being a plan
with a book or list of doctors, but none were identified as a plan that had a
book or list of doctors that pays for visits to non-plan doctors, the
person-level variable was set to “No.” In each round, the variables PRDRNP31 and
PRDRNP42 have four possible values:
- 1 Person was covered by at least one private insurance
plan with a book or list of doctors, and the plan pays for visits to non-plan
doctors.
- 2 Person was covered by at least one private insurance
plan with a book or list of doctors, but the plan does not pay for visits to
non-plan doctors.
- -9 Person was covered by at least one private
insurance plan with a book or list of doctors, and whether the plan covers
visits to non-plan doctors was refused, don’t know, or not ascertained.
- -1 Person was out-of-scope for the round, was not
privately insured at any time in the round, or was not covered by any private
insurance plan with a book or list of doctors.
Return To Table Of Contents
Beginning in 2011, questions on Flexible Spending
Accounts (FSAs) were asked. Respondents in Round 1 or Round 3 were asked if any
RU members set aside pre-tax dollars of their own money to pay for out-of-pocket
health care expenses. If an RU has an FSA, then FSAGT31 was set to 1 (Yes) and
follow-up questions ascertained who has an FSA (HASFSA31) and the amount of the
FSA (FSAAMT31). When an RU has an FSA, HASFSA31 is set for each RU member to
indicate which RU member has an FSA. FSAAMT31 is asked at the RU level and
collects the total amount contributed to all FSAs belonging to an RU. If no RU
member has an FSA, then both HASFSA31 and FSAAMT31 are set to -1 (Inapplicable).
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Duration of Uninsurance
If a person was identified as being without insurance
as of January 1st in the MEPS Round 1 interview, a series of
follow-up questions was asked to determine the duration of uninsurance prior to
the start of the MEPS survey. Persons who were insured as of the MEPS Round 1
interview, and persons with a date of birth on or after December 31, 2012 or
whose age category was less than 1 year old were skipped past this loop of
questions. These questions are asked in Round 1 only.
If the person said he/she was covered by insurance in
the two years prior to the MEPS Round 1 interview (PREVCOVR), the month, year
(COVRMM, COVRYY), and type of coverage (Employer-sponsored (WASESTB), Medicare
(WASMCARE), Medicaid/SCHIP (WASMCAID), TRICARE/CHAMPVA (WASCHAMP), VA/Military
Care (WASVA), Other public (WASOTGOV, WASAFDC,WASSSI, WASSTAT1-4, WASOTHER) or
Private coverage purchased through a group, association or insurance company
(WASPRIV)) was ascertained. Note that under the types of coverage, up to 4 state
programs (WASSTAT1-4) can be listed as response options, but only the number of
programs available in the state in which the RU is located (up to 4) will be
displayed. If the state in which the RU is located has fewer than 4 state
programs available, the remaining state programs will be -1 (Inapplicable). The
only exception is if the response is Refused (-7) or Don’t Know (-8). In that
case, WASTAT1-4 are all coded with the same missing value, regardless of the
number of plans available in that specific state. Note that this is a
code-all-that-apply question, so more than one source of previous insurance can
be selected. For persons who were covered by health insurance on January 1st,
it was ascertained if they were ever without health insurance in the previous
year (NOINSBEF). The number of weeks/months without health insurance was also
ascertained (NOINSTM, NOINUNIT). For persons who reported only non-comprehensive
coverage as of January 1st, a question was asked to determine if they
had been covered by more comprehensive coverage that paid for medical and
doctors’ bills in the previous two years (MORECOVR). If they were, the most
recent month and year of coverage was ascertained (INSENDMM, INSENDYY) as was
the type of coverage (see the variable names above).
Note that these variables are unedited and have been
taken directly as they were recorded from the raw data. There may be
inconsistencies with the health insurance variables released on public use files
that indicate that an individual is uninsured in January. Out-of-scope persons
in both panels have been set to “Inapplicable” (-1) for PREVCOVR – INSENDYY. All
other persons have PREVCOVR – INSENDYY copied directly from the value of the
unedited source variable.
Persons whose January 1st insurance
coverage status could not be determined due to their reference period beginning
after January 1st were also asked the follow-up questions described
above. In these cases, persons who reported comprehensive coverage were asked if
they were ever without insurance. Those who were uninsured were asked to
determine the duration of uninsurance prior to the start of their reference
period. Those who reported only non-comprehensive coverage were asked if they
had been covered by comprehensive coverage that paid for medical and doctors’
bills in the previous two years. Coverage is determined by health insurance
status during the whole reference period or the month of January and ignores
that these persons were not in the household on January 1st.
Return To Table Of Contents
Constructed and edited variables are provided that
indicate health insurance coverage at any time in a given round as well as at
the MEPS interview dates and on December 31, 2013. Note that for persons who
left the RU before the MEPS interview date or before December 31st,
the variables measuring coverage at the interview date or on December 31st
represent coverage at the date the person left the RU. In addition, since Round
5 only covers the time period from the Round 4 interview date up to December 31st,
values for the December 31st variables are equivalent to those for
Round 5 variables for Panel 17 members.
The health insurance variables are constructed for the
sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interviews (Panel
17 Rounds 3 through 5, and Panel 18 Rounds 1 through 3). Note that the Medicare
variables on this file as well as the private insurance variables that indicate
the particular source of private coverage (rather than any private coverage)
only measure coverage at the interview date and on December 31st.
Users should also note that the same general editing rules were followed for the
month-by-month health insurance variables released on this public use file (see
Section 2.5.10.1 “Monthly Health Insurance Indicators” for details). Editing
programs checking for consistencies between these sets of variables were
developed in order to provide as much consistency as possible between the
round-specific indicators and the month-by-month indicators of insurance.
Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE,
Medicaid/SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific
program participation in non-comprehensive coverage was also identified but is
not considered health insurance for the purpose of this survey.
Medicare
Medicare coverage variables (MCARE31, MCARE42, MCARE53
and MCARE13) and the edited versions of these variables (MCARE31X, MCARE42X,
MCARE53X and MCARE13X) were constructed similarly to the month-by-month Medicare
variables.
Medicaid/SCHIP and Other Public Hospital/Physician
Coverage
Medicaid/SCHIP variables (MCAID31, MCAID42, MCAID53,
MCAID13) and the edited versions of these variables (MCAID31X, MCAID42X,
MCAID53X, MCAID13X, MCDAT31X, MCDAT42X, MCDAT53X, MCDAT13X) were constructed
similarly to the month-by-month Medicaid/SCHIP variables.
Other Public A variables (OTPUBA31, OTPUBA42,
OTPUBA53, OTPUBA13; and OTPAAT31, OTPAAT42, OTPAAT53, OTPAAT13) were constructed
similarly to the month-by-month Other Public variables.
Any Public Insurance
Any public insurance variables (PUB31X, PUB42X,
PUB53X, PUB13X, PUBAT31X, PUBAT42X, PUBAT53X, and PUBAT13X) and state-specific
programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage variables (STAPR31, STAPR42,
STAPR53, STAPR13, STPRAT31, STPRAT42, STPRAT53, and STPRAT13) were constructed
similarly to the month-by-month any public insurance and state-specific program
variables.
Private Insurance
Variables identifying private insurance in general
(PRIV31, PRIV42, PRIV53, PRIV13, PRIVAT31, PRIVAT42, PRIVAT53, PRIVAT13) and
specific private insurance sources (such as employer/union group insurance
[PRIEU31, PRIEU42, PRIEU53, PRIEU13]; coverage through a job classified as
self-employed with firm size of 1 [PRIS31, PRIS42, PRIS53, PRIS13]; non-group
coverage [PRING31, PRING42, PRING53, PRING13]; other group coverage [PRIOG31,
PRIOG42, PRIOG53, PRIOG13], coverage through an unknown private category
[PRIDK31, PRIDK42, PRIDK53, PRIDK13]; and coverage from a policyholder living
outside the RU [PROUT31, PROUT42, PROUT53, PROUT13]) were constructed similarly
to the month-by-month variables in section 2.5.10.1. Variables indicating any
private insurance coverage are available for the following time periods: at any
time in a given round, at the interview date, and on December 31st.
The variables for the specific sources of private coverage are only available
for coverage on the interview dates and on December 31st.
Any Insurance in Period
Any insurance variables (INS31X, INS42X, INS53X,
INS13X, INSAT31X, INSAT42X, INSAT53X, and INSAT13X) and state-specific programs
that provide non-comprehensive coverage variables (STAPR31, STAPR42, STAPR53,
STAPR13, STPRAT31, STPRAT42, STPRAT53, and STPRAT13) were constructed similarly
to the month-by-month any insurance and state-specific program variables.
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Dental Private Insurance Variables
Round-specific variables (DENTIN31/42/53) are provided
that indicate the person was covered by a private health insurance plan that
included at least some dental coverage for each round of 2013. It should be
noted that the information was elicited from a pick-list, code-all-that-apply,
question that asked what type of health insurance a person obtained through an
establishment. The list included: hospital and physician benefits including
coverage through an HMO, Medigap coverage, vision coverage, dental, and
prescription drugs. It is possible that some dental coverage provided by
hospital and physician plans was not independently enumerated in this question.
Users should also note that persons with missing information on dental benefits
for all reported private plans and those who reported that they did not have
dental coverage for one or more plans but had missing information on other plans
are coded as not having private dental coverage. Persons with reported dental
coverage from at least one reported private plan were coded as having private
dental coverage.
DENTIN53 reflects coverage for all of Panel 18 Round 3
where the end reference year could extend into 2014. DENTIN31 for Panel 17 Round
3 reflects coverage in 2012 and 2013 since the Round 3 reference period spans
both years. A second version of these dental coverage indicators was built to
reflect only current year coverage (DNTINS31/13).
Prescription Drug Private Insurance Variables
Round-specific variables (PMEDIN31/42/53) are provided
that indicate the person was covered by a private health insurance plan that
included at least some prescription drug insurance coverage for each round of
2013. It should be noted that the information was elicited from a pick-list,
code-all-that-apply, question that asked what type of health insurance a person
obtained through an establishment. The list included: hospital and physician
benefits including coverage through an HMO, Medigap coverage, vision coverage,
dental, and prescription drugs. It is possible some prescription drug coverage
provided by hospital and physician plans was not independently enumerated in
this question. Persons with reported prescription drug coverage from at least
one reported private plan were coded as having private prescription drug
coverage. Users should note that persons with missing information on
prescription drug benefits for all reported private plans and those who reported
that they did not have prescription drug coverage for one or more plans but had
missing information on other plans are coded as not having private prescription
drug coverage.
PMEDIN53 reflects coverage for all of Panel 18 Round 3
where the end reference year could extend into 2014. PMEDIN31 for Panel 17 Round
3 reflects coverage in 2012 and 2013 since the Round 3 reference period spans
both years. A second version of these prescription drug coverage indicators was
built to reflect only current year coverage (PMDINS31/13).
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Round-specific variables are provided that indicate
whether the sample member had a usual third party payer for prescription
medications (PMEDUP31, PMEDUP42, PMEDUP53), and if so, what type of payer
(PMEDPY31, PMEDPY42, PMEDPY53). These questions were asked only of sample
members who reportedly had at least one prescription medication purchase in the
round. In each interview, if the sample member reportedly had a third party
payer, then the respondent was asked the name of the sample member’s usual third
party payer. These responses were coded into the following source of payment
categories in PMEDPY31, PMEDPY42, PMEDPY53: Private Insurance, Medicare,
Medicaid, VA/CHAMPVA, Tricare, State/Local Government, and Other. Users should
note that these questions were asked in the Charge and Payment (CP) section of
the questionnaire, and that no attempt was made to reconcile the responses with
information collected in the health insurance section of the questionnaire.
The respondent was also asked how much the sample
member paid out-of-pocket for his or her last prescription obtained in the round
(PMEDPP31, PMEDPP42). These variables are coded as inapplicable for people with
no prescription medication in the round. Prior to 2009, these variables were
named PMEDOP31, PMEDOP42, and PMEDOP53, and were asked only if the sample member
had a third party payer. In 2013, PMEDPP53 was dropped from the file because of
design changes. The responses in PMEDPP31 and PMEDPP42 were not edited, and no
attempt was made to reconcile the responses with more detailed information
collected about out-of-pocket payments for specific prescription medications
purchased. Nonetheless, in the past for sample members whose number of
prescriptions reported by both the household and the pharmacy matched, half of
these cases had exactly the same out-of-pocket payments for the last
prescription filled; for the remaining cases, the average discrepancy is low.
Return To Table Of Contents
Beginning in FY 2013, the CAPI supplement section
pertaining to satisfaction with health plans was not asked, and 20 variables
were dropped. For further information on variables added to and dropped from
this file, see Section 2.5.12, Changes in Variable List.
Return To Table Of Contents
The MEPS Household Component (HC) collects data in
each round on use and expenditures for office- and hospital-based care, home
health care, dental services, vision aids, and prescribed medicines. Data were
collected for each sample person at the event level (e.g., doctor visit,
hospital stay) and summed across Rounds 3 - 5 for Panel 17 (excluding 2012
events covered in Round 3) and across Rounds 1 - 3 for Panel 18 (excluding 2014
events covered in Round 3) to produce the annual utilization and expenditure
data for 2013. In addition, the MEPS Medical Provider Component (MPC) is a
follow-back survey that collected data from a sample of medical providers and
pharmacies that were used by sample persons in 2013. Expenditure data collected
in the MPC are generally regarded as more accurate than information collected in
the HC and were used to improve the overall quality of MEPS expenditure data in
this file (see below for description of methodology used to develop expenditure
data).
This file contains utilization and expenditure
variables for several categories of health care services. In general, there is
one utilization variable (based on HC responses only), 13 expenditure variables
(derived from both HC and MPC responses), and one charge variable for each
category of health care service. The utilization variable is typically a count
of the number of medical events reported for the category. The 13 expenditure
variables consist of an aggregate total payments variable, 10 main component
source of payment category variables, and two additional source of payment
category variables (see below for description of source of payment categories).
Expenditure variables for all categories of health care combined are also
provided. These variables generally represent a full year of use and
expenditures. However, for persons who were not inscope for the entire year,
these variables reflect only the period of eligibility.
The table in Appendix 1 provides an overview of the
utilization and expenditure variables included in this file. For each health
service category, the table lists the corresponding utilization variable(s) and
provides a general key to the expenditure variable names (13 per service
category). The first three characters of the expenditure variable names reflect
the service category (except only two characters for prescription medicines)
while the subsequent three characters (*** in table) reflect the naming
convention for the source of payment categories described below (except only two
characters for Veterans Administration). The last two positions of all
utilization and expenditure variable names reflect the survey year (i.e., 13).
More details are provided on the utilization and expenditure variables in
sections 2.5.11.1 and 2.5.11.2 below.
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Expenditures on this file refer to what is paid for
health care services. More specifically, expenditures in MEPS are defined as the
sum of direct payments for care provided during the year, including
out-of-pocket payments and payments by private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare,
and other sources. Payments for over-the-counter drugs are not collected in
MEPS. Indirect payments not related to specific medical events, such as Medicaid
Disproportionate Share and Medicare Direct Medical Education subsidies, are also
not included.
The definition of expenditures used in MEPS is
somewhat different from the 1987 NMES and 1977 NMCES surveys where charges
rather than sum of payments were used to measure expenditures. This change was
adopted because charges became a less appropriate proxy for medical expenditures
during the 1990s due to the increasingly common practice of discounting charges.
Another change from the two prior surveys is that charges associated with
uncollected liability, bad debt, and charitable care (unless provided by a
public clinic or hospital) are not counted as expenditures because there are no
payments associated with those classifications.
While the concept of expenditures in MEPS has been
operationalized as payments for health care services, variables reflecting
charges for services received are also provided on the file (see below).
Analysts should use caution when working with the charge variables because they
do not typically represent actual dollars exchanged for services or the resource
costs of those services.
Data Sources on Expenditures
The expenditure data included on this file were
derived from the MEPS Household and Medical Provider Components. Only HC data
were collected for non-physician visits, dental and vision services, other
medical equipment and services, and home health care not provided by an agency
while data on expenditures for care provided by home health agencies were only
collected in the MPC. In addition to HC data, MPC data were collected for a
sample of office-based visits to physicians (or medical providers supervised by
physicians), hospital-based events (e.g., inpatient stays, emergency room
visits, and outpatient department visits), and prescribed medicines. For these
types of events, MPC data were used if complete; otherwise, HC data were used if
complete. Missing data for events where HC data were not complete and MPC data
were not collected or complete were derived through an imputation process (see
below).
A series of logical edits were applied to both the HC
and MPC data to correct for several problems including, but not limited to,
outliers, copayments or charges reported as total payments, and reimbursed
amounts that were reported as out-of-pocket payments. In addition, edits were
implemented to correct for misclassifications between Medicare and Medicaid and
between Medicare HMOs and private HMOs as payment sources. Data were not edited
to insure complete consistency between the health insurance and source of
payment variables on the file.
Imputation for Missing Expenditures and Data
Adjustments
Expenditure data were imputed to 1) replace missing
data, 2) provide estimates for care delivered under capitated reimbursement
arrangements, and 3) to adjust household-reported insurance payments because
respondents were often unaware that their insurer paid a discounted amount to
the provider. This section contains a general description of the approaches used
for these three situations. A more detailed description of the editing and
imputation procedures is provided in the documentation for the MEPS event-level
files.
The predictive mean matching imputation method was
used to impute missing expenditures. This procedure uses regression models
(based on events with completely reported expenditure data) to predict total
expenses for each event. Then, for each event with missing payment information,
a donor event with the closest predicted payment with the same pattern of
expected payment sources as the event with missing payment was used to impute
the missing payment value.
The general approach that was used to impute missing
expenditure data on prescribed medicines is described in section 2.5.11.2 below.
Because payments for medical care provided under
capitated reimbursement arrangements and through public clinics and Veterans’
Hospitals are not tied to particular medical events, expenditures for events
covered under those types of arrangements and settings were also imputed. Using
a weighted sequential hot-deck procedure, events covered under capitated
arrangements were imputed from events covered under managed care arrangements
that were paid based on a discounted fee-for-service method, while imputations
for visits to public clinics and Veterans’ Hospitals were based on similar
events that were paid on a fee-for-service basis. As for other events, selected
predictor variables were used to form groups of donor and recipient events for
the imputations.
An adjustment was also applied to some HC-reported
expenditure data because an evaluation of matched HC/MPC data showed that
respondents who reported that charges and payments were equal were often unaware
that insurance payments for the care had been based on a discounted charge. To
compensate for this systematic reporting error, a weighted sequential hot-deck
imputation procedure was implemented to determine an adjustment factor for
HC-reported insurance payments when charges and payments were reported to be
equal. As for the other imputations, selected predictor variables were used to
form groups of donor and recipient events for the imputation process.
Methodology for Flat Fee Expenditures
Most of the expenditures for medical care reported by
MEPS participants are associated with single medical events. However, in some
situations there is one charge that covers multiple contacts between a medical
provider and patient (e.g., obstetrician services, orthodontia). In these
situations (generally called flat or global fees), total payments for the flat
or global fee were included if the initial service was provided in 2013. For
example, all payments for an orthodontist’s fee that covered multiple visits
over three years were included if the initial visit occurred in 2013. However,
if a visit in 2013 to an orthodontist was part of a flat fee in which the
initial visit occurred in 2012, then none of the payments for the flat fee were
included.
The approach used to count expenditures for flat fees
may create what appear to be inconsistencies between utilization and expenditure
variables. For example, if several visits under a flat fee arrangement occurred
in 2013 but the first visit occurred in 2012, then none of the expenditures were
included, resulting in low expenditures relative to utilization for that person.
Conversely, the flat fee methodology may result in high expenditures for some
persons relative to their utilization. For example, all of the expenditures for
an expensive flat fee were included even if only the first visit covered by the
fee had occurred in 2013. On average, the methodology used for flat fees should
result in a balance between overestimation and underestimation of expenditures
in a particular year.
Zero Expenditures
There are some medical events reported by respondents
where the payments were zero. This could occur for several reasons including (1)
free care was provided, (2) bad debt was incurred, (3) care was covered under a
flat fee arrangement and it was not the initial event of the bundle (see prior
section on Methodology for Flat Fee Expenditures), or (4) follow-up visits were
provided without a separate charge (e.g., after a surgical procedure). In
summary, these types of events have no impact on totals for the person-level
expenditure variables contained in this file.
Source of Payment Categories
In addition to total expenditures, variables are
provided that itemize expenditures according to the major source of payment
categories. These categories are:
- Out of pocket by patient or patient’s family (SLF);
- Medicare (MCR);
- Medicaid (MCD);
- Private Insurance (PRV);
- Veterans’ Administration/CHAMPVA, excluding TRICARE (VA);
- TRICARE (TRI);
- Other Federal Sources--includes Indian Health Service,
military treatment facilities, and other care provided by the
federal government (OFD);
- Other State and Local Source--includes community and
neighborhood clinics, state and local health departments, and
state programs other than Medicaid (STL);
- Worker’s Compensation (WCP);
- Other Unclassified Sources--includes sources such as
automobile, homeowner’s, liability, and other miscellaneous or
unknown sources (OSR).
Two additional source of payment
variables were created to classify payments for particular
persons that appear inconsistent due to differences between the
survey questions on health insurance coverage and sources of
payment for medical events. These variables include:
- Other Private (OPR) - any type of private insurance payments
reported for persons not reported to have any private health
insurance coverage during the year as defined in MEPS (i.e., for
hospital and physician services); and
- Other Public (OPU) - Medicaid payments reported for persons
who were not reported to be enrolled in the Medicaid program at
any time during the year.
Though relatively small in magnitude, users should
exercise caution when interpreting the expenditures associated with the OPR and
OPU categories. While these payments stem from apparent inconsistent responses
to the health insurance and source of payment questions in the survey, some of
these inconsistencies may have logical explanations. For example, private
insurance coverage in MEPS is defined as having a major medical plan covering
hospital and physician services. If a MEPS sample person did not have such
coverage but had a single service type insurance plan (e.g., dental insurance)
that paid for a particular episode of care, those payments may be classified as
“other private.” Some of the “other public” payments may stem from confusion
between Medicaid and other state and local programs or may be for persons who
were not enrolled in Medicaid, but were presumed eligible by a provider who
ultimately received payments from the program.
The naming conventions used for the source of payment
expenditure variables are shown in parentheses in the list of categories above
and in the key to the attached table in Appendix 1. In addition, total
expenditure variables (EXP in key) based on the sum of the 12 source of payment
variables above are provided.
Charge Variables
In addition to the expenditure variables described
above, a variable reflecting total charges is provided for each type of service
category (except prescribed medicines). This variable represents the sum of all
fully established charges for care received and usually does not reflect actual
payments made for services, which can be substantially lower due to factors such
as negotiated discounts, bad debt, and free care (see above). The weighted
sequential hot-deck procedure was used to impute the missing total charges. The
naming convention used for the charge variables (TCH) is also included in the
key to the attached table in Appendix 1. The total charge variable across
services (TOTTCH13) excludes prescribed medicines.
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The following sections summarize definitional,
conceptual, and analytic considerations when using the utilization and
expenditure variables in this file. Separate discussions are provided for each
MEPS medical service category. There is also a discussion in the section dealing
with analyses of trends using MEPS data (section 3.11).
Medical Provider Visits (i.e., Office-Based Visits)
Medical provider visits consist of encounters that
took place primarily in office-based settings and clinics. Care provided in
other settings such as a hospital, nursing home, or a person’s home are not
included in this category.
The total number of office-based visits reported for
2013 (OBTOTV13) as well as the number of such visits to physicians (OBDRV13) and
non-physician providers (OBOTHV13) are contained in this file. For a small
proportion of sample persons, the sum of the physician and non-physician visit
variables (OBDRV13+OBOTHV13) is less than the total number of office-based
visits variable (OBTOTV13) because OBTOTV13 contains visits where it was not
reported in the HC whether a physician or non-physician provider was seen.
Non-physician visits (OBOTHV13) include visits to the following types of
providers: chiropractors, midwives, nurses and nurse practitioners,
optometrists, podiatrists, physician’s assistants, physical therapists,
occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, technicians,
receptionists/clerks/secretaries, or other medical providers. Separate
utilization variables are included for selected types of more commonly seen
non-physician providers including chiropractors (OBCHIR13), nurses/nurse
practitioners (OBNURS13), optometrists (OBOPTO13), physician assistants
(OBASST13), and physical or occupational therapists (OBTHER13).
Expenditure variables associated with all medical
provider visits, physician visits, and non-physician visits in office-based
settings can be identified using the attached table in Appendix 1. As for the
corresponding utilization variables, the sum of the physician and non-physician
visit expenditure variables (e.g. OBDEXP13+OBOEXP13) is less than the total
office-based expenditure variable (OBVEXP13) for a small proportion of sample
persons. This can occur because OBVEXP13 includes visits where it was not
reported whether a physician or non-physician provider was seen.
Hospital Events
Separate utilization variables for hospital care are
provided for each type of setting (outpatient department, emergency room, and
inpatient stays) along with three expense variables per setting: one for basic
hospital facility expenses, one for payments to physicians who billed separately
for services provided at the hospital (referred to as “separately billing
doctor” or SBD expenses) and one that aggregates the facility and SBD expenses
(aggregated variable not included in files prior to 2007).
Hospital facility expenses include all expenses for
direct hospital care, including room and board, diagnostic and laboratory work,
x-rays, and similar charges, as well as any physician services included in the
hospital charge. SBD expenses typically cover services provided to patients in
hospital settings by providers like radiologists, anesthesiologists, and
pathologists, whose charges are often not included in hospital bills.
Hospital Outpatient Visits
Variables for the total number of reported visits to
hospital outpatient departments in 2013 (OPTOTV13) as well as the number of
outpatient department visits to physicians (OPDRV13) and non-physician providers
(OPOTHV13) are contained in this file. For a small proportion of sample persons,
the sum of the physician and non-physician visit variables (OPDRV13 + OPOTHV13)
is less than the total number of outpatient visits variable (OPTOTV13) because
OPTOTV13 contains visits where it was not reported whether a physician or
non-physician provider was seen.
Expenditure variables (both facility and SBD)
associated with all medical provider visits, physician visits, and non-physician
visits in outpatient departments can be identified using the attached table in
Appendix 1. As for the corresponding utilization variables, the sum of the
physician and non-physician expenditure variables (e.g., OPVEXP13 + OPOEXP13 for
facility expenses) is less than the variable for total outpatient department
expenditures (e.g., OPFEXP13 for facility expenses) for a small proportion of
sample persons. This can occur because OBFEXP13 includes visits where it was not
reported whether a physician or non-physician provider was seen. No expenditure
variables are provided for health care consultations that occurred over the
telephone.
Medical Provider (Office) and Hospital Outpatient
Combined Visits
Medical provider and hospital outpatient combined
visits for Chiropractor (AMCHIR13), Ambulatory Nurse/Practitioner (AMNURS13),
Ambulatory Optometrist (AMOPTO13), Physician Assistant (AMASST13) and Ambulatory
PT/OT Therapy (AMTHER13) are also contained in this file.
Expenditure variables (both facility and SBD)
associated with medical provider plus hospital outpatient visits can be
identified using attached table in Appendix 1.
Hospital Emergency Room Visits
The variable ERTOT13 represents a count of all
emergency room visits reported for the survey year. Expenditure variables
associated with ERTOT13 are identified in the attached table in Appendix 1. It
should be noted that hospitals usually include expenses associated with
emergency room visits that immediately result in an inpatient stay with the
charges and payments for the inpatient stay. Therefore, to avoid the potential
for double counting when imputing missing expenses, separately reported facility
expenditures for emergency room visits that were identified in the MPC as
directly linked to an inpatient stay were included as part of the inpatient stay
only (see section on Hospital Inpatient Stays below). This strategy to avoid
double counting resulted in $0 facility expenditures for these emergency room
visits (but there still may be associated SBD expenses). However, these $0
emergency room visits are still counted as separate visits in the utilization
variable ERTOT13.
Hospital Inpatient Stays
Two measures of total inpatient utilization are
provided on the file:
- IPDIS13 is the total number of hospital discharges. It
includes hospital stays where the dates of admission and
discharge were reported as identical. These “zero-night stays”
can be included or excluded from inpatient analyses at the
user’s discretion (see last paragraph of this section).
- IPNGTD13 is the total number of nights associated with these
discharges. Please note that the variable IPNGTD13 is an imputed
version of the IPNGT13 variable released earlier on HC-157. For
the 46 cases that were missing length of stay information, data
were imputed using a median imputation method.
Expenditure variables associated with hospital
inpatient stays are identified in the attached table in Appendix 1. As described
in the previous section, payments associated with emergency room visits that
immediately preceded an inpatient stay are included with the inpatient
expenditures. In addition, payments associated with healthy newborns are
included with expenditures for the mother (see next paragraph for more detail).
Data used to construct the inpatient utilization and
expenditure variables for newborns were edited to exclude stays where the
newborn left the hospital on the same day as the mother. This edit was applied
because discharges for infants without complications after birth were not
consistently reported in the survey, and charges for newborns without
complications are typically included in the mother’s hospital bill. However, if
the newborn was discharged at a later date than the mother was discharged, then
the discharge was considered a separate stay for the newborn when constructing
the utilization and expenditure variables.
Some analysts may prefer to exclude “zero-night stays”
from inpatient analyses and/or count these stays as ambulatory visits.
Therefore, a separate variable is provided that contains a count of the number
of inpatient events where the reported dates of admission and discharge were the
same (IPZERO13). This variable can be subtracted from IPDIS13 to exclude
“zero-night stays” from inpatient utilization estimates. In addition, separate
expenditure variables are provided for zero-night facility expenses (ZIFEXP13)
and for separately billing doctor expenses (ZIDEXP13). Analysts who choose to
exclude zero-night stays from inpatient expenditure analyses need to subtract
the zero-night expenditure variable from the corresponding expenditure variable
for total inpatient stays (e.g., IPFEXP13-ZIFEXP13 for facility expenses,
IPDEXP13-ZIDEXP13 for separately billing doctor expenses).
Dental Care Visits
The total number of dental care visits variable
(DVTOT13) includes those to any person(s) for dental care including general
dentists, dental hygienists, dental technicians, dental surgeons, orthodontists,
endodontists, and periodontists. Additional variables are provided for the
numbers of dental visits to general dentists (DVGEN13) and to orthodontists
(DVORTH13). For a small proportion of sample persons, the sum of the general
dentist and orthodontist visit variables (DVGEN13+DVORTH13) may not be equal to
the total number of dental visits (DVTOT13). This result can only occur for
persons who were reported to have seen both a general dentist and orthodontist
in the same visit(s). When this occurred, expenditures for the visit were
included as orthodontist expenses (DVOEXP13) but not as general dentist expenses
(DVGEXP13). Expenditures for dental visits where it was not reported that a
general dentist or orthodontist was seen are only included in the total dental
expenses variable (DVTEXP13). Expenditure variables for all three categories of
dental providers can be identified using the attached table in Appendix 1.
Home Health Care
In contrast to other types of medical events where
data were collected on a per visit basis, information on home health care
utilization is collected in MEPS on a per month basis. Variables are provided
that indicate the total number of days in 2013 where home health care was
received from the following: from any type of paid or unpaid caregiver
(HHTOTD13), from agencies, hospitals, or nursing homes (HHAGD13), from
self-employed persons (HHINDD13), and from unpaid informal caregivers not living
with the sample person (HHINFD13). The number of provider days represents the
sum across months of the number of days on which home health care was received,
with days summed across all providers seen. For example, if a person received
care in one month from one provider on two different days, then the number of
provider days would equal two. The number of provider days would also equal two
if a person received care from two different providers on the same day. However,
if a person received care from one provider two times on the same day, then the
provider days would equal one. These variables were assigned missing values if
the number of provider days could not be computed for any month in which the
specific type of home health care was received.
Separate expenditure variables are provided for
agency-sponsored home health care (includes care provided by home health
agencies, hospitals, and nursing homes) and care provided by self-employed
persons. The attached table in Appendix 1 identifies the home health care
utilization and expenditure variables contained in the file.
Return To Table Of Contents
Vision Aids
Expenditure variables for the purchase of glasses
and/or contact lenses are identified in the attached table in Appendix 1. Due to
the data collection methodology, it was not possible to determine whether vision
items that were reported in Round 3 had been purchased in 2012 or 2013.
Therefore, expenses reported in Round 3 were only included if more than half of
the person’s reference period for the round was in 2013.
Other Medical Equipment and Services
This category includes expenditures for ambulance
services, orthopedic items, hearing devices, prostheses, bathroom aids, medical
equipment, disposable supplies, alterations/modifications, and other
miscellaneous items or services that were obtained, purchased, or rented during
the year. On this file, diabetic supplies and insulin are not considered to be
medical equipment. All use and expenditure information for these items are
included in the prescribed medicine variables. Respondents were asked only once
(in Round 3) about their total annual expenditures and were not asked about
their frequency of use of these services. Expenditure variables representing the
combined expenses for these supplies and services are identified in the Appendix
1 table.
Prescribed Medicines
There is one total utilization variable (RXTOT13) and
13 expenditure variables included on the 2013 full-year file relating to
prescribed medicines. These 13 expenditure variables include an annual total
expenditure variable (RXEXP13) and 12 corresponding annual source of payment
variables (RXSLF13, RXMCR13, RXMCD13, RXPRV13, RXVA13, RXTRI13, RXOFD13,
RXSTL13, RXWCP13, RXOSR13, RXOPR13, and RXOPU13). The total utilization variable
is a count of all prescribed medications purchased during 2013 (includes initial
purchases and refills). The total expenditure variable sums all amounts paid
out-of-pocket and by third party payers for each prescription purchased in 2013.
No variables reflecting charges for prescription medicines are included because
a large proportion of respondents to the MEPS pharmacy component survey did not
provide charge data (see below).
Prescribed Medicines Data Collected
Data regarding prescription drugs were obtained
through the household questionnaire and a pharmacy component survey. During each
round of the MEPS-HC, all respondents were asked to supply the name of any
prescribed medication they or their family members purchased or otherwise
obtained during that round. For each medication and in each round, the following
information was collected: whether any free samples of the medication were
received; the name(s) of any health conditions the medication was prescribed
for; the number of times the prescription drug was obtained or purchased; the
year, month, and day on which the person first used the medication; and a list
of the names, addresses, and types of pharmacies that filled the household’s
prescriptions. Also, during the Household Component, respondents were asked if
they send in claim forms for their prescriptions (self-filers) or if their
pharmacy providers do this automatically for them at the point of purchase
(non-self-filers). For non-self-filers, charge and payment information was
collected in the pharmacy component survey, unless the purchase was an insulin
or diabetic supply/equipment event. However, charge and payment information was
collected for self-filers in the household questionnaire, because payments by
private third party payers for self-filers’ purchases would not be available
from the pharmacy component. Uninsured persons were treated as those whose
pharmacies filed their prescription claims at the point of purchase. Persons who
said they did not know if they sent in their own prescription claim forms were
treated as those who did send in their own prescription claim forms.
Pharmacy providers identified by the household were
contacted by telephone in the pharmacy component if permission to release their
pharmacy records was obtained in writing from the person with the prescription.
The signed permission forms were provided to the various establishments prior to
making any requests for information. Each establishment was informed of all
persons participating in the survey that had prescriptions filled there in 2012
and a computerized printout containing information about these prescriptions was
sought. For each medication listed, the following information was requested:
date filled, national drug code (NDC), medication name, strength of medicine
(amount and unit), quantity (package size and amount dispensed), and payments by
source.
When diabetic supplies, such as syringes and insulin,
were reported in the other medical supply section of the MEPS-HC questionnaire
as having been obtained during the round, the interviewer was directed to
collect information on these items in the prescription drug section of MEPS.
Charge and payment information was asked for these events.
Prescribed Medicines Data Editing and Imputation
The general approach to preparing the household
prescription data for this file was to utilize the pharmacy component
prescription data to assign expenditure values to the household drug mentions.
For events for which charge and payment data were collected from the household
in the HC, information on payment sources was retained to the extent that these
data were reported. For those with Pharmacy Component data, a matching program
was adopted to link pharmacy component drugs and the corresponding drug
information to household drug mentions. To improve the quality of these matches,
all drugs on the household and pharmacy files were coded based on the medication
names provided by the household and pharmacy, and when available, the national
drug code (NDC) provided in the pharmacy survey. Considerable editing was done
prior to the matching to correct data inconsistencies in both data sets, fill in
missing data, and correct outliers on the pharmacy file.
Drug price per unit outliers were analyzed on the
pharmacy file by first identifying the average wholesale unit price (AWUP) of
the drug by linkage through the NDC to a proprietary database. In general,
prescription drug unit prices were deemed to be outliers by comparing unit
prices reported in the pharmacy database to the AWUP and were edited, as
necessary. Beginning with the 2007 data, the rules used to identify outlier
prices for prescription medications in the PC changed. New outlier thresholds
were established based on the distribution of the ratio of retail unit prices
relative to the AWUP in the 2007 MarketScan Outpatient Pharmaceutical Claims
database.
Starting with the 2008 Prescribed Medicine file,
improvements in the data editing changed the distribution of payments by source:
(1) more spending on Medicare beneficiaries is by private insurance, rather than
Medicare, and (2) there are less out-of-pocket payments and more Medicaid
payments among Medicaid enrollees. Beginning with the 2009 data, another change
affected the data for Medicare beneficiaries with both Part D and Medicaid
coverage: reported Medicaid and other state and local program payments were no
longer edited to be Medicare payments.
For Round 3, which spans two years, drug mentions in
that round were allocated between the years based on the number of times the
respondent said the drug was purchased in the respective year, the year the
person started taking the drug, the length of the person’s round, the dates of
the person’s round, and the number of fills of that drug for that person in the
round.
Collapsed Source of Payment Variables
Two additional source of payment variables are
included for each health care service category as a convenience to data users
since they are common analytic groupings of the payment sources. The first
(***PTR13 series) is the sum of the private and Tricare payer categories (i.e.,
***PTR13=***PRV13+***TRI13). The second (***OTH13 series) is the sum of the
least common source of payment categories including: 1) other federal
(***OFD13), 2) state and local (***STL13), 3) other private (***OPR13), 4) other
public (***OPU13), and 5) other sources (***OSR13). Since the ***PTR13 and
***OTH13 variable series represent combined totals of existing individual source
of payment variables, analysts should exercise caution to avoid inappropriate
double counting of expenditures when working with these variables.
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Following is a list of changes to the variable list
for the 2013 full-year consolidated data file.
Added
- ADESSP42
- ANYLMTyy
- BORNUSA
- CAUTERUS
- DFCOG42
- DFDRSB42
- DFERND42
- DFHEAR42
- DFSEE42
- DFWLKC42
- EDUYRDG
- HISPNCAT
- HWELLSPE
- LANGSPK
- LIVEUS42
- OTHLANG
- PRVSPK42
- RACEV2X
- REFRL31X
- REFRL42X
- REFRL53X
- REFRLyyX
- YRSINUS
Deleted
- ADCMPD42
- ADL3MO42
- ADL3MO53
- ADLHLP42
- ADSPRF42
- ANYLIMyy
- APRDLM42
- APRDLT42
- APRTRM42
- APRTRT42
- BEGRFD31
- BEGRFD42
- BEGRFD53
- BLDRAGED
- BLDRREMS
- BPMONT53
- BRAIAGED
- BRAIREMS
- BRSTAGED
- BRSTREMS
- CABRAIN
- CALEUKEM
- CATHROAT
- CATHYROD
- CERVAGED
- CERVREMS
- COLOAGED
- COLOREMS
- CSTSVM42
- CSTSVT42
- DDBDYS31
- DDBDYS42
- DDBDYS53
- EDUCYR
- EDUYRDEG
- ENDRFD31
- ENDRFD42
- ENDRFD53
- ENDRFDyy
- GDCPBM42
- GDCPBT42
- HEARDI42
- HEARMO42
- HEARNG42
- HEARSM42
- HIDEG
- IADL3M42
- IADL3M53
- IADLHP42
- LEUKAGED
- LEUKREMS
- LKINFM42
- LKINFT42
- LUNGAGED
- LUNGREMS
- LYMPAGED
- LYMPREMS
- MELAAGED
- MELAREMS
- MSA31
- MSA42
- MSA53
- MSAyy
- OTHRAGED
- OTHRREMS
- PBINFM42
- PBINFT42
- PBPWKM42
- PBPWKT42
- PBSVCM42
- PBSVCT42
- PHMONPyy
- PMEDPP53
- PMNCNPyy
- PPRWKM42
- PPRWKT42
- PRDRNPyy
- PRSTAGED
- PRSTREMS
- PRVDRLyy
- PRVMNCyy
- READNW42
- RECPEP42
- REFDP13X
- REFIMP13
- RFREL31X
- RFREL42X
- RFREL53X
- RFRELyyX
- RTPLNM42
- RTPLNT42
- SCLNBD31
- SCLNBD42
- SCLNBD53
- SEEDIF42
- SKDKAGED
- SKDKREMS
- SKNMAGED
- SKNMREMS
- SSIDISyy
- STJBDD31
- STJBDD42
- STJBDD53
- THRTAGED
- THRTREMS
- THYRAGED
- THYRREMS
- USLIVE42
- VISION42
- WKINBD31
- WKINBD42
- WKINBD53
- WLK3MO53
- YNOINS31
- YNOINS42
- YNOINS53
Changed
Variable ANYLIMyy (Any Limitation in
P16R3,4,5/P17R1,2,3) is renamed ANYLMTyy (Any Limitation in
P17R3,4,5/P18R1,2,3)
Return To Table Of Contents
Records on this file can be linked to 2013 MEPS-HC
public use event and conditions files by the sample person identifier
(DUPERSID). The Panel 17 cases on this file (PANEL=17) can also be linked back
to the 2012 MEPS-HC public use event and condition files.
Return To Table Of Contents
The set of households selected for MEPS is a subsample
of those participating in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), thus,
each MEPS panel can also be linked back to the previous year’s NHIS public use
data files. For information on obtaining MEPS/NHIS link files please see
meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/more_info_download_data_files.jsp.
Return To Table Of Contents
Panel-specific longitudinal files are available for
downloading in the data section of the MEPS Web site. For each panel, the
longitudinal file comprises MEPS survey data obtained in Rounds 1 through 5 of
the panel and can be used to analyze changes over a two-year period. Variables
in the file pertaining to survey administration, demographics, employment,
health status, disability days, quality of care, patient satisfaction, health
insurance, and medical care use and expenditures were obtained from the MEPS
full-year Consolidated files from the two years covered by that panel.
For more details or to download the data files, please
see Longitudinal Weight Files at
meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/more_info_download_data_files.jsp.
Return To Table Of Contents
The MEPS is designed to produce estimates at the
national and regional level over time for the civilian, noninstitutionalized
population of the United States and some subpopulations of interest. The data in
this public use file pertain to calendar year 2013. The data were collected in
Rounds 1, 2, and 3 for MEPS Panel 18 and Rounds 3, 4, and 5 for MEPS Panel 17.
(Note that Round 3 for a MEPS panel is designed to overlap two calendar years,
as illustrated below.)
Variables convey the same information for this full
year consolidated file that has been provided for the full year consolidated
files associated with years 1996 – 2012 of MEPS.
The only utilization data that appear on this file are
those associated with health care events reported by MEPS respondents and
occurring in calendar year 2013. These data were obtained from both MEPS panels
for those rounds (or portions of rounds) associated with 2013.
A sample design feature shared by both Panel 17 and
Panel 18 involved the partitioning of the sample domain “Other” (serving as the
catchall stratum, and consisting mainly of households with “White” members) into
two sample domains. This was done for the first time in Panel 16. The two
domains were defined as: those households characterized as “complete”
respondents to the NHIS; and those characterized as “partial completes.” NHIS
“partial completes” typically have a lower response rate to MEPS and for both
MEPS panels the “partial” domain was sampled at a lower rate than the “complete”
domain. This approach served to reduce survey costs, since the “partials” tend
to have higher costs in gaining survey participation, but increased sample
variability due to the resulting increased variance in sampling rates.
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There have been some published reports on the MEPS
sample design. For detailed information on the MEPS sample design, see Cohen,
S., Sample Design of the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household
Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2000.
MEPS Methodology Report, No. 11. AHRQ Pub. No. 01-0001 and Ezzati-Rice, T.M.,
Rohde, F., Greenblatt, J., (2008). Sample Design of the Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey Household Component, 1998-2007, Methodology Report, No. 22. March
2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/mr22.shtml.
Return To Table Of Contents
Each responding household found in this 2013 MEPS
database is associated with one of two separate and overlapping MEPS panels,
MEPS Panel 17 and MEPS Panel 18. These panels consist of subsamples of
households participating in the 2011 and 2012 NHIS, respectively, and reflecting
the NHIS sample design first implemented in 2006.
Whenever there is a change in sample or study design,
it is good survey practice to assess whether such a change could affect the
sample estimates. For example, increased coverage of the target populations with
an updated sample design based on data from the latest Census can improve the
accuracy of the sample estimates. MEPS estimates have been and will continue to
be evaluated to determine if an important change in the survey estimates might
be associated with a change in design.
As background, the NHIS is a complex multi-stage
sample design. A brief and simplified description of the NHIS design follows.
The first stage of sample selection is an area sample of PSUs, where PSUs
generally consist of one or more counties. Within PSUs, density strata are
formed, generally reflecting the density of minority populations for single or
groups of blocks or block equivalents that are assigned to the strata. Within
each such density stratum “supersegments” are formed, consisting of clusters of
housing units. Samples of supersegments are selected for use over a 10-year data
collection period for the NHIS. Households within supersegments are selected for
each calendar year the NHIS is carried out. In the NHIS sample design used since
2006, Asians are oversampled in addition to Hispanics and Blacks. These features
of the NHIS complex survey design carry over to the MEPS. The only major
difference in eligibility status for housing units between NHIS and MEPS is that
college dorms represent ineligible housing units for MEPS. College aged students
living away from home during the school year were interviewed at their place of
residence for the NHIS but were identified by and linked to their parents’
household for MEPS. (There is also a person-level stage of sampling for the
NHIS, but that does not affect the MEPS sample design.)
The households (occupied DUs) selected for MEPS Panel
17 were a subsample of the 2011 NHIS responding households, while those in MEPS
Panel 18 were a subsample of 2012 NHIS responding households. A MEPS household
may contain one or more family units, each consisting of one or more
individuals. Analysis using MEPS data can be undertaken using either the
individual or the family as the unit of analysis.
There were 9,700 households (occupied DUs) selected
for MEPS Panel 17, of which 9,676 were eligible for fielding (college
dormitories were eliminated). They were randomly selected from among the
households responding to the 2011 NHIS. A subsample of 9,700 households was
randomly selected for MEPS Panel 18 from the households responding to the 2012
NHIS, of which 9,685 were fielded for MEPS after the elimination of college
dorms.
Return To Table Of Contents
In the database “MEPS HC-163: 2013 Full Year
Consolidated Data File,” weight variables are provided for generating MEPS
estimates of totals, means, percentages, and rates for persons and families in
the civilian noninstitutionalized population. The weight variables (PERWT13F and
FAMWT13F) provided in this file supersede the weight variables provided in the
2013 Full Year Population Characteristic File (HC-157). Procedures and
considerations associated with the construction and interpretation of person and
family-level estimates using these and other variables are discussed below.
Return To Table Of Contents
For most MEPS panels, a sample representing about
three-eighths of the NHIS responding households is made available for use in
MEPS. This was the case for both MEPS Panel 17 and Panel 18.
Because the MEPS subsampling has to be done soon after
NHIS responding households are identified, a small percentage of the NHIS
households initially characterized as NHIS respondents are later classified as
nonrespondents for the purposes of NHIS data analysis. This actually serves to
increase the overall MEPS response rate slightly since the percentage of NHIS
households designated for use in MEPS (all those characterized initially as
respondents from the NHIS panels and quarters used by MEPS for a given year) is
slightly larger than the final NHIS household-level response rate and some NHIS
nonresponding households do participate in MEPS. However, as a result, these
NHIS nonrespondents who are MEPS participants have no NHIS data available to
link 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 deleted 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 in Rows A, B, and C the three
informational components just discussed. 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). Note that all response rates discussed here are unweighted.
Table 3.1. Sample Size and Unweighted Response Rates
for 2013 Full Year File (Panel 18 Rounds 1-3/Panel 17, Rounds 3-5)
| |
Panel 17 |
Panel 18 |
2013 Combined |
| A. Percentage of NHIS households designated for use in MEPS (those
initially characterized as responding) * |
82.9% |
78.0% |
|
| B. Number of households sampled from the NHIS |
9,700 |
9,700 |
|
| C. Number of Households sampled from the NHIS and fielded for MEPS |
9,676 |
9,685 |
|
| D. Round 1 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
10,386 |
10,357 |
|
| E. Round 1 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
8,121 |
7,683 |
|
| F. Round 2 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
8,359 |
7,971 |
|
| G. Round 2 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
7,874 |
7,402 |
|
| H. Round 3 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
8,049 |
7,622 |
|
| I. Round 3 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
7,663 |
7,205 |
|
| J. Round 4 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
7,844 |
|
|
| K. Round 4 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
7,494 |
|
|
| L. Round 5 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
7,558 |
|
|
| M. Round 5 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
7,445 |
|
|
Overall annual unweighted response rates
P18: A x (E/D) x (G/F) x (I/H)
P17: A x (E/D) x (G/F) x (I/H) x (K/J) x (M/L)
Combined: 0.51 x P17 + 0.49 x P18 |
54.7% (Panel 17
through Round 5) |
50.8% (Panel 18
through Round 3) |
52.8% |
*Among the panels and quarters of the NHIS allocated to MEPS, the
percentage of households that were considered to
be NHIS respondents at the time the MEPS sample
was selected.
Return To Table Of Contents
In order to produce annual health care estimates for
calendar year 2013 based on the full MEPS sample data from the MEPS Panel 17 and
Panel 18, the two panels are combined. More specifically, full calendar year
2013 data collected in Rounds 3 through 5 for the MEPS Panel 17 sample are
pooled with data from the first three rounds of data collection for the MEPS
Panel 18 sample (the general approach is described below).
As mentioned above, all response rates discussed here
are unweighted. To understand the calculation of MEPS response rates, some
features related to MEPS data collection should be noted. When an RU is visited
for a round of data collection, changes in RU membership are identified. Such
changes include the formation of student RUs as well as other new RUs created
when RU members from a previous round have moved to another location in the U.S.
Thus, the number of RUs eligible for MEPS interviewing in a given round is
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 expressed as a proportion. 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 17, Round 2 the ratio of 7,874 (Row G) to 8,359 (Row F)
multiplied by 100 represents the response rate for the round (94.2 percent when
computed), 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 1 produces the overall response rate through the last MEPS
round specified.
The overall unweighted response rate for the combined
sample of Panel 17 and Panel 18 for 2013 was obtained by computing the products
of the relative sample sizes and the corresponding overall panel response rates
and then summing the two products. Panel 18 represents about 49 percent of the
combined sample size while Panel 17 represents the remaining 51 percent. Thus,
the combined response rate of 52.8 percent was computed as 0.49 times 50.8, the
overall Panel 18 response rate through Round 3 plus 0.51 times 54.7, the overall
Panel 17 response rate through Round 5.
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For MEPS Panel 18, Round 1, 9,685 households were
fielded in 2013 (Row C of Table 3.1), a randomly selected subsample of the
households responding to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
Table 3.1 shows the number of RUs eligible for
interviewing in each Round of Panel 18 as well as the number of RUs completing
the MEPS interview. Computing the individual round “conditional” response rates
as described in section 3.2.1 and then taking the product of these three
response rates and the factor 78.0 (the percentage of the NHIS sampled
households designated for use in selecting a sample of households for MEPS)
yields an overall response rate of 50.8 percent for Panel 18 through Round 3.
Return To Table Of Contents
For MEPS Panel 17, 9,676 households were fielded in
2012 (as indicated in Row C of Table 3.1), a randomly selected subsample of the
households responding to the 2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
Table 3.1 shows the number of RUs eligible for
interviewing and the number completing the interview for all five rounds of
Panel 17. The overall response rate for Panel 17 was computed in a similar
fashion to that of Panel 18 but covering all five rounds of MEPS interviewing as
well the factor representing the percentage of NHIS sampled households eligible
for MEPS. The overall response rate for Panel 17 through Round 5 is 54.7
percent.
Return To Table Of Contents
A combined panel 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 17 response rate was weighted by a
factor of 0.51 and Panel 18 was weighted by a factor of 0.49, reflecting
approximately the distribution of the overall sample between the two panels. The
resulting combined response rate for the combined panels was computed as (0.51 x
54.7) plus (0.49 x 50.8) or 52.8 percent (as shown in Table 3.1).
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Oversampling is a feature of the MEPS sample design,
helping to increase the precision of estimates for some subgroups of interest.
Before going into details related to MEPS, the concept of oversampling will be
discussed.
In a sample where all persons in a population are
selected with the same probability and survey coverage of the population is
high, 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 specific
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. As a result, an oversampled subgroup comprises a higher
proportion of the sample than it represents in the general population. Sample
weights ensure that population estimates are not distorted by a disproportionate
contribution from oversampled subgroups. Base sample weights for oversampled
groups will be smaller than for the portion of the population not oversampled.
For example, if a subgroup is sampled at roughly twice the rate of sample
selection for the remainder of the population not oversampled, members of the
oversampled subgroup will receive base or initial sample weights (prior to
nonresponse or poststratification adjustments) that are roughly half the size of
the group not oversampled.
As mentioned above, oversampling is implemented to
increase the sample sizes and thus improve the precision of survey estimates for
particular subgroups of the population. The “cost” of oversampling is that the
precision of estimates for the general population and subgroups not oversampled
will be reduced to some extent compared to the precision one could have achieved
if the same overall sample size were selected without any oversampling.
The oversampling of Hispanic and Black households for
the NHIS carries over to MEPS through the set of NHIS responding households
eligible for sample selection for MEPS. In the NHIS under the old 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 under the old design was
roughly 1.5 to 1. Under the new NHIS sample design Asians, as well as Hispanics
and Blacks, are oversampled. The average oversampling rates for the three
minority groups have not yet been reported.
For both Panel 17 and Panel 18, all households in the
Asian, Hispanic, and Black domains were sampled with certainty (i.e., all
households assigned to those domains were included in the MEPS). For Panel 17,
the “Other, complete” domain was sampled at a rate of about 51 percent while the
“Other, partial complete” domain was sampled at a rate of about 40 percent. For
Panel 18, the corresponding sampling rates for the “Other, complete” domain and
the “Other, partial complete” domain were about 63 percent and 43 percent,
respectively.
Within strata (domains) for both panels, responding
NHIS households were selected for MEPS using a systematic sample selection
procedure from among those eligible. For the “non-Other” strata households were
all selected with certainty. Within strata involving “Others” (two strata for
both panels) the selection was with probability proportionate to size (pps)
where the size measure was the inverse of the NHIS initial probability of
selection. The pps sampling was undertaken to help reduce the variability in the
MEPS weights incurred due to the variability of the NHIS sampling rates. With
the subsampling, households that were oversampled for MEPS in calendar year 2013
were those responding households in the NHIS identified as having members whose
race/ethnicity was Hispanic, Black, or Asian for both panels.
Typically, sample allocations across sample domains
change from one MEPS panel to another. The sample domains used may also vary by
panel although this was not the case for Panel 17 and Panel 18. When one
compares unweighted measures (e.g., response rates) between panels and years,
one should take into account such differences. If, for example, members of one
domain have a lower propensity to respond than those of another domain, then if
that domain has been allocated a higher proportion of the sample, the
corresponding panel may have a lower unweighted response rate simply because of
the differences in sample allocation.
Within each domain (sample stratum) systematic samples
of the MEPS-eligible households were selected from among the NHIS household
respondents made available for MEPS sample selection purposes.
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There is a single full year person-level weight
(PERWT13F) assigned to each record for each key, in-scope person who responded
to MEPS for the full period of time that he or she was inscope during 2013. A
key person was either a member of a responding NHIS household at the time of
interview or joined a family associated with such a household after being
out-of-scope at the time of the NHIS (the latter circumstance includes newborns
as well as those returning from military service, an institution, or residence
in a foreign country). A person is inscope whenever he or she is a member of the
civilian noninstitutionalized portion of the U.S. population.
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The person-level weight PERWT13F was developed in
several stages. First, person-level weights for Panel 17 and Panel 18 were
created separately. The weighting process for each panel included adjustments
for nonresponse over time and a calibration to independent population totals.
The calibration was initially accomplished separately for each panel by raking
the corresponding sample weights to Current Population Survey (CPS) population
estimates based on five variables. The five variables used in the establishment
of the initial person-level control figures were: census region (Northeast,
Midwest, South, West); MSA status (MSA, non-MSA); race/ethnicity (Hispanic;
Black, non-Hispanic; Asian, non-Hispanic; and other); sex; and age. A 2013
composite weight was then formed by multiplying each individual panel weight by
a factor which reflected the relative sample size of the individual panel
compared to the sample size for the two panels combined. The individual panel
weights from Panel 17 were multiplied by the factor .51 and each weight from
Panel 18 by the factor .49. Using such factors to form composite weights serves
to limit the variance of estimates obtained from pooling the two samples. The
resulting composite weight was raked to the same set of CPS-based control
totals. Then, when the poverty status information (derived from the MEPS income
variables) became available, another raking was to be undertaken, using
dimensions reflecting poverty status in addition to the previously mentioned
five variables. Control totals were established using poverty status (five
categories: below poverty, from 100 to 125 percent of poverty, from 125 to 200
percent of poverty, from 200 to 400 percent of poverty, and at least 400 percent
of poverty) for this purpose. It was later decided to also include a raking
dimension based on hospital discharges related to those under the age of 65.
Thus, the raking for the final weight reflected poverty status and hospital
discharges as well as the other five variables previously used in the weight
calibration.
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The person-level weight for MEPS Panel 17 was
developed using the 2012 full year weight for an individual as a “base” weight
for survey participants present in 2013. For key, in-scope members who joined an
RU some time in 2013 after being out-of-scope in 2012, the initially assigned
person-level weight was the corresponding 2012 family weight. The weighting
process included an adjustment for nonresponse over Rounds 4 and 5 as well as a
raking to population control figures for December 2013. These control figures
were derived by scaling back the population totals obtained from the March 2014
CPS to correspond to a national estimate for the civilian noninstitutionalized
population provided by the Census Bureau for December 2013. Variables used in
the establishment of person-level control figures included: census region
(Northeast, Midwest, South, West); MSA status (MSA, non-MSA); race/ethnicity
(Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; Asian, non-Hispanic; and other); sex; and age.
For confidentiality reasons, the MSA status variables are no longer released for
public use (this policy began in 2013). The final weight for key, responding
persons who were not inscope on December 31, 2013 but were inscope earlier in
the year was the weight after the nonresponse adjustment.
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The person-level weight for MEPS Panel 18 was
developed using the MEPS Round 1 person-level weight as a “base” weight. The
MEPS Round 1 weights incorporated the following components: the original
household probability of selection for the NHIS, ratio-adjustment to NHIS-based
national population estimates at the household (occupied dwelling unit) level,
adjustment for nonresponse at the dwelling unit level for Round 1, and
poststratification to figures at the family and person level obtained from the
March CPS data base of the corresponding year (i.e., 2012 for Panel 17 and 2013
for Panel 18). For key, in-scope respondents who joined an RU after Round 1, the
Round 1 family weight served as a “base” weight.
The weighting process also included an adjustment for
nonresponse over Round 2 and the 2013 portion of Round 3 as well as raking to
the same population control figures for December 2013 used for the MEPS Panel 17
weights. The same five variables employed for Panel 17 raking (census region,
MSA status, race/ethnicity, sex, and age) were used for Panel 18 raking.
Similarly, for Panel 18, key, responding persons not inscope on December 31,
2013 but inscope earlier in the year retained, as their final Panel 18 weight,
the weight after the nonresponse adjustment.
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The composite weights of two groups of persons who
were out-of-scope on December 31, 2013 were poststratified. Specifically, the
weights of those who were inscope some time during the year, out-of-scope on
December 31, and entered a nursing home during the year were poststratified to a
corresponding control total obtained from the 1996 MEPS Nursing Home Component.
The weights of persons who died while inscope during 2013 were poststratified to
corresponding estimates derived using data obtained from the Medicare Current
Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) and Vital Statistics information available from the
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Separate decedent control totals
were developed for the “65 and older” and “under 65” civilian
noninstitutionalized populations.
As mentioned earlier, in developing the final
person-level weight for 2013 (PERWT13F), an additional raking dimension was
included beyond those based on the usual six variables. This dimension was added
to adjust the proportion of persons under age 65 with at least one inpatient
discharge to reflect current trends in the National Health Interview Survey. The
table below shows ratios of weighted numbers for those under the age of 65 that
were employed to establish this additional raking dimension, modifying the
corresponding estimates obtained without the additional dimension.
Ratio of Adjusted to Unadjusted Weights
Number of Inpatient Discharges
(IPDIS13) |
Non-elderly
(AGE13X < 65) |
| 0 |
0.98938 |
| 1+ |
1.21587 |
The sum of the person-level weights across all persons
assigned a positive person-level weight, (i.e., for the civilian,
noninstitutionalized or in-scope population over the course of the year (based
on PERWT13F>0) is 315,721,982 (see Table 3.2). The corresponding total for the
population that was inscope on December 31, 2013 is 312,098,312.
Table 3.2. Number of person-level respondents and
corresponding population estimates for the 2013 Full Year Consolidated File
| Populations of Interest |
Panel 17 |
Panel 18 |
Combined |
Population estimate (weighted total of combined samples) |
| Civilian, Noninstitutionalized Population over the course of 2013 |
17,745 |
17,323 |
35,068 |
315,721,982 |
| Civilian, Noninstitutionalized Population on December 31, 2013 |
17,600 |
17,181 |
34,781 |
312,098,312 |
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Beginning with the 2011 Full Year data, MEPS
transitioned to 2010 census-based population estimates from the CPS for
poststratification and raking. CPS estimates began reflecting 2010 census-based
data in 2012, and the March 2014 CPS data serve as the basis for the 2013 MEPS
weight calibration efforts. An article discussing the impact of this transition
on CPS estimates can be found at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps12adj.pdf.
Use of the updated population controls will have a
noticeable effect on estimated totals for some population subgroups. The article
compares some 2011 CPS estimates for those aged 16 and older “as published” with
those that would have been generated had the updated population controls been
used. Among the more notable increases were for the following subgroups: those
aged 55 or older (about 1.3 million more, a 1.7 percent increase); those aged
16-24 (about a half million more, a 1.4 percent increase); Blacks (400 thousand
more, a 1.4 percent increase); Hispanics (1.3 million more, a 3.8 percent
increase); and Asians (1.2 million more, a 10 percent increase). Corresponding
changes can be anticipated for MEPS full year data beginning with the 2011 MEPS
PUF.
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The target population associated with this MEPS
database is the 2013 U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population. However,
the MEPS sampled households are a subsample of the NHIS households interviewed
in 2011 (Panel 17) and 2012 (Panel 18). New households created after the NHIS
interviews for the respective panels and consisting exclusively of persons who
entered the target population after 2011 (Panel 17) or after 2012 (Panel 18) are
not covered by MEPS. Neither are previously out-of-scope persons who join an
existing household but are unrelated to the current household residents. Persons
not covered by a given MEPS panel thus include some members of the following
groups: immigrants, persons leaving the military, U.S. citizens returning from
residence in another country, and persons leaving institutions. Those not
covered represent only a small proportion of the MEPS target population.
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There are two family weight variables provided in this
release: FAMWT13F and FAMWT13C. FAMWT13F can be used to make estimates for the
cross-section of families in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population
on December 31, 2013 where families are identified based on the MEPS definition
of a family unit. Estimates can include MEPS families that existed at some time
during 2013 but whose members became out-of-scope prior to the end of the year
(e.g., all family members moved out of the country, died, etc.) as well as MEPS
families in existence on December 31, 2013. FAMWT13C can be used to make
estimates for the cross-section of families in the U.S. civilian,
noninstitutionalized population on December 31, 2013 where families are
identified based on the CPS definition of a family unit.
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A MEPS family generally consists of two or more
persons living together in the same household who are related by blood,
marriage, or adoption, as well as foster children (foster children are not
included as members under the CPS definition of a family). MEPS also defines as
a family unmarried persons living together who consider themselves a family unit
(these are not families under the CPS definition). Single people who live with
neither a relative nor a person identified as a “significant other” have also
been assigned a family ID value and a family-level weight. Thus, they can be
included or excluded from family-level estimates, as desired. Relatives
identified as usual residents of the household 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.
To make estimates at the family level, it is necessary
to prepare a family-level file containing one record per family (see
instructions below), family-level summary characteristics, and the family-level
weight variable (FAMWT13F or FAMWT13C). Each MEPS family unit is uniquely
identified by the combination of the variables DUID and FAMIDYR while each CPS
family unit is uniquely identified by the combination of the variables DUID and
CPSFAMID. The number of persons in a MEPS sample family ranges from 1 to 14 and
the number in the CPS families ranges from 1 to 14. Only persons with positive
nonzero family weight values are candidates for inclusion in family estimates.
Two sets of families for whom estimates can be
obtained are defined in Table 3.3 below (along with respective sample sizes).
Persons with FMRS1231=1 were inscope for the survey on 12/31/13 and therefore
part of a MEPS family on 12/31/13. The more expansive definition of families
(second row in Table 3.3) includes families and members of families who were not
inscope at the end of the year. While MEPS includes individual persons as family
units (about one-third of all units), analysts may restrict their analyses to
families with two or more members using the family size variables shown in Table
3.3 (for example, to limit consideration to the cross-section of families with
two or more members on December 31, 2013, analyze only families where FAMS1231
is 2 or more). Estimates can also be made for the cross-section of CPS families
on December 31, 2013 based on the 14,651 sample CPS families in this data file.
Table 3.3. Identifying MEPS Families and Corresponding
Sample Sizes
| Population of Interest |
Cases to Include |
Sample Size
(Includes single person units) |
Family Size Variable |
| Cross-section of Families in the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population on 12/31/13 |
FAMWT13F>0 & FMRS1231=1 |
13,880 |
FAMS1231 |
| Families in the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population on
12/31/13 plus families and members of families
in existence earlier in 2013 who were not part
of the civilian noninstitutionalized population
on 12/31/13 |
FAMWT13F>0 |
13,936 |
FAMSZEYR |
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The following is a summary of the steps and the
variables to be used for family-level estimation based on the MEPS definition of
families.
- Concatenate the variables DUID and FAMIDYR into a new
variable (e.g., DUIDFAMY).
- To create a family-level file, sort by DUIDFAMY and then
subset to one record per DUIDFAMY value by retaining only the
reference person record (FAMRFPYR=1) for each value of DUIDFAMY.
Some family-level measures needed for analytic purposes (e.g.,
means or totals) can be obtained after aggregating person-level
information across all members of a family. For other types of
measures, analysts frequently use the characteristics of the
reference person to characterize his or her family unit (e.g.,
the race/ethnicity, marital status, or age of the reference
person).
- Apply the weight FAMWT13F to the analytic variable(s) of
interest to obtain national MEPS family estimates.
The following is a summary of the steps and the
variables to be used for family-level estimation based on the CPS definition of
families.
- Concatenate the variables DUID and CPSFAMID into a new
variable (e.g., DUIDFAMC).
- To create a family-level file, sort by DUIDFAMC and then
subset to one record per DUIDFAMC value by retaining only the
reference person record (FCRP1231=1) for each value of DUIDFAMC.
Some family-level measures needed for analytic purposes (e.g.,
means or totals) can be obtained after aggregating person-level
information across all members of a family. For other types of
measures, analysts frequently use the characteristics of the
reference person to characterize his or her family unit (e.g.,
the race/ethnicity, marital status, or age of the reference
person). (Note that to be strictly comparable to the CPS
definition of families, only those with two or more family
members should be included in analyses.)
- Apply the weight FAMWT13C to the analytic variable(s) of
interest to obtain national CPS family estimates.
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Because health care related decisions are influenced
by a family's economic status, poverty status is incorporated into the
poststratification component of the weighting process. However, poverty status
is defined based on the CPS definition of a family, which differs from the MEPS
family definition in two ways: foster children are not considered family members
and unmarried partners living together are considered separate family units.
Since data are collected in MEPS family units (RUs), prior to poststratification
MEPS families in existence on December 31, 2013 containing either unmarried
partners living together or foster children were partitioned into units that
correspond to CPS families (families with no unmarried partners or foster
children are defined as family units in both MEPS and CPS).
The process of calibrating the family weights to
achieve consistency with CPS control figures was carried out in several steps.
First, all CPS-like family units were assigned an initial family-level weight
based on the person-level weight (PERWT13F) of the family reference person
(FAMRFPYR=1) of the MEPS family with which they were associated. These CPS
family-level weights (FAMWT13C) were obtained by raking to population control
figures derived from CPS estimates for December 2013 (derived by scaling the
family population totals from the March 2014 CPS back to reflect December 31,
2013). In addition to poverty status, the calibration process for the
family-level weights incorporated the following variables: Census region; MSA
status; race/ethnicity of reference person (Hispanic, Black but non-Hispanic,
Asian, and other); family type (reference person married, living with spouse;
male reference person, unmarried or spouse not present; female reference person,
unmarried or spouse not present); age of reference person; and family size on
December 31, 2013. The family-level weight variable for MEPS families (FAMWT13F)
was then constructed by putting MEPS families that consisted of more than one
CPS-like family back together and assigning the MEPS family-level weight based
on the CPS family weight of the MEPS family reference person.
The weighted population estimate for CPS families on
December 31, 2013 based on 14,651 CPS families in the sample is 138,588,517.
Overall, the weighted population estimate for the 13,880 MEPS family units
containing at least one member of the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized
population on December 31, 2013 (those families whose members have FAMWT13F>0
and FMRS1231=1) is 133,789,061. The inclusion of families whose members left the
in-scope population prior to December 31, 2013 increases the estimated total
number of families represented by the 13,936 MEPS responding families (whose
members have FAMWT13F>0) to 134,669,487.
It may be of interest to note that CPS is planning to
incorporate the ability to identify same sex marriages but this has yet to be
implemented. Thus, the MEPS raking effort to CPS family control figures serving
to reflect consistent population distributions between MEPS’ “CPS-like families”
and CPS families does not incorporate that component of the population. It
should be noted that MEPS families (as opposed to the MEPS “CPS-like families”)
have been based on self-identification as well as legal and biological
relationships. People who self-identify as a family unit, regardless of marital
status, have been considered a MEPS family for analytic purposes.
Table 3.4. Families with a family weight >0 for the
2013 Full Year Consolidated Data File
| |
Panel 17 |
Panel 18 |
Combined |
Population estimate
(weighted total of combined sample) |
| Number |
7,046 |
6,890 |
13,936 |
134,669,487 |
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To construct a weight for use in analysis using Health
Insurance Eligibility Units, as identified by the variable HIEUIDX:
- Identify the HIEU head by your analytic intent, i.e. if only
studying health insurance unit with female heads of households,
choose the female adult as head of household.
- If the weight of the HIEU head is non-zero, use the weight
of the HIEU head for all members of that HIEU; or
If the weight of the HIEU head is zero, delete the
case.
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For analytic purposes, a single person-level weight
variable, SAQWT13F, has been provided for use with the data obtained from the
Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ). This questionnaire was administered in
Panel 18, Round 2 and Panel 17, Round 4 and was to be completed by each adult
(person aged 18 or older) in the family. Thus, the target population for the SAQ
is adults in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population at the time data were
collected for Rounds 2/4 (generally speaking, the fall of the year in question).
The final full-year person-level SAQ weight for 2013
was constructed as follows. First, the weight variable was developed by
adjusting for questionnaire non-response. Variables used in the nonresponse
adjustment process were region, MSA status, family size, marital status, level
of education, health status, health insurance status, age, sex, and
race/ethnicity. Then the weights were raked to Current Population Survey (CPS)
estimates corresponding to December 2013 (the same source of control figures
used for the full year person weights). The variables used to form control
figures (region, MSA status, age, sex, and race/ethnicity) are the same
variables that were used for the full year person weights. The only difference
was that age categories were developed after excluding ages under 18, since only
adults were eligible for the SAQ. This preliminary version of the SAQ weight
appeared on the Population Characteristic file through 2009, but beginning in
2010 this weight will no longer be reported. The two raking efforts were used
for the 2013 Consolidated file in order to maintain consistency with how the
sample weights were computed in previous years.
The final 2013 SAQ weight for this consolidated data
file was then obtained by raking the preliminary weight to CPS estimates that
were based on poverty status as well as the aforementioned variables. This final
weight was assigned the variable name SAQWT13F.
In all, there were 23,077 persons assigned an SAQ
weight with the sum of the weights being 238,121,152 (an estimate of the
civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 18 or older at the time the SAQ
was administered).
The Panel 17 unweighted response rate for the 2013 SAQ
was 93.4 percent, while the Panel 18 unweighted response rate for the 2013 SAQ
was 89.9 percent. Pooled unweighted response rates for the survey respondents
have been computed by taking a weighted average of the panel-specific response
rates, where the weights were the relative proportion of persons with sample
weights associated with each panel (a value of .51 was associated with Panel 17,
and a value of .49 was associated with Panel 18). The pooled unweighted response
rate for the combined panels for the 2013 SAQ is 91.7 percent.
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A person-level weight, DIABW13F, was developed for use
with the data obtained from the Diabetes Care Survey (DCS). This weight was
assigned to each person with a SAQ weight who was also classified as having
diabetes (thus, no one aged 17 or under receives a DCS weight).
Prior to Panel 12, the identification of people
eligible to receive the DCS questionnaire was focused on the Rounds 3/5
interview. During the Rounds 3/5 regular MEPS interview, each RU respondent was
asked to complete a “conditions” question to identify all
current/deceased/institutionalized RU members of any age who had been diagnosed
with diabetes. Each RU member who was identified as having diabetes by the RU
respondent was then eligible to receive the DCS questionnaire. To determine
which DCS respondents actually had diabetes (and thus were members of the target
population), each DCS respondent was asked if s/he was told by a physician that
s/he had diabetes. While the DCS questionnaire has been distributed to persons
under the age of 18, the constructed DCS variables released in the person-level
PUF apply only to adults. Beginning in Panel 12, a different screening process
has been employed to identify those eligible to receive the DCS questionnaire.
This process involves asking screener questions in each round, but the group of
persons about whom these questions asks varies from round to round.
In Round 1, the RU respondent is asked to identify all
RU members over the age of 17 (including those who went out of scope unless they
died prior to the date of interview) with diabetes. In Rounds 2/4, the same
screening information is gathered but only for new RU members over the age of 17
(as long as they did not die during the round). In Rounds 3/5 the screening
questions are asked of the RU respondent for all RU members over the age of 17
who were: (a) inscope sometime during the round but had not died prior to the
date of interview; and (b) had not been identified as having diabetes in a
previous round (this includes people with nonresponse data and/or classified as
not having diabetes in all previous rounds of MEPS plus all new members of the
RU in Rounds 3/5). Also in Rounds 3/5, an RU respondent may indicate that an RU
member previously identified as having diabetes actually does not have diabetes.
Any RU member who has been identified by the RU respondent as having diabetes
(and not later negated in Rounds 3/5) at any time during MEPS will be asked to
complete a DCS questionnaire. This process has been designed to help ensure that
all RU members with diabetes will be given a DCS questionnaire to complete.
In all, 2,216 people were assigned a DCS weight
(DIABW13F>0). The sum of the DCS weights is 23,030,646, an estimate of the adult
population self-reporting as having been diagnosed with diabetes based on the
two step process described above.
The Panel 17 unweighted response rate for the 2013 DCS
was 89.8 percent. The Panel 18 unweighted response rate for the 2013 DCS was
86.4 percent. The pooled unweighted response rate for the combined panels for
the DCS is 88.1 percent. The pooled unweighted response rate is a weighted
average for the two panels, reflecting their relative sample sizes (roughly 49
percent of the MEPS respondents are from Panel 18, the remaining 51 percent from
Panel 17).
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The MEPS is based on a complex sample design. To
obtain estimates of variability (such as the standard error of sample estimates
or corresponding confidence intervals) for MEPS estimates, analysts need to take
into account the complex sample design of MEPS for both person-level and
family-level analyses. Several methodologies have been developed for estimating
standard errors for surveys with a complex sample design, including the
Taylor-series linearization method, balanced repeated replication, and jackknife
replication. Various software packages provide analysts with the capability of
implementing these methodologies. Replicate weights have not been developed for
these MEPS data. Instead, the variables needed to calculate appropriate standard
errors based on the Taylor-series linearization method are included on this and
all other MEPS public use files. Software packages that permit the use of the
Taylor-series linearization method include SUDAAN, Stata, SAS (version 8.2 and
higher), and SPSS (version 12.0 and higher). For complete information on the
capabilities of each package, analysts should refer to the corresponding
software user documentation.
Using the Taylor-series linearization method, variance
estimation strata and the variance estimation PSUs within these strata must be
specified. The variables VARSTR and VARPSU 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 one of the
previously mentioned computer software packages will 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.
Prior to 2002, MEPS variance strata and PSUs were
developed independently from year to year, and the last two characters of the
strata and PSU variable names denoted the year. However, beginning with the 2002
Point-in-Time PUF, the variance strata and PSUs were developed to be compatible
with all future PUFs until the NHIS design changed. Thus, when pooling data
across years 2002 through the Panel 11 component of the 2007 files, the variance
strata and PSU variables provided can be used without modification for variance
estimation purposes for estimates covering multiple years of data. There were
203 variance estimation strata, each stratum with either two or three variance
estimation PSUs.
From Panel 12 of the 2007 files, a new set of variance
strata and PSUs were developed because of the introduction of a new NHIS design.
There are 165 variance strata with either two or three variance estimation PSUs
per stratum starting from Panel 12. Therefore, there are a total of 368
(203+165) variance strata in the 2007 Full Year file as it consists of two
panels that were selected under two independent NHIS sample designs. Since both
MEPS panels in the Full Year 2008 file and beyond are based on the new NHIS
design, there are only 165 variance strata. These variance strata (VARSTR
values) have been numbered from 1001 to 1165 so that they can be readily
distinguished from those developed under the former NHIS sample design in the
event that data are pooled for several years.
If analyses call for pooling MEPS data across several
years, in order to ensure that variance strata are identified appropriately for
variance estimation purposes, one can proceed as follows:
- When pooling any year from 2002 or later, one can use the
variance strata numbering as is.
- When pooling any year from 1996 to 2001 with any year from
2002 or later, use the H36 file.
- The H36 file is updated every year to allow pooling of any
year from1996 to 2001 with any year from 2002 up to the latest
year.
Return To Table Of Contents
Which weight variable to use is decided based on a
hierarchy.
For person-level analyses not involving variables from
the SAQ or DCS, PERWT13F should always be used.
For person-level analysis involving variables from the
SAQ but not the DCS, the SAQWT13F should be used. For example, if examining
access to care or quality of care variables from the SAQ by socio-demographics,
health status, or health insurance status, SAQWT13F is the appropriate weight
even though person-level socio-demographic, health status, and health insurance
status variables are part of the core person-level questionnaire. Whenever data
from the Diabetes Care Survey (DCS) are used, alone or in conjunction with data
from other questionnaires, the weight variable DIABW13F should be used for those
eligible to provide DCS data.
For all family-level analyses, FAMWT13F or FAMWT13C
should be used.
Return To Table Of Contents
MEPS began in 1996, and the utility of the survey for
analyzing health care trends expands with each additional year of data; however,
it is important to consider a variety of factors when examining trends over time
using MEPS. Statistical significance tests should be conducted to assess the
likelihood that observed trends are not attributable to sampling variation. The
adjustment to the weight described in 3.3.5 based on inpatient discharges
potentially could affect some analyses of trends. The length of time being
analyzed should also be considered. In particular, large shifts in survey
estimates over short periods of time (e.g. from one year to the next) that are
statistically significant should be interpreted with caution unless they are
attributable to known factors such as changes in public policy, economic
conditions, or MEPS survey methodology. For example, users should refer to
section 2.5.11.2 above and, for more detail, the documentation for the
prescription drug file (HC-160A) before drawing conclusions about prescription
drug spending before and after 2010 and 2011. Similarly, as a result of improved
methods for collecting priority conditions data implemented in 2007, prevalence
measures prior to 2007 are not comparable to those from after 2007 for many
conditions. Users should refer to section 2.5.5.2 above and the documentation
for the conditions file (HC-162) for details. In addition, analyses of trends in
health care utilization should be undertaken with awareness of relevant
adjustments to the analytic weight (see section 3.3.5 on Final Person-Level
Weight for 2013).
With respect to methodological considerations, in 2013
MEPS introduced an effort to obtain more complete information about health care
utilization from MEPS respondents with full implementation in early 2014 at the
start of the final rounds of data collection for 2013. This effort likely
resulted in improved data quality and a reduction in underreporting in 2013, and
could have some modest impact on analyses involving trends in utilization across
years.
There are also statistical factors to consider in
interpreting trend analyses. Looking at changes over longer periods of time can
provide a more complete picture of underlying trends. Analysts may wish to
consider using techniques to smooth, or stabilize analyses of trends using MEPS
data such as comparing pooled time periods (e.g. 1996-97 versus 2012-13),
working with moving averages, or using modeling techniques with several
consecutive years of MEPS data to test the fit of specified patterns over time.
Finally, researchers should be aware of the impact of multiple comparisons on
Type I error. Without making appropriate allowance for multiple comparisons,
undertaking numerous statistical significance tests of trends increases the
likelihood of concluding that a change has taken place when one has not.
Return To Table Of Contents
VARIABLE-SOURCE CROSSWALK
FOR MEPS HC-163: 2013 CONSOLIDATED DATA FILE
SURVEY ADMINISTRATION VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
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 |
| PANEL |
Panel Number |
Constructed |
| FAMID31 |
Family ID (Student Merged In) – R3/1 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMID42 |
Family ID (Student Merged In) – R4/2 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMID53 |
Family ID (Student Merged In) – R5/3 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMID13 |
Family ID (Student Merged In) – 12/31/13 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMIDYR |
Annual Family Identifier |
Constructed |
| CPSFAMID |
CPS-Like Family Identifier |
Constructed |
| FCSZ1231 |
Family Size Responding 12/31 CPS Family |
Constructed |
| FCRP1231 |
Ref Person of 12/31 CPS Family |
Constructed |
| RULETR31 |
RU Letter – R3/1 |
CAPI Derived |
| RULETR42 |
RU Letter – R4/2 |
CAPI Derived |
| RULETR53 |
RU Letter – R5/3 |
CAPI Derived |
| RULETR13 |
RU Letter as of 12/31/13 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE31 |
RU Size – R3/1 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE42 |
RU Size – R4/2 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE53 |
RU Size – R5/3 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE13 |
RU Size as of 12/31/13 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUCLAS31 |
RU fielded as: Standard/New/Student – R3/1 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUCLAS42 |
RU fielded as: Standard/New/Student – R4/2 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUCLAS53 |
RU fielded as: Standard/New/Student – R5/3 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUCLAS13 |
RU fielded as: Standard/New/Stud-12/31/13 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMSZE31 |
RU Size Including Students – R3/1 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMSZE42 |
RU Size Including Students – R4/2 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMSZE53 |
RU Size Including Students – R5/3 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMSZE13 |
RU Size Including Students as of 12/31/13 |
CAPI Derived |
| FMRS1231 |
Member of Responding 12/31 Family |
Constructed |
| FAMS1231 |
Family Size of Responding 12/31 Family |
Constructed |
| FAMSZEYR |
Size of Responding Annualized Family |
Constructed |
| FAMRFPYR |
Reference Person of Annualized Family |
Constructed |
| REGION31 |
Census Region – R3/1 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| REGION42 |
Census Region – R4/2 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| REGION53 |
Census Region – R5/3 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| REGION13 |
Census Region as of
12/31/13 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| REFPRS31 |
Reference Person at -
R3/1 |
RE 42-45 |
| REFPRS42 |
Reference Person at -
R4/2 |
RE 42-45 |
| REFPRS53 |
Reference Person at -
R5/3 |
RE 42-45 |
| REFPRS13 |
Reference Person as of
12/31/13 |
RE 42-45 |
| RESP31 |
1st Respondent
Indicator for R3/1 |
RE 6, 8 |
| RESP42 |
1st Respondent
Indicator for R4/2 |
RE 6, 8 |
| RESP53 |
1st Respondent
Indicator for R5/3 |
RE 6, 8 |
| RESP13 |
1st Respondent
Indicator as of 12/31/13 |
RE 6, 8 |
| PROXY31 |
Was Respondent a Proxy
in R3/1 |
RE 2 |
| PROXY42 |
Was Respondent a Proxy
in R4/2 |
RE 2 |
| PROXY53 |
Was Respondent a Proxy
in R5/3 |
RE 2 |
| PROXY13 |
Was Respondent a Proxy
as of 12/31/13 |
RE 2 |
| INTVLANG |
Language Interview Was
Completed |
RS02 |
| BEGRFM31 |
R3/1 Reference Period
Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFY31 |
R3/1 Reference Period
Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFM31 |
R3/1 Reference Period
End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFY31 |
R3/1 Reference Period
End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFM42 |
R4/2 Reference Period
Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFY42 |
R4/2 Reference Period
Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFM42 |
R4/2 Reference Period
End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFY42 |
R4/2 Reference Period
End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFM53 |
R5/3 Reference Period
Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFY53 |
R5/3 Reference Period
Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFM53 |
R5/3 Reference Period
End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFY53 |
R5/3 Reference Period
End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFM13 |
2013 Reference Period
End Date: Month |
RE Section |
| ENDRFY13 |
2013 Reference Period
End Date: Year |
RE Section |
| KEYNESS |
Person Key Status |
RE Section |
| INSCOP31 |
Inscope – R3/1 |
RE Section |
| INSCOP42 |
Inscope – R4/2 |
RE Section |
| INSCOP53 |
Inscope – R5/3 |
RE Section |
| INSCOP13 |
Inscope – R5/3 Start
through 12/31/13 |
RE Section |
| INSC1231 |
Inscope Status on
12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| INSCOPE |
Was Person Ever
Inscope in 2013 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND31 |
Eligibility – R3/1 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND42 |
Eligibility – R4/2 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND53 |
Eligibility – R5/3 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND13 |
Eligibility Status as
of 12/31/13 |
RE Section |
| PSTATS31 |
Person Disposition
Status – R3/1 |
RE Section |
| PSTATS42 |
Person Disposition
Status – R4/2 |
RE Section |
| PSTATS53 |
Person Disposition
Status – R5/3 |
RE Section |
| RURSLT31 |
RU Result – R3/1 |
Assigned by CAPI |
| RURSLT42 |
RU Result – R4/2 |
Assigned by CAPI |
| RURSLT53 |
RU Result – R5/3 |
Assigned by CAPI |
Return To Table Of Contents
DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| AGE31X |
Age – R3/1 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| AGE42X |
Age – R4/2 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| AGE53X |
Age – R5/3 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| AGE13X |
Age as of 12/31/13 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| AGELAST |
Person’s Age Last Time Eligible |
AGE13X, AGE42X, AGE31X |
| DOBMM |
Date of Birth: Month |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| DOBYY |
Date of Birth: Year |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| SEX |
Sex |
RE 12, 57, 61 |
| RACEVER |
Race Question Version Asked |
Constructed |
| RACEV1X |
Race (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 101A |
| RACEV2X |
Race (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 101A |
| RACEAX |
Asian Among Races Rptd (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 101A |
| RACEBX |
Black Among Races Rptd (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 101A |
| RACEWX |
White Among Races Rptd (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 101A |
| RACETHX |
Race/Ethnicity (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 98A, 101A |
| HISPANX |
Hispanic Ethnicity (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 98A-101A |
| HISPCAT |
Specific Hispanic Ethnicity Group |
RE 98A-101A |
| HISPNCAT |
Hispanic Ethnicity (Edited/Imputed) |
RE100A |
| MARRY31X |
Marital Status – R3/1 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 13, 97 |
| MARRY42X |
Marital Status – R4/2 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 13, 97 |
| MARRY53X |
Marital Status – R5/3 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 13, 97 |
| MARRY13X |
Marital Status–12/31/13 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 13, 97 |
| SPOUID31 |
Spouse ID – R3/1 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| SPOUID42 |
Spouse ID – R4/2 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| SPOUID53 |
Spouse ID – R5/3 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| SPOUID13 |
Spouse ID – 12/31/13 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| SPOUIN31 |
Marital Status w/Spouse Present – R3/1 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| SPOUIN42 |
Marital Status w/Spouse Present – R4/2 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| SPOUIN53 |
Marital Status w/Spouse Present – R5/3 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| SPOUIN13 |
Marital Status w/Spouse Present–12/31/13 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| EDUYRDG |
Year of Education or Highest Degree |
RE103 |
| EDRECODE |
Education Recode (Edited) |
RE103 |
| FTSTU31X |
Student Status if Ages 17-23 – R3/1 |
RE 11A, 106-108 |
| FTSTU42X |
Student Status if Ages 17-23 – R4/2 |
RE 11A, 106-108 |
| FTSTU53X |
Student Status if Ages 17-23 – R5/3 |
RE 11A, 106-108 |
| FTSTU13X |
Student Status if Ages 17-23 – 12/31/13 |
RE 11A, 106-108 |
| ACTDTY31 |
Military Full-Time Active Duty – R3/1 |
RE 14, 94A-96B1 |
| ACTDTY42 |
Military Full-Time Active Duty – R4/2 |
RE 14, 96B1 |
| ACTDTY53 |
Military Full-Time Active Duty – R5/3 |
RE 14, 96B1 |
| HONRDC31 |
Honorably Discharged from Military |
RE 18A, 96F-G |
| HONRDC42 |
Honorably Discharged from Military |
RE 18A, 96G |
| HONRDC53 |
Honorably Discharged from Military |
RE 18A, 96G |
| REFRL31X |
Relation to Ref Pers – R3/1 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| REFRL42X |
Relation to Ref Pers – R4/2 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| REFRL53X |
Relation to Ref Pers – R5/3 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| REFRL13X |
Relation to Ref Pers – 12/31/13 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| OTHLANG |
In Family with Someone Spkng Other Lang |
RE102 |
| LANGSPK |
Language Spoken at Home Other Than Engl |
RE102A |
| HWELLSPE |
How Well Person Speaks English |
RE102B |
| BORNUSA |
Person Born in the US |
RE102C |
| YRSINUS |
Years Person Lived in the US |
RE102D, RE102E |
| MOPID31X |
PID of Person’s Mom – RD 3/1 |
RE 76-77 |
| MOPID42X |
PID of Person’s Mom –
RD 4/2 |
RE 76-77 |
| MOPID53X |
PID of Person’s Mom –
RD 5/3 |
RE 76-77 |
| DAPID31X |
PID of Person’s Dad –
RD 3/1 |
RE 76-77 |
| DAPID42X |
PID of Person’s Dad –
RD 4/2 |
RE 76-77 |
| DAPID53X |
PID of Person’s Dad –
RD 5/3 |
RE 76-77 |
Return To Table Of Contents
INCOME VARIABLES
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| AFDC13 |
Did Person’s Check
Include Tanf |
IN 44 |
| FILEDR13 |
Has Person Filed A Fed
Income Tax Return |
IN 02 |
| WILFIL13 |
Will Person File Fed
Income Tax Return |
IN 03 |
| FLSTAT13 |
Person’s Filing Status |
IN 04 |
| FILER13 |
Primary Or Secondary
Filer |
IN 04 |
| JTINRU13 |
Joint Filer’s
Membership In RU |
IN 05 |
| JNTPID13 |
PID of Joint Filer |
IN 05 |
| CLMDEP13 |
Did/Will Pers Claim
Dependents On Return |
IN 06 |
| DEPDNT13 |
Person Is Flagged A
Dependent |
IN 07 |
| DPINRU13 |
Dependents In/Out Of
RU |
IN 07 |
| DPOTSD13 |
How Many Dependents
Live Outside RU |
IN 09 |
| TAXFRM13 |
Tax Form Person Will
File |
IN 09 |
| DEDUCT13 |
Itemize Or Standard
Deduction |
IN 10 |
| TOTDED13 |
Total Of All Itemized
Deductions |
IN 14 |
| CLMHIP13 |
Did/Will Pers Deduct
Health Insur Prem |
IN 15 |
| EICRDT13 |
Did/Will Pers Receive
Earned Inc Credit |
IN 17 |
| FOODST13 |
Did Anyone Receive
Food Stamps |
IN 55 |
| FOODMN13 |
Number Of Months Food
Stamps Received |
IN 56 |
| FOODVL13 |
Monthly Value Of Food
Stamps |
IN 58 |
| TTLP13X |
Person’s Total Income |
Constructed |
| FAMINC13 |
Family’s Total Income |
Constructed |
| POVCAT13 |
Family Income As
Percent Of Poverty Line - Categorical |
Constructed |
| POVLEV13 |
Family Income As
Percent Of Poverty Line - Continuous |
Constructed |
| WAGEP13X |
Person’s Wage Income |
Constructed |
| WAGIMP13 |
Wage Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| BUSNP13X |
Person’s Business
Income |
Constructed |
| BUSIMP13 |
Business Income
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| UNEMP13X |
Person’s Unemployment
Comp Income |
Constructed |
| UNEIMP13 |
Unemployment
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| WCMPP13X |
Person’s Workers’
Compensation |
Constructed |
| WCPIMP13 |
Workers' Comp
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| INTRP13X |
Person’s Interest
Income |
Constructed |
| INTIMP13 |
Interest Imputation
Flag |
Constructed |
| DIVDP13X |
Person’s Dividend
Income |
Constructed |
| DIVIMP13 |
Dividend Imputation
Flag |
Constructed |
| SALEP13X |
Person’s Sales Income |
Constructed |
| SALIMP13 |
Sales Income
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| PENSP13X |
Person’s Pension
Income |
Constructed |
| PENIMP13 |
Pension Income
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| SSECP13X |
Person’s Social
Security Income |
Constructed |
| SSCIMP13 |
Social Security
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| TRSTP13X |
Person’s Trust/Rent
Income |
Constructed |
| TRTIMP13 |
Trust Income
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| VETSP13X |
Person’s Veteran’s
Income |
Constructed |
| VETIMP13 |
Veteran's Income
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| IRASP13X |
Person’s Ira Income |
Constructed |
| IRAIMP13 |
Ira Income Imputation
Flag |
Constructed |
| ALIMP13X |
Person’s Alimony
Income |
Constructed |
| ALIIMP13 |
Alimony Income
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| CHLDP13X |
Person’s Child Support |
Constructed |
| CHLIMP13 |
Child Support
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| CASHP13X |
Person’s Other Regular
Cash Contrib |
Constructed |
| CSHIMP13 |
Cash Contribution
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| SSIP13X |
Person’s SSI |
Constructed |
| SSIIMP13 |
SSI Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| PUBP13X |
Person’s Public
Assistance |
Constructed |
| PUBIMP13 |
Public Assistance
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| OTHRP13X |
Person’s Other Income |
Constructed |
| OTHIMP13 |
Other Income
Imputation Flag |
Constructed |
| HIEUIDX |
Health Insurance
Eligibility Unit Identifier |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
PERSON-LEVEL CONDITION VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| RTHLTH31 |
Perceived Health
Status – RD 3/1 |
PE00A |
| RTHLTH42 |
Perceived Health
Status – RD 4/2 |
PE00A |
| RTHLTH53 |
Perceived Health
Status – RD 5/3 |
PE00A |
| MNHLTH31 |
Perceived Mental
Health Status – RD 3/1 |
PE00B |
| MNHLTH42 |
Perceived Mental
Health Status – RD 4/2 |
PE00B |
| MNHLTH53 |
Perceived Mental
Health Status – RD 5/3 |
PE00B |
| HIBPDX |
High Blood Pressure
Diag (>17) |
PE02 |
| HIBPAGED |
Age of Diagnosis-High
Blood Pressure |
CE03 |
| BPMLDX |
Mult Diag High Blood
Press (>17) |
PE04 |
| CHDDX |
Coronary Hrt Disease
Diag (>17) |
PE05 |
| CHDAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis–Coronary Heart Disease |
PE06 |
| ANGIDX |
Angina Diagnosis (>17) |
PE07 |
| ANGIAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis-Angina |
PE08 |
| MIDX |
Heart Attack (MI) Diag
(>17) |
PE09 |
| MIAGED |
Age of Diagnosis-Heart
Attack (MI) |
PE10 |
| OHRTDX |
Other Heart Disease
Diag (>17) |
PE11 |
| OHRTAGED |
Age of Diagnosis-Other
Heart Disease |
PE12 |
| STRKDX |
Stroke Diagnosis (>17) |
PE13 |
| STRKAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis-Stroke |
PE14 |
| EMPHDX |
Emphysema Diagnosis
(>17) |
PE15 |
| EMPHAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis-Emphysema |
PE16 |
| CHBRON31 |
Chronc Bronchits Last
12 Mths (>17)–R3/1 |
PE17 |
| CHBRON53 |
Chronc Bronchits Last
12 Mths (>17)–R5/3 |
PE17 |
| CHOLDX |
High Cholesterol
Diagnosis (>17) |
PC11A/PE19 |
| CHOLAGED |
Age of Diagnosis-High
Cholesterol |
PE20 |
| CANCERDX |
Cancer Diagnosis (>17) |
PE21 |
| CABLADDR |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Bladder (>17) |
PE22 |
| CABREAST |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Breast (>17) |
PE22 |
| CACERVIX |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Cervix (>17) |
PE22 |
| CACOLON |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Colon (>17) |
PE22 |
| CALUNG |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Lung (>17) |
PE22 |
| CALYMPH |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Lymphoma (>17) |
PE22 |
| CAMELANO |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Melanoma (>17) |
PE22 |
| CAOTHER |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Other (>17) |
PE22 |
| CAPROSTA |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Prostate (>17) |
PE22 |
| CASKINNM |
Cancer Diagnosed –
Skin-Nonmelano (>17) |
PE22 |
| CASKINDK |
Cancer Diagnosed –
Skin-Unknown Type (>17) |
PE22 |
| CAUTERUS |
Cancer Diagnosed -
Uterus (>17) |
PE22 |
| DIABDX |
Diabetes Diagnosis
(>17) |
PE26 |
| DIABAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis-Diabetes |
PE27 |
| JTPAIN31 |
Joint Pain Last 12
Months (>17) – RD 3/1 |
PE28 |
| JTPAIN53 |
Joint Pain Last 12
Months (>17) – RD 5/3 |
PE28 |
| ARTHDX |
Arthritis Diagnosis
(>17) |
PE29 |
| ARTHTYPE |
Type Of Arthritis
Diagnosed (>17) |
PE30 |
| ARTHAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis-Arthritis |
PE31 |
| ASTHDX |
Asthma Diagnosis |
PE32 |
| ASTHAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis-Asthma |
PE33 |
| ASSTIL31 |
Does Person Still Have
Asthma – RD 3/1 |
PE33A |
| ASSTIL53 |
Does Person Still Have
Asthma - RD 5/3 |
PE33A |
| ASATAK31 |
Asthma Attack Last 12
Mos– RD 3/1 |
PE34 |
| ASATAK53 |
Asthma Attack Last 12
Mos– RD 5/3 |
PE34 |
| ASTHEP31 |
When Was Last Episode
Of Asthma – Rd 3/1 |
PE35 |
| ASTHEP53 |
When Was Last Episode
Of Asthma – Rd 5/3 |
PE35 |
| ASACUT53 |
Used Acute Pres
Inhaler Last 3 Mos-RD5/3 |
PC05A |
| ASMRCN53 |
Used >3Acute Cn Pres
Inh Last 3 Mos-RD5/3 |
PC05B |
| ASPREV53 |
Ever Used Prev Daily
Asthma Meds -RD5/3 |
PC06A |
| ASDALY53 |
Now Take Prev Daily
Asthma Meds - RD 5/3 |
PC06B |
| ASPKFL53 |
Have Peak Flow Meter
at Home – RD 5/3 |
PC08 |
| ASEVFL53 |
Ever Used Peak Flow
Meter - RD 5/3 |
PC08A |
| ASWNFL53 |
When Last Used Peak
Flow Meter - RD 5/3 |
PC08B |
| ADHDADDX |
ADHD/ADD Diagnosis
(5-17) |
PE36 |
| ADHDAGED |
Age of
Diagnosis-ADHD/ADD |
PE37 |
| PREGNT31 |
Pregnant During Ref
Period – RD 3/1 |
CE05B |
| PREGNT42 |
Pregnant During Ref
Period – RD 4/2 |
CE05B |
| PREGNT53 |
Pregnant During Ref
Period – RD 5/3 |
CE05B |
Return To Table Of Contents
HEALTH STATUS VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| IADLHP31 |
IADL Screener – RD 3/1 |
HE 1-3 |
| IADLHP53 |
IADL Screener – RD 5/3 |
HE 1-3 |
| IADL3M31 |
IADL Help 3+ Months – RD 3/1 |
HE 3A |
| ADLHLP31 |
ADL Screener – RD 3/1 |
HE 4-6 |
| ADLHLP53 |
ADL Screener – RD 5/3 |
HE 4-6 |
| ADL3MO31 |
ADL Help 3+ Months – RD 3/1 |
HE 6A |
| AIDHLP31 |
Used Assistive Devices – RD 3/1 |
HE 7-8 |
| AIDHLP53 |
Used Assistive Devices
– RD 5/3 |
HE 7-8 |
| WLKLIM31 |
Limitation in Physical
Functioning – RD 3/1 |
HE 9-10 |
| WLKLIM53 |
Limitation in Physical
Functioning – RD 5/3 |
HE 9-10 |
| LFTDIF31 |
Difficulty Lifting 10
Pounds – RD 3/1 |
HE 11 |
| LFTDIF53 |
Difficulty Lifting 10
Pounds – RD 5/3 |
HE 11 |
| STPDIF31 |
Difficulty Walking up
10 Steps – RD 3/1 |
HE 12 |
| STPDIF53 |
Difficulty Walking up
10 Steps – RD 5/3 |
HE 12 |
| WLKDIF31 |
Difficulty Walking 3
Blocks – RD 3/1 |
HE 13 |
| WLKDIF53 |
Difficulty Walking 3
Blocks – RD 5/3 |
HE 13 |
| MILDIF31 |
Difficulty Walking a
Mile – RD 3/1 |
HE 14 |
| MILDIF53 |
Difficulty Walking a
Mile – RD 5/3 |
HE 14 |
| STNDIF31 |
Difficulty Standing 20
Minutes – RD 3/1 |
HE 15 |
| STNDIF53 |
Difficulty Standing 20
Minutes – RD 5/3 |
HE 15 |
| BENDIF31 |
Difficulty
Bending/Stooping – RD 3/1 |
HE 16 |
| BENDIF53 |
Difficulty
Bending/Stooping – RD 5/3 |
HE 16 |
| RCHDIF31 |
Difficulty Reaching
Overhead – RD 3/1 |
HE 17 |
| RCHDIF53 |
Difficulty Reaching
Overhead – RD 5/3 |
HE 17 |
| FNGRDF31 |
Difficulty Using
Fingers to Grasp – RD 3/1 |
HE 18 |
| FNGRDF53 |
Difficulty Using
Fingers to Grasp – RD 5/3 |
HE 18 |
| WLK3MO31 |
Phys Functioning Help
3+ Months – RD 3/1 |
HE 18A |
| ACTLIM31 |
Any Limitation
Work/Housewrk/Schl – RD 3/1 |
HE 19-20 |
| ACTLIM53 |
Any Limitation
Work/Housewrk/Schl – RD 5/3 |
HE 19-20 |
| WRKLIM31 |
Work Limitation – RD
3/1 |
HE 20A |
| WRKLIM53 |
Work Limitation – RD
5/3 |
HE 20A |
| HSELIM31 |
Housework Limitation –
RD 3/1 |
HE 20A |
| HSELIM53 |
Housework Limitation –
RD 5/3 |
HE 20A |
| SCHLIM31 |
School Limitation – RD
3/1 |
HE 20A |
| SCHLIM53 |
School Limitation – RD
5/3 |
HE 20A |
| UNABLE31 |
Completely Unable to
Do Activity – RD 3/1 |
HE 21 |
| UNABLE53 |
Completely Unable to
Do Activity – RD 5/3 |
HE 21 |
| SOCLIM31 |
Social Limitations –
RD 3/1 |
HE 22-23 |
| SOCLIM53 |
Social Limitations –
RD 5/3 |
HE 22-23 |
| COGLIM31 |
Cognitive Limitations
– RD 3/1 |
HE 24-25 |
| COGLIM53 |
Cognitive Limitations
– RD 5/3 |
HE 24-25 |
| DFHEAR42 |
Serious Difficulty
Hearing-RD4/2 |
HE26-27 |
| DEAF42 |
Person Is Deaf – RD
4/2 |
HE 28 |
| DFSEE42 |
Serious Difficulty See
w/Glasses-RD4/2 |
HE29-30 |
| BLIND42 |
Person Is Blind – RD
4/2 |
HE 30 |
| DFCOG42 |
Serious Cognitive
Difficulties-RD4/2 |
HE32-33 |
| DFWLKC42 |
Serious Difculty
Wlk/Climb Stairs-RD4/2 |
HE34-35 |
| DFDRSB42 |
Difficulty
Dressing/Bathing-RD4/2 |
HE36-37 |
| DFERND42 |
Difficulty Doing
Errands Alone-RD4/2 |
HE38-39 |
| HEARAD42 |
Person Wears Hearing
Aid – RD 4/2 |
HE 33-34 |
| WRGLAS42 |
Wears Glasses or
Contacts – RD 4/2 |
HE 26-27 |
| ANYLMT13 |
Any Limitation in
P17R3,4,5/P18R1,2,3 |
Constructed |
| LSHLTH42 |
Less Healthy than Othr
Child (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS01_01 |
| NEVILL42 |
Never Been Seriously
Ill (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS01_02 |
| SICEAS42 |
Child Gets Sick Easily
(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS01_03 |
| HLTHLF42 |
Child Will Have
Healthy Life (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS01_04 |
| WRHLTH42 |
Worry More about
Health (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS01_05 |
| CHPMED42 |
CSHCN: Child Needs
Prescrb Med(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS03 |
| CHPMHB42 |
CSHCN: Pmed for
Hlth/Behv Cond (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS03OV1 |
| CHPMCN42 |
CSHCN: Pmed Cond Last
12+ Mos (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS03OV2 |
| CHSERV42 |
CSHCN: Chld Needs
Med&Oth Serv (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS04 |
| CHSRHB42 |
CSHCN: Serv for
Hlth/Behv Cond(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS04OV1 |
| CHSRCN42 |
CSHCN: Serv Cond Last
12+ Mos (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS04OV2 |
| CHLIMI42 |
CSHCN: Limited in Any
Way (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS05 |
| CHLIHB42 |
CSHCN: Limt for
Hlth/Behv Cond(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS05OV1 |
| CHLICO42 |
CSHCN: Limit Cond Last
12+ Mos (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS05OV2 |
| CHTHER42 |
CSHCN: Chld Needs Spec
Therapy (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS06 |
| CHTHHB42 |
CSHCN: Spec Ther for
Hlth+Cond(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS06OV1 |
| CHTHCO42 |
CSHCN: Ther Cond Last
12+ Mos (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS06OV2 |
| CHCOUN42 |
CSHCN: Child Needs
Counseling (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS07 |
| CHEMPB42 |
CSHCN: Couns Prob Last
12+ Mos (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS07OV |
| CSHCN42 |
CSHCN:Child w/Spec HC
Needs (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS03-CS07OV |
| MOMPRO42 |
Problem Getting Along
w/Mom (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_01 |
| DADPRO42 |
Problem Getting Along
w/Dad (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_02 |
| UNHAP42 |
Problem Feeling
Unhappy/Sad (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_03 |
| SCHLBH42 |
Problem Behavior at
School (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_04 |
| HAVFUN42 |
Problem Having Fun
(5-17) – R4/2 |
CS08_05 |
| ADUPRO42 |
Prblm Getting Along
w/Adults (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_06 |
| NERVAF42 |
Prblm Feeling
Nervous/Afraid (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_07 |
| SIBPRO42 |
Prblm Getting Along
w/Sibs (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_08 |
| KIDPRO42 |
Prblm Getting Along
w/Kids (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_09 |
| SPRPRO42 |
Problem
w/Sports/Hobbies (5-17)–R4/2 |
CS08_10 |
| SCHPRO42 |
Problem With
Schoolwork (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_11 |
| HOMEBH42 |
Problem w/Behavior at
Home (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_12 |
| TRBLE42 |
Prblm Stay out Of
Trouble (5-17)-R4/2 |
CS08_13 |
| CHILCR42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Ill/Inj
Need Care (0-17)R4/2 |
CS09A |
| CHILWW42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Ill Care
Whn Needed (0-17)R4/2 |
CS10A |
| CHRTCR42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Make Apt
(0-17)R4/2 |
CS11A |
| CHRTWW42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Apt Whn
Needed (0-17)R4/2 |
CS12A |
| CHAPPT42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: # of
Off/Clin Apts (0-17)R4/2 |
CS13 |
| CHNDCR42 |
CAHPS:12Mos:Need Any
Care/Trt(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS14A |
| CHENEC42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Esy Get
Nec Care (0-17)R4/2 |
CS14 |
| CHLIST42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Chld Dr
Lsn to You (0-17)R4/2 |
CS15 |
| CHEXPL42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Chld Dr
Expl Thng (0-17)R4/2 |
CS16 |
| CHRESP42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Chld’s Dr
Shw Resp(0-17)R4/2 |
CS17 |
| CHPRTM42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Child Dr
Engh Time(0-17)R4/2 |
CS18 |
| CHHECR42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Rate Chld
Hlt Care (0-17)R4/2 |
CS19 |
| CHSPEC42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Chld
Needed Spec (0-17)R4/2 |
CS20 |
| CHEYRE42 |
CAHPS:12Mos: Esy w/Rfr
to Spec (0-17)R4/2 |
CS21 |
| MESHGT42 |
Doctor Ever Measured
Height (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS22 |
| WHNHGT42 |
When Doctor Measured
Height (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS22OV |
| MESWGT42 |
Doctor Ever Measured
Weight (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS24 |
| WHNWGT42 |
When Doctor Measured
Weight (0-17)-R4/2 |
CS24OV |
| CHBMIX42 |
Child’s Body Mass
Index (6-17)-R4/2 |
Constructed |
| MESVIS42 |
Doctor Checked Child’s
Vision (3-6)-R4/2 |
CS26 |
| MESBPR42 |
Dr Checked Blood
Pressure (2-17)-R4/2 |
CS27 |
| WHNBPR42 |
When Dr Checked Blood
Press (2-17)-R4/2 |
CS27OV |
| DENTAL42 |
Dr Advise Reg Dental
Checkup (2-17)-R4/2 |
CS28 |
| WHNDEN42 |
When Dr Advise Dent
Checkup (2-17)-R4/2 |
CS28OV |
| EATHLT42 |
Dr Advise Eat Healthy
(2-17)-R4/2 |
CS29 |
| WHNEAT42 |
When Dr Advise Eat
Healthy (2-17)-R4/2 |
CS29OV |
| PHYSCL42 |
Dr Advise Exercise
(2-17)-R4/2 |
CS30 |
| WHNPHY42 |
When Dr Advise
Exercise (2-17)-R4/2 |
CS30OV |
| SAFEST42 |
Dr Advise Chld Safety
Seat (Wt<=40)-R4/2 |
CS31 |
| WHNSAF42 |
When Dr Advise Safety
Seat (Wt<=40)-R4/2 |
CS31OV |
| BOOST42 |
Dr Advise Booster Seat
(40<Wt<=80)-R4/2 |
CS32 |
| WHNBST42 |
Whn Dr Advise Booster
Seat(40<Wt<=80)-R4/2 |
CS32OV |
| LAPBLT42 |
Dr Advise Lap/Shoulder
Belt (80<Wt)-R4/2 |
CS33 |
| WHNLAP42 |
Whn Dr Advise
Lap/Shldr Blt (80<Wt)-R4/2 |
CS33OV |
| HELMET42 |
Dr Advise Bike Helmet
(2-17)-R4/2 |
CS34 |
| WHNHEL42 |
When Dr Advise Bike
Helmet (2-17)-R4/2 |
CS34OV |
| NOSMOK42 |
Dr Advise Smkg in Home
is Bad(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS35 |
| WHNSMK42 |
Whn Dr Advis Smkg in
Home Bad(0-17)-R4/2 |
CS35OV |
| TIMALN42 |
Doctor Spend Any Time
Alone (12-17)-R4/2 |
CS36 |
| DENTCK53 |
How Often Dental
Check-up – RD 5/3 |
AP12 |
| BPCHEK53 |
Time Snce Lst Blood
Pres Chk (>17) – RD 5/3 |
PC11/AP15 |
| CHOLCK53 |
How Lng Cholest Lst
Chck (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP16 |
| CHECK53 |
How Lng Lst Routne
Checkup (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP17 |
| NOFAT53 |
Restrict HGH
Fat/Choles Food (>17)–RD 5/3 |
PC13_01/AP17A_01 |
| EXRCIS53 |
Advised to Exercise
More (>17) – RD 5/3 |
PC13_02/AP17A_02 |
| FLUSHT53 |
How Lng Last Flu
Vacination (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP18 |
| ASPRIN53 |
Tke Aspirn Every
(Othr) Day (>17)–RD 5/3 |
PC15/AP18A |
| NOASPR53 |
Taking Aspirin Unsafe
(>17) – RD 5/3 |
PC16/AP18AA
|
| STOMCH53 |
Tke Asprn Unsafe B/C
Stomch (>17) – RD 5/3 |
PC17/AP18AAA
|
| LSTETH53 |
Lost All Uppr And Lowr
Teeth (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP18B |
| PSA53 |
How Long Since Last
PSA (>39) – RD 5/3 |
AP19 |
| HYSTER53 |
Had a Hysterectomy
(>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP20A |
| PAPSMR53 |
How Lng Lst Pap Smear
Tst (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP20 |
| BRSTEX53 |
How Lng Snce Lst
Breast Exam (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP21 |
| MAMOGR53 |
How Lng Snce Lst
Mammogram (>29) – RD 5/3 |
AP22 |
| BSTST53 |
Mst Rcnt Bld Stool Tst
Hme Kit(>39)-R5/3 |
AP24 |
| BSTSRE53 |
Rsn Have Bld Stool Tst
(>39)-R5/3 |
AP24A |
| CLNTST53 |
Most Recent
Colonoscopy (>39) - R5/3 |
AP26 |
| CLNTRE53 |
Rsn Have Colonoscopy
(>39) – R5/3 |
AP26A |
| SGMTST53 |
Most recent
Sigmoidoscopy (>39) – R5/3 |
AP27 |
| SGMTRE53 |
Rsn Have Sigmoidoscopy
(>39) – R5/3 |
AP27A |
| PHYEXE53 |
Mod/Vig Phys Exec 5X
Wk (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP28 |
| BMINDX53 |
Adult Body Mass Index
(> 17) - Rd 5/3 |
Constructed |
| SEATBE53 |
Wears Seat Belt (>15)
– RD 5/3 |
AP32 |
| SAQELIG |
Eligibility Status for
SAQ |
Constructed |
| ADPRX42 |
SAQ: Relationship of
Proxy to Adult |
Constructed |
| ADILCR42 |
SAQ 12Mos: Ill/Injury
Needing Immed Care |
SAQ Q1 |
| ADILWW42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Got Care
When Needed Ill/Inj |
SAQ Q2 |
| ADRTCR42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Made Appt
Routine Med Care |
SAQ Q3 |
| ADRTWW42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Got Med
Appt When Wanted |
SAQ Q4 |
| ADAPPT42 |
SAQ 12 Mos:# Visits to
Med Off for Care |
SAQ Q5 |
| ADNDCR42 |
SAQ 12Mos: Need Any
Care, Test, Treatmnt |
SAQ Q6 |
| ADEGMC42 |
SAQ 12Mos: Easy
Getting Needed Med Care |
SAQ Q7 |
| ADLIST42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Doctor
Listened to You |
SAQ Q8 |
| ADEXPL42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Doc
Explained So Understood |
SAQ Q9 |
| ADRESP42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Dr Showed
Respect |
SAQ Q10 |
| ADPRTM42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Dr Spent Enuf Time with You |
SAQ Q11 |
| ADINST42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Dr Gave
Spcifc Instrctns |
SAQ Q12 |
| ADEZUN42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Dr Given
Instr. Ez Undrstd |
SAQ Q13 |
| ADTLHW42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Dr Asked R
Desc How Follow |
SAQ Q14 |
| ADFFRM42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Had to
Fill Out/Sign Forms |
SAQ Q15 |
| ADFHLP42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Offrd Help
Filling Out Forms |
SAQ Q16 |
| ADHECR42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Rating of
Health care |
SAQ Q17 |
| ADSMOK42 |
SAQ: Currently Smoke |
SAQ Q18 |
| ADNSMK42 |
SAQ 12Mos: Dr Advised
to Quit Smoking |
SAQ Q19 |
| ADDRBP42 |
SAQ 2 Yrs: Dr Checked
Blood Pressure |
SAQ Q20 |
| ADSPEC42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Needed to
See Specialist |
SAQ Q21 |
| ADESSP42 |
SAQ 12Mos: How Esy to
See Specialist |
SAQ Q22 |
| ADGENH42 |
SAQ: Health in General
SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q23 |
| ADDAYA42 |
SAQ: Hlth Limits Mod
Activities SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q24 |
| ADCLIM42 |
SAQ: Hlth Limits
Climbing Stairs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q25 |
| ADPALS42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Accmp Less
B/C Phy Prbs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q26 |
| ADPWLM42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Work Limt B/C
Phy Probs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q27 |
| ADMALS42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Accmp Less
B/C Mnt Prbs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q28 |
| ADMWLM42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Work Limt B/C
Mnt Probs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q29 |
| ADPAIN42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Pain Limits
Normal Work SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q30 |
| ADCAPE42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Felt
Calm/Peaceful SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q31 |
| ADNRGY42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Had a Lot of
Energy SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q32 |
| ADDOWN42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Felt
Downhearted/Depr SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q33 |
| ADSOCA42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Hlth Stopped
Soc Activ SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q34 |
| PCS42 |
SAQ:Phy Component
Summry SF-12V2 Imputed |
SAQ Q23 – Q34 |
| MCS42 |
SAQ:Mnt Component
Summry SF-12V2 Imputed |
SAQ Q23 – Q34 |
| SFFLAG42 |
SAQ: PCS/MCS
Imputation Flag SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q23 – Q34 |
| ADNERV42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often
Felt Nervous |
SAQ Q35 |
| ADHOPE42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often
Felt Hopeless |
SAQ Q36 |
| ADREST42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often
Felt Restless |
SAQ Q37 |
| ADSAD42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often
Felt Sad |
SAQ Q38 |
| ADEFRT42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Oftn
Everythng an Effort |
SAQ Q39 |
| ADWRTH42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often
Felt Worthless |
SAQ Q40 |
| K6SUM42 |
SAQ 30 Days: Overall
Rating of Feelings |
SAQ Q35 – Q40 |
| ADINTR42 |
SAQ 2 Wks: Little
Interest in Things |
SAQ Q41 |
| ADDPRS42 |
SAQ 2 Wks: Felt
Down/Depressed/Hopeless |
SAQ Q42 |
| PHQ242 |
SAQ 2 Wks: Overall
Rating of Feelings |
SAQ Q41 – Q42 |
| ADINSA42 |
SAQ: Do Not Need
Health Insurance |
SAQ Q43 |
| ADINSB42 |
SAQ: Health Insurance
Not Worth Cost |
SAQ Q44 |
| ADRISK42 |
SAQ: More Likely to
Take Risks |
SAQ Q45 |
| ADOVER42 |
SAQ: Can Overcome Ills
Without Med Help |
SAQ Q46 |
| ADCMPM42 |
SAQ: Date Completed -
Month |
Constructed |
| ADCMPY42 |
SAQ: Date Completed –
Year |
Constructed |
| ADLANG42 |
SAQ: Language of SAQ
Interview |
Constructed |
| DSDIA53 |
DCS: Diabetes
Diagnosis By Health Prof |
DCS Q1 |
| DSA1C53 |
DCS: Times Tested for
A-One-C in 2012 |
DCS Q2 |
| DSFT1453 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked
During 2014 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFT1353 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked
During 2013 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFT1253 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked
During 2012 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFB1253 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked
Before 2012 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFTNV53 |
DCS: Never Had Feet
Checked |
DCS Q3 |
| DSEY1453 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam
in 2014 |
DCS Q4 |
| DSEY1353 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam
in 2013 |
DCS Q4 |
| DSEY1253 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam
in 2012 |
DCS Q4 |
| DSEB1253 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam
Before 2012 |
DCS Q4 |
| DSEYNV53 |
DCS: Never Had Dilated
Eye Exam |
DCS Q4 |
| DSKIDN53 |
DCS: Has Diabetes
Caused Kidney Problems |
DCS Q7 |
| DSEYPR53 |
DCS: Has Diabetes Caused Eye Probs |
DCS Q6 |
| DSDIET53 |
DCS: Treat Diabetes w/Diet Modification |
DCS Q9 |
| DSMED53 |
DCS: Treat Diabetes w/Meds by Mouth |
DCS Q10 |
| DSINSU53 |
DCS: Treat Diabetes w/Insulin Injections |
DCS Q11 |
| DSCPCP53 |
DCS: Learned Diab Care from Prim Care Prov |
DCS Q13 |
| DSCNPC53 |
DCS: Learned Diab Care from Other Prov |
DCS Q13 |
| DSCPHN53 |
DCS: Learned Diab Care from Phn Call w/Prov |
DCS Q13 |
| DSCINT53 |
DCS: Learned Diab Care from Reading Internet |
DCS Q13 |
| DSCGRP53 |
DCS: Learned Diab Care by Taking Grp Class |
DCS Q13 |
| DSCONF53 |
DSC: Confident Taking Care of Diabetes |
DCS Q14 |
| DSCH1453 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked in 2014 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCH1353 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked in 2013 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCH1253 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked in 2012 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCB1253 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked Before 2012 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCHNV53 |
DCS: Never Had Blood Cholesterol Checked |
DCS Q5 |
| DSFL1453 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination in 2014 |
DCS Q6 |
| DSFL1353 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination in 2013 |
DCS Q6 |
| DSFL1253 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination in 2012 |
DCS Q6 |
| DSVB1253 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination Before 2012 |
DCS Q6 |
| DSFLNV53 |
DCS: Never Got Flu Vaccination |
DCS Q6 |
| DSPRX53 |
DCS: Was Respondent a Proxy |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
DISABILITY DAYS VARIABLES – PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| DDNWRK31 |
# Days Missed Work Due to Ill/Inj (RD31) |
DD02
DD02A |
| DDNWRK42 |
# Days Missed Work Due to Ill/Inj (RD42) |
DD02 |
| DDNWRK53 |
# Days Missed Work Due to Ill/Inj (RD53) |
DD02
DD02A |
| DDNSCL31 |
# Days Missd School Due to Ill/Inj(RD31) |
DD05
DD05A |
| DDNSCL42 |
# Days Missd School Due to Ill/Inj(RD42) |
DD05 |
| DDNSCL53 |
# Days Missd School Due to Ill/Inj(RD53) |
DD05
DD05A |
| OTHDYS31 |
Miss Any Work Day to Care for Oth (RD31) |
DD10 |
| OTHDYS42 |
Miss Any Work Day to Care for Oth (RD42) |
DD10 |
| OTHDYS53 |
Miss Any Work Day to Care for Oth (RD53) |
DD10 |
| OTHNDD31 |
# Day Missed Work to Care for Oth (RD31) |
DD11
DD11A |
| OTHNDD42 |
# Day Missed Work to Care for Oth (RD42) |
DD11 |
| OTHNDD53 |
# Day Missed Work to Care for Oth (RD53) |
DD11
DD11A |
Return To Table Of Contents
ACCESS TO CARE VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| ACCELI42 |
Pers Eligible for Access Supplement-R4/2 |
Constructed |
| LANGHM42 |
AC01 Language Spoken Most in Home-R4/2 |
AC01 |
| ENGCMF42 |
AC02 Whole HH Comfrtble Speakng Eng-R4/2 |
AC02 |
| ENGSPK42 |
AC02A Not Comfrtble
Speakng English-R4/2 |
AC02A |
| USBORN42 |
AC03 Was Person Born
in US-R4/2 |
AC03 |
| LIVEUS42 |
AC04 Number Years
Person Lived in US-R2 |
AC04 |
| HAVEUS42 |
AC05 Does Person Have
USC Provider-R4/2 |
AC05 |
| YNOUSC42 |
AC07 Main Reas Pers
Doesnt Have USC-R4/2 |
AC07 |
| NOREAS42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:No Oth Reasons-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| SELDSI42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:Seldm/Nev Sick-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| NEWARE42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:Recently Moved-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| DKWHRU42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:Dk Where to Go-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| USCNOT42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
USC Not Avail-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| PERSLA42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Language - R4/2 |
AC08 |
| DIFFPL42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:Diffrnt Places-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| INSRPL42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:Just Chngd Ins-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| MYSELF42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:No Doc/Trt Slf-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| CARECO42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:Cost Of Med Cr-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| NOHINS42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No
USC:No Hlth Insrnc-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| OTHINS42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Ins Related-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| JOBRSN42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Job Related-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| NEWDOC42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Lookng for Dr-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| DOCELS42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Dr Elsewhere-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| NOLIKE42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Dont Like Drs-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| HEALTH42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Hlth Related-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| KNOWDR42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Knows/Is a Dr-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| ONJOB42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Dr at Work-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| NOGODR42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Wont Go to Dr-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| TRANS42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Transprt/Time R4/2 |
AC08 |
| CLINIC42 |
AC08: Oth Reas No USC:
Hosp/ER/Clnic-R4/2 |
AC08 |
| OTHREA42 |
AC08 Oth Reas No USC:
Other Reason–R4/2 |
AC08 |
| PROVTY42 |
Provider Type – R4/2 |
PV01, PV03, PV05, PV10 |
| PLCTYP42 |
USC Type of Place –
R4/2 |
AC11 |
| GOTOUS42 |
AC12 How Does Pers Get
to USC Prov–R4/2 |
AC12 |
| TMTKUS42 |
AC13 How Long It Takes
Get to USC-R4/2 |
AC13 |
| DFTOUS42 |
AC14 How Difficult Is
It Get to USC–R4/2 |
AC14 |
| TYPEPE42 |
USC Type of Provider –
R4/2 |
AC15, AC16, AC16OV,
AC17, AC17OV |
| LOCATN42 |
USC Location – R4/2 |
Constructed |
| HSPLAP42 |
AC18 Is Provider
Hispanic or Latino–R4/2 |
AC18 |
| WHITPR42 |
AC19 Is Provider White
– R4/2 |
AC19 |
| BLCKPR42 |
AC19 Is Provider
Black/African Amer-R4/2 |
AC19 |
| ASIANP42 |
AC19 Is Provider Asian
– R4/2 |
AC19 |
| NATAMP42 |
AC19 Is Provider
Native American – R4/2 |
AC19 |
| PACISP42 |
AC19 Is Provider Oth
Pacific Islndr-R4/2 |
AC19 |
| OTHRCP42 |
AC19 Is Provider Some
Other Race – R4/2 |
AC19 |
| GENDRP42 |
AC20 Is Provider Male
or Female – R4/2 |
AC20 |
| MINORP42 |
AC22 Go To USC For New
Health Prob-R4/2 |
AC22 |
| PREVEN42 |
AC22 Go To USC For
Prvntve Hlt Care-R4/2 |
AC22 |
| REFFRL42 |
AC22 Go To USC For
Referrals – R4/2 |
AC22 |
| ONGONG42 |
AC22 Go To USC For
Ongoing Hlth Prb-R4/2 |
AC22 |
| PHNREG42 |
AC23 How Diff Contact
USC By Phone-R4/2 |
AC23 |
| OFFHOU42 |
AC24 USC Has Offce Hrs
Nghts/Wkends-R4/2 |
AC24 |
| AFTHOU42 |
AC25 How Diff Contact
USC Aft Hours-R4/2 |
AC25 |
| TREATM42 |
AC26 Prov Ask About
Oth Treatments-R4/2 |
AC26 |
| RESPCT42 |
AC27 Prov Shows
Respect For Trtmnts-R4/2 |
AC27 |
| DECIDE42 |
AC28 Prov Asks Pers to
Help Decide-R4/2 |
AC28 |
| EXPLOP42 |
AC30 Prov Explns
Options to Pers – R4/2 |
AC30 |
| LANGPR42 |
AC31 Prov Speaks
Person’s Language–R4/2 |
AC31 |
| PRVSPK42 |
AC31 Prov Speaks
Person’s Language–P18R2 |
AC31 |
| MDUNAB42 |
Unable To Get Necessry
Medical Care–R4/2 |
AC32A, AC32, AC33 |
| MDUNRS42 |
AC34 Rsn Unable Get
Necsry Med Care-R4/2 |
AC34 |
| MDUNPR42 |
AC35 Prb Not Getting
Ncsry Med Care-R4/2 |
AC35 |
| MDDLAY42 |
Delayed In Getting
Necsry Med Care-R4/2 |
AC36, AC37 |
| MDDLRS42 |
AC38 Rsn Dlayd Getting
Nec Med Care-R4/2 |
AC38 |
| MDDLPR42 |
AC39 Prb Dlayd Getting
Nec Med Care-R4/2 |
AC39 |
| DNUNAB42 |
Unable To Get
Necessary Dental Care-R4/2 |
AC40A, AC40, AC41 |
| DNUNRS42 |
AC42 Rsn Unable Get
Ncsry Dent Care-R4/2 |
AC42 |
| DNUNPR42 |
AC43 Prb Unable Get
Ncsry Dent Care-R4/2 |
AC43 |
| DNDLAY42 |
Delayed In Getting Nec
Dental Care-R4/2 |
AC44, AC45 |
| DNDLRS42 |
AC46 Rsn Dlayd Gettng
Nec Dent Care-R4/2 |
AC46 |
| DNDLPR42 |
AC47 Prb Dlayd Gettng
Nec Dent Care-R4/2 |
AC47 |
| PMUNAB42 |
Unable to Get
Necessary Pres Med – R4/2 |
AC48A, AC48, AC49 |
| PMUNRS42 |
AC50 Rsn Unable to Get
Nec Pres Med-R4/2 |
AC50 |
| PMUNPR42 |
AC51 Prb Unable to Get
Nec Pres Med-R4/2 |
AC51 |
| PMDLAY42 |
Delayed In Getting
Necsry Pres Med-R4/2 |
AC52, AC53 |
| PMDLRS42 |
AC54 Rsn Dlayd Getting
Nec Pres Med-R4/2 |
AC54 |
| PMDLPR42 |
AC55 Prb Dlayd Getting
Nec Pres Med-R4/2 |
AC55 |
Return To Table Of Contents
EMPLOYMENT VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| EMPST31 |
Employment Status RD 3/1 |
EM 1-3; RJ 1, 6 |
| EMPST42 |
Employment Status RD 4/2 |
EM 1-3; RJ 1, 6 |
| EMPST53 |
Employment Status RD 5/3 |
EM 1-3; RJ 1, 6 |
| RNDFLG31 |
Data Collection Round for RD 3/1 CMJ |
Constructed |
| MORJOB31 |
Has More than One Job RD 3/1 Int Date |
EM 1-4, 51; RJ 1, 6; Constructed |
| MORJOB42 |
Has More than One Job RD 4/2 Int Date |
EM 1-4, 51; RJ 1, 6; Constructed |
| MORJOB53 |
Has More than One Job RD 5/3 Int Date |
EM 1-4, 51; RJ 1, 6; Constructed |
| EVRWRK |
Ever Wrkd for Pay in Life as of 12/31/13 |
EM 1-4, 51; RJ 1, 6; Constructed |
| HRWG31X |
Hourly Wage RD 3/1 CMJ (Imp) |
EW 3-5, 7, 11-13,
17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| HRWG42X |
Hourly Wage RD 4/2 CMJ
(Imp) |
EW 3-5, 7, 11-13,
17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| HRWG53X |
Hourly Wage RD 5/3 CMJ
(Imp) |
EW 3-5, 7, 11-13,
17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| HRWGIM31 |
HRWG31X Imputation
Flag |
Constructed |
| HRWGIM42 |
HRWG42X Imputation
Flag |
Constructed |
| HRWGIM53 |
HRWG53X Imputation
Flag |
Constructed |
| HRHOW31 |
How Hourly Wage Was
Calculated RD 3/1 |
EM 2-3, 51, 104, 111;
EW 2-24 |
| HRHOW42 |
How Hourly Wage Was
Calculated RD 4/2 |
EM 2-3, 51, 104, 111;
EW 2-24 |
| HRHOW53 |
How Hourly Wage Was Calculated RD 5/3 |
EM 2-3, 51, 104, 111; EW 2-24 |
| DIFFWG31 |
Persons Wages
Different this RD31 at CMJ |
RJ02 |
| DIFFWG42 |
Persons Wages
Different this RD42 at CMJ |
RJ02 |
| DIFFWG53 |
Persons Wages
Different this RD53 at CMJ |
RJ02 |
| NHRWG31 |
Updated Hrly Wage RD
3/1 CMJ (Edited) |
EW 3-5, 7, 11-13,
17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| NHRWG42 |
Updated Hrly Wage RD
4/2 CMJ (Edited) |
EW 3-5, 7, 11-13,
17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| NHRWG53 |
Updated Hrly Wage RD
5/3 CMJ (Edited) |
EW 3-5, 7, 11-13,
17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| HOUR31 |
Hours Per Week at RD
3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 104-105,
111; EW 17 |
| HOUR42 |
Hours Per Week at RD
4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 104-105,
111; EW 17 |
| HOUR53 |
Hours Per Week at RD
5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 104-105,
111; EW 17 |
| TEMPJB31 |
Is CMJ a Temporary Job
RD 3/1 |
EM 105C, 111C |
| TEMPJB42 |
Is CMJ a Temporary Job
RD 4/2 |
EM 105C, 111C |
| TEMPJB53 |
Is CMJ a Temporary Job
RD 5/3 |
EM 105C, 111C |
| SSNLJB31 |
Is CMJ a Seasonal Job
RD 3/1 |
EM 105D, 111D |
| SSNLJB42 |
Is CMJ a Seasonal Job
RD 4/2 |
EM 105D, 111D |
| SSNLJB53 |
Is CMJ a Seasonal Job
RD 5/3 |
EM 105D, 111D |
| SELFCM31 |
Self-Employed at RD
3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51; RJ 01 |
| SELFCM42 |
Self-Employed at RD
4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51; RJ 01 |
| SELFCM53 |
Self-Employed at RD
5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51; RJ 01 |
| DISVW31X |
Disavowed Health Ins
at RD 3/1 CMJ (Ed) |
EM113, 117; RJ07, 08,
08A; HX and OE Sections |
| DISVW42X |
Disavowed Health Ins
at RD 4/2 CMJ (Ed) |
EM113, 117; RJ07, 08,
08A; HX and OE Sections |
| DISVW53X |
Disavowed Health Ins
at RD 5/3 CMJ (Ed) |
EM113, 117; RJ07, 08,
08A; HX and OE Sections |
| CHOIC31 |
Choice of Health Plans
at RD 3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96,
113-115, 124; RJ08 |
| CHOIC42 |
Choice of Health Plans
at RD 4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96,
113-115, 124; RJ08 |
| CHOIC53 |
Choice of Health Plans
at RD 5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96,
113-115, 124; RJ08 |
| INDCAT31 |
Industry Group RD 3/1
CMJ |
EM 97-100; RJ01;
Constructed |
| INDCAT42 |
Industry Group RD 4/2
CMJ |
EM 97-100; RJ01;
Constructed |
| INDCAT53 |
Industry Group RD 5/3
CMJ |
EM 97-100; RJ01;
Constructed |
| NUMEMP31 |
Number of Employees at
RD 3/1 CMJ |
EM 91-92, 124; RJ01 |
| NUMEMP42 |
Number of Employees at
RD 4/2 CMJ |
EM 91-92, 124; RJ01 |
| NUMEMP53 |
Number of Employees at
RD 5/3 CMJ |
EM 91-92, 124; RJ01 |
| MORE31 |
RD 3/1 CMJ Firm Has
More than 1 Locat |
EM 1-3, 51, 94; RJ01 |
| MORE42 |
RD 4/2 CMJ Firm Has
More than 1 Locat |
EM 1-3, 51, 94; RJ01 |
| MORE53 |
RD 5/3 CMJ Firm Has
More than 1 Locat |
EM 1-3, 51, 94; RJ01 |
| UNION31 |
Union Status at RD 3/1
CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96, 116;
RJ01 |
| UNION42 |
Union Status at RD 4/2
CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96, 116;
RJ01 |
| UNION53 |
Union Status at RD 5/3
CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96, 116;
RJ01 |
| NWK31 |
Reason Not Working
During RD 3/1 |
EM 1-3, 101-102,
126-127, 132-133, 138-139, 141, 141OV; RJ10 |
| NWK42 |
Reason Not Working
During RD 4/2 |
EM 1-3, 101-102,
126-127, 132-133, 138-139, 141, 141OV; RJ10 |
| NWK53 |
Reason Not Working
During RD 5/3 |
EM 1-3, 101-102,
126-127, 132-133, 138-139, 141, 141OV; RJ10 |
| CHGJ3142 |
Changed Job between RD
3/1 and RD 4/2 |
RJ01, 01A |
| CHGJ4253 |
Changed Job between RD
4/2 and RD 5/3 |
RJ01, 01A |
| YCHJ3142 |
Why Chngd Job between
RD 3/1 and RD 4/2 |
RJ10, 10OV |
| YCHJ4253 |
Why Chngd Job between
RD 4/2 and RD 5/3 |
RJ10, 10OV |
| STJBMM31 |
Month Started RD 3/1
CMJ |
EM10, 10OV, 10OV2;
RJ01, 02A |
| STJBYY31 |
Year Started RD 3/1
CMJ |
EM10, 10OV, 10OV2;
RJ01, 01A |
| STJBMM42 |
Month Started RD 4/2
CMJ |
EM10, 10OV, 10OV2;
RJ01, 01A |
| STJBYY42 |
Year Started RD 4/2
CMJ |
EM10, 10OV, 10OV2;
RJ01, 01A |
| STJBMM53 |
Month Started RD 5/3
CMJ |
EM10, 10OV, 10OV2;
RJ01, 01A |
| STJBYY53 |
Year Started RD 5/3
CMJ |
EM10, 10OV, 10OV2;
RJ01, 01A |
| EVRETIRE |
Person Has Ever
Retired |
EM 1-3, 101-102,
126-127, 132-133, 138-139, 141, 141OV; RJ 02, 10 |
| OCCCAT31 |
Occupation Group RD
3/1 CMJ |
EM99-100; RJ 01, 01A;
Constructed |
| OCCCAT42 |
Occupation Group RD
4/2 CMJ |
EM99-100; RJ 01, 01A;
Constructed |
| OCCCAT53 |
Occupation Group RD
5/3 CMJ |
EM99-100; RJ 01, 01A;
Constructed |
| PAYVAC31 |
Paid Vacation at RD
3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 109; RJ
01, 02 |
| PAYVAC42 |
Paid Vacation at RD
4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 109; RJ
01, 02 |
| PAYVAC53 |
Paid Vacation at RD
5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 109; RJ
01, 02 |
| SICPAY31 |
Paid Sick Leave at RD
3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 107; RJ
01, 02 |
| SICPAY42 |
Paid Sick Leave at RD
4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 107; RJ
01, 02 |
| SICPAY53 |
Paid Sick Leave at RD
5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 107; RJ
01, 02 |
| PAYDR31 |
Paid Leave to Visit Dr
RD 3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 107-108;
RJ 01, 02 |
| PAYDR42 |
Paid Leave to Visit Dr
RD 4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 107-108;
RJ 01, 02 |
| PAYDR53 |
Paid Leave to Visit Dr
RD 5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 107-108;
RJ 01, 02 |
| RETPLN31 |
Pension Plan at RD 3/1
CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 110; RJ
01, 02 |
| RETPLN42 |
Pension Plan at RD 4/2
CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 110; RJ
01, 02 |
| RETPLN53 |
Pension Plan at RD 5/3
CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 110; RJ
01, 02 |
| BSNTY31 |
Sole Prop, Partner, Corp, RD 3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 94-95; RJ 01, 02 |
| BSNTY42 |
Sole Prop, Partner, Corp, RD 4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 94-95; RJ 01, 02 |
| BSNTY53 |
Sole Prop, Partner, Corp, RD 5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 94-95; RJ 01, 02 |
| JOBORG31 |
Priv (Profit,Nonprofit) Gov RD 3/1 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96; RJ 01, 02 |
| JOBORG42 |
Priv (Profit,Nonprofit) Gov RD 4/2 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96; RJ 01, 02 |
| JOBORG53 |
Priv (Profit,Nonprofit) Gov RD 5/3 CMJ |
EM 1-3, 51, 96; RJ 01, 02 |
| HELD31X |
Health Insur Held from RD 3/1 CMJ (Ed) |
EM117; HX, HP and OE Sections |
| HELD42X |
Health Insur Held from RD 4/2 CMJ (Ed) |
EM117; HX, HP and OE Sections |
| HELD53X |
Health Insur Held from RD 5/3 CMJ (Ed) |
EM117; HX, HP and OE Sections |
| OFFER31X |
Health Insur Offered by RD 3/1 CMJ (Ed) |
EM113, 114, 117; RJ and HX Sections |
| OFFER42X |
Health Insur Offered by RD 4/2 CMJ (Ed) |
EM113, 114, 117; RJ and HX Sections |
| OFFER53X |
Health Insur Offered by RD 5/3 CMJ (Ed) |
EM113, 114, 117; RJ and HX Sections |
| OFREMP31 |
Employer Offers Health Ins RD 3/1 CMJ |
EM115A, RJ08AAA |
| OFREMP42 |
Employer Offers Health Ins RD 4/2 CMJ |
EM115A, RJ08AAA |
| OFREMP53 |
Employer Offers Health Ins RD 5/3 CMJ |
EM115A, RJ08AAA |
Return To Table Of Contents
HEALTH INSURANCE VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
MONTHLY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE INDICATORS
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| TRImm13X |
Covered by TRICARE/CHAMPVA in mm 13 (Ed), where mm = JA-DE |
HX12, 13, PR19-22, HQ Section |
| MCRmm13 |
Covered by Medicare in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX05-07, 27, 29, 29OV |
| MCRmm13X |
Covered by Medicare in mm 13 (Ed),
where mm = JA-DE |
HX05-07, 27, 29, 29OV, see Section 2.5.10.1
for additional edit specifications |
| MCDmm13 |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX10-11, PR07-10 and HQ Section |
| MCDmm13X |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP in mm 13 (Ed),
where mm = JA-DE |
MCDmm13, HX14-16, 18-19, 41-43, 45, PR11-14, 23-32, 39-42 |
| OPAmm13 |
Cov by Other Public A Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX14-15, 41-45, PR 23-32 and HQ Section |
| OPBmm13 |
Cov by Other Public B Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX14-15, 41-43, PR23-30 and HQ Section |
| STAmm13 |
Covered by Other State Prog in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX16-19, PR35-38 and HQ Section |
| PUBmm13X |
Covr by Any Public Ins in mm 13 (Ed),
where mm = JA-DE |
TRImm13X, MCRmm13X, MCDmm13X, OPAmm13, OPBmm13 |
| PEGmm13 |
Covered by Empl Union Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX2-4, 21-24, 48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, RJ Sections |
| PDKmm13 |
Covr by Priv Ins (Source Unknwn) mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE, and HQ Sections |
| PNGmm13 |
Covered by Nongroup Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE, and HQ Sections |
| POGmm13 |
Covered by Other Group Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE, and HQ Sections |
| PRSmm13 |
Covered by Self-Emp-1
Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX3, 4, 48, HQ, OE, RJ
and EM sections |
| POUmm13 |
Covered by Holder
Outside of RU in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE,
and HQ Sections |
| PRImm13 |
Covered by Private Ins
in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
POGmm13, PDKmm13,
PEGmm13, PRSmm13, POUmm13, PNGmm13 |
| HPEmm13 |
Holder of Empl Union
Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
PEGmm13, HP9, 11 |
| HPDmm13 |
Holder of Priv Ins
(Source Unknwn) mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
PDKmm13; HP11 |
| HPNmm13 |
Holder of Nongroup Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
PNGmm13; HP11 |
| HPOmm13 |
Holder of Other Group Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
POGmm13; HP11 |
| HPSmm13 |
Holder of Self-Emp-1 Ins in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
PRSmm13; HP9 |
| HPRmm13 |
Holder of Private Insurance in mm 13,
where mm = JA-DE |
HPEmm13, HPSmm13, HPOmm13, HPNmm13, HPDmm13 |
| INSmm13X |
Covr by Hosp/Med Ins in mm 13 (Ed),
where mm = JA-DE |
PUBmm13X, PRImm13 |
Return To Table Of Contents
SUMMARY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE INDICATORS
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| PRVEV13 |
Ever Have Private Insurance during 13 |
Constructed |
| TRIEV13 |
Ever Have TRICARE/CHAMPVA during 13 |
Constructed |
| MCREV13 |
Ever Have Medicare during 13 (ED) |
Constructed |
| MCDEV13 |
Ever Have Medicaid/SCHIP during 13 (ED) |
Constructed |
| OPAEV13 |
Ever Have Other Public A Ins during 13 |
Constructed |
| OPBEV13 |
Ever Have Other Public B Ins during 13 |
Constructed |
| UNINS13 |
Uninsured All of 13 |
Constructed |
| INSCOV13 |
Health Insurance Coverage Indicator 13 |
Constructed |
| INSURC13 |
Full Year Insurance Coverage Status 2013 |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
MANAGED CARE VARIABLES
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| TRIST31X |
Covered by TRICARE Standard – R3/1 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIST42X |
Covered by TRICARE Standard – R4/2 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIST13X |
Covered by TRICARE Standard - 12/31/13 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIPR31X |
Covered by TRICARE Prime – R3/1 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIPR42X |
Covered by TRICARE Prime – R4/2 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIPR13X |
Covered by TRICARE Prime - 12/31/13 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIEX31X |
Covered by TRICARE Extra – R3/1 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIEX42X |
Covered by TRICARE Extra – R4/2 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRIEX13X |
Covered by TRICARE Extra - 12/31/13 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRILI31X |
Covered by TRICARE for Life – R3/1 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRILI42X |
Covered by TRICARE for Life – R4/2 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRILI13X |
Covered by TRICARE for Life - 12/31/13 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRICH31X |
Covered by CHAMPVA – R3/1 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRICH42X |
Covered by CHAMPVA – R4/2 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRICH13X |
Covered by TRICARE CHAMPVA - 12/31/13 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| MCRPD31 |
Cov By Medicare Pmed Benefit – R3/1 |
HX05-07, HX33A,HX35A, PR05, PR06B, HQ Section |
| MCRPD42 |
Cov By Medicare Pmed Benefit – R4/2 |
HX05-07, HX33A, HX35A, PR05, PR06B, HQ Section |
| MCRPD13 |
Cov by Medicare Pmed Benefit - 12/31/13 |
HX05-07, HX33A, HX35A, PR05, PR06B, HQ Section |
| MCRPD31X |
Cov By Medicare Pmed Benefit – R3/1 (ED) |
MCARE31X, MCAID31X, MCRPD31 |
| MCRPD42X |
Cov By Medicare Pmed Benefit – R4/2 (ED) |
MCARE42X, MCAID42X, MCRPD42 |
| MCRPD13X |
Cov by Mcare Pmed Benefit - 12/31/13 (ED) |
MCARE13X, MCAID13X, MCRPD13 |
| MCRPB31 |
Cov By Medicare Part B – R3/1 |
HX05-07, HX25-27 and HQ section |
| MCRPB42 |
Cov By Medicare Part B – R4/2 |
HX05-07, HX25-27 and HQ section |
| MCRPB13 |
Cov by Medicare Part B - 12/21/13 |
HX05-07, HX25-27 and HQ section |
| MCRPHO31 |
Covered By Medicare Managed Care – R3/1 |
HX05-07, HX31-32, PR02-PR04, HQ Section |
| MCRPHO42 |
Covered By Medicare Managed Care – R4/2 |
HX05-07, HX31-32, PR02-PR04, HQ Section |
| MCRPHO13 |
Cov by Medicare Managed Care - 12/31/13 |
HX05-07, HX31-32, PR02-PR04, HQ Section |
| MCDHMO31 |
Covered By Medicaid or SCHIP HMO – R3/1 |
HX10-11, HX14-16, HX18-19, HX41-43, HX45, PR07-10, PR11-14,
PR23-32, PR39-42 and HQ Section |
| MCDHMO42 |
Covered By Medicaid or SCHIP HMO – R4/2 |
HX10-11, HX14-16, HX18-19, HX41-43, HX45, PR07-10, PR11-14,
PR23-32, PR39-42 and HQ Section |
| MCDHMO13 |
Covred by Medicaid or SCHIP HMO -12/31/13 |
HX10-11, HX14-16, HX18-19, HX41-43, HX45, PR07-10, PR11-14,
PR23-32, PR39-42 and HQ Section |
| MCDMC31 |
Cov By Mcaid/SCHIP Gatekeeper Plan-R3/1 |
MCDHMO31, HX10-11, HX14-16, HX18-19, HX41-43, HX45, PR07-10,
PR11-14, PR23-32, PR39-42 and HQ Section |
| MCDMC42 |
Cov By Mcaid/SCHIP Gatekeeper Plan-R4/2 |
MCDHMO42, HX10-11, HX14-16, HX18-19, HX41-43, HX45, PR07-10,
PR11-14, PR23-32, PR39-42 and HQ Section |
| MCDMC13 |
Cov by Mcaid/SCHIP Gtkeepr Plan - 12/31/13 |
MCDHMO13, HX10-11, HX14-16, HX18-19, HX41-43, HX45,
PR07-10, PR11-14, PR23-32, PR39-42 and HQ Section |
| PRVHMO31 |
Covered by Private HMO – R3/1 |
MC01, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRVHMO42 |
Covered by Private HMO – R4/2 |
MC01, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRVHMO13 |
Covered by Private HMO - 12/31/13 |
MC01, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRVMNC31 |
Covered by Private Gatekeeper Plan-R3/1 |
MC01-02, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRVMNC42 |
Covered by Private Gatekeeper Plan-R4/2 |
MC01-02, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRVDRL31 |
Cov by Priv Plan w/Doctor List – R3/1 |
MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRVDRL42 |
Cov by Priv Plan w/Doctor List – R4/2 |
MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PHMONP31 |
Cov by HMO-Pays Non-Plan Dr Visits-R3/1 |
PRVHMO31, HX60A, MC05, MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PHMONP42 |
Cov by HMO-Pays Non-Plan Dr Visits-R4/2 |
PRVHMO42, HX60A, MC05, MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PMNCNP31 |
Cov by Gatekpr-Pays Non-Plan Drs-R3/1 |
PRVMNC31, MC04, MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PMNCNP42 |
Cov by Gatekpr-Pays Non-Plan Drs-R4/2 |
PRVMNC42, MC04, MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRDRNP31 |
Cov by Dr List-Pays Non-Plan Drs-R3/1 |
PRVDRL31, MC04, MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
| PRDRNP42 |
Cov by Dr List-Pays Non-Plan Drs-R4/2 |
PRVDRL42, MC04, MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
Return To Table Of Contents
FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT VARIABLES
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| FSAGT31 |
Anyone in RU Have FSA |
HX63C |
| HASFSA31 |
Person is FSA Holder - R3/1 |
HX63D |
| FSAAMT31 |
FSA Total Amount for RU - R3/1 |
HX63E |
Return To Table Of Contents
DURATION OF HEALTH INSURANCE VARIABLES
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| PREVCOVR |
Per Cov by Ins in Prev 2 Yrs–Panl 18 Only |
HX64 |
| COVRMM |
Month Most Recently Covered–Panel 18 Only |
HX65 |
| COVRYY |
Year Most Recently Covered–Panel 18 Only |
HX65 |
| WASESTB |
Was Prev Ins by Empl or Union–Pnl 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASMCARE |
Was Prev Ins by Medicare–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASMCAID |
Was Prev Ins by Mcaid/SCHIP–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASCHAMP |
Was Prev Ins TRICARE/Champva–Panl 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASVA |
Was Prev Ins
VA/Militar Care–Panl 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASPRIV |
Was Prev Ins
Grp/Assoc/Ins Co–Pnl 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASOTGOV |
Was Prev Ins by Oth
Gov Prg–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASAFDC |
Was Prev Ins by Public
AFDC–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSSI |
Was Prev Ins by SSI
Program–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT1 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat
Prog 1–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT2 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat Prog 2–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT3 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat Prog 3–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT4 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat Prog 4–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASOTHER |
Was Prev Ins by Oth Source–Panel 18 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| NOINSBEF |
Evr Wout Hlth Insr Prev Yr–Panel 18 Only |
HX70 |
| NOINSTM |
# Wks/Mon Wout Hlth Ins Prv Yr–Pnl 18 Onl |
HX71 |
| NOINUNIT |
Unit Of Time Wout Hlth Ins–Panel 18 Only |
HX71OV |
| MORECOVR |
Cov by Mor Compr Pl Prev 2 Yr–Pnl 18 Only |
HX76 |
| INSENDMM |
Month Most Recently Covd–Panel 18 Only |
HX77 |
| INSENDYY |
Year Most Recently Covd–Panel 18 Only |
HX77 |
Return To Table Of Contents
OTHER HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE VARIABLES
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| TRICR31X |
Cov by TRICR/CHAMV - R3/1 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| TRICR42X |
Cov by TRICR/CHAMV - R4/2 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| TRICR53X |
Cov by TRICR/CHAMV 12-31/R3 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| TRICR13X |
Cov by TRICARE/CHAMPVA - 12/31/13 (Ed) |
Constructed |
| TRIAT31X |
Any Time Cov TRICARE/CHAMPVA - R3/1 |
Constructed |
| TRIAT42X |
Any Time Cov TRICARE/CHAMPVA - R4/2 |
Constructed |
| TRIAT53X |
Any Time Cov TRICARE/CHAMPVA - R5/3 |
Constructed |
| TRIAT13X |
Any Time Cov TRICARE/CHAMPVA - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| MCAID31 |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP - R3/1 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| MCAID42 |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP - R4/2 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| MCAID53 |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP 12-31/R3 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| MCAID13 |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| MCAID31X |
Cov by Medicaid/SCHIP - R3/1 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCAID42X |
Cov by Medicaid/SCHIP - R4/2 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCAID53X |
Cov by Medicaid/SCHIP 12-31/R3 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCAID13X |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP - 12/31/13 (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCARE31 |
Cov by Medicare - R3/1 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| MCARE42 |
Cov by Medicare - R4/2 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| MCARE53 |
Cov by Medicare 12-31/R3 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| MCARE13 |
Cov by Medicare - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| MCARE31X |
Cov by Medicare - R3/1 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCARE42X |
Cov by Medicare - R4/2 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCARE53X |
Cov by Medicare 12-31/R3 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCARE13X |
Cov by Medicare - 12/31/13 (Ed) |
Constructed |
| MCDAT31X |
Any Time Cov Medicaid or SCHIP - R3/1 |
Constructed |
| MCDAT42X |
Any Time Cov Medicaid or SCHIP - R4/2 |
Constructed |
| MCDAT53X |
Any Time Cov Medicaid or SCHIP - R5/3 |
Constructed |
| MCDAT13X |
Any Time Cov Medicaid or SCHIP -12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| OTPAAT31 |
Any Time Cov Ot Gov Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R3/1 |
Constructed |
| OTPAAT42 |
Any Time Cov Ot Gov
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R4/2 |
Constructed |
| OTPAAT53 |
Any Time Cov Ot Gov
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R5/3 |
Constructed |
| OTPAAT13 |
Any Cov Ot Gov Mcaid/SCHIP
HMO -12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| OTPBAT31 |
Any Cov Ot Gov Not
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R3/1 |
Constructed |
| OTPBAT42 |
Any Cov Ot Gov Not
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R4/2 |
Constructed |
| OTPBAT53 |
Any Cov Ot Gov Not
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R5/3 |
Constructed |
| OTPBAT13 |
Any Cv Ot Gv Nt
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO -12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| OTPUBA31 |
Cov/Pay Oth Gov
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R3/1 Int |
Constructed |
| OTPUBA42 |
Cov/Pay Oth Gov
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R4/2 Int |
Constructed |
| OTPUBA53 |
Cov/Pay Oth Gov
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO 12-31/R3 |
Constructed |
| OTPUBA13 |
Cov/Pay Oth Gov
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| OTPUBB31 |
Cov Oth Gov Not
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R3/1 Int |
Constructed |
| OTPUBB42 |
Cov Oth Gov Not
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-R4/2 Int |
Constructed |
| OTPUBB53 |
Cov Oth Gov Not
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO 12-31/R3 |
Constructed |
| OTPUBB13 |
Cov Oth Gov Not
Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PRIDK31 |
Cov by Priv Ins (Dk
Plan) - R3/1 Int |
Constructed |
| PRIDK42 |
Cov by Priv Ins (Dk
Plan) - R4/2 Int |
Constructed |
| PRIDK53 |
Cov by Priv Ins (DK Plan) 12-31/R3 Int |
Constructed |
| PRIDK13 |
Cov by Priv Ins (DK Plan) - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PRIEU31 |
Cov by Empl/Union Grp
Ins - R3/1 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIEU42 |
Cov by Empl/Union Grp
Ins - R4/2 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIEU53 |
Cov by Empl/Union Grp Ins 12-31/R3 Int |
Constructed |
| PRIEU13 |
Cov by Empl/Union Grp Ins - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PRING31 |
Cov by Non-Group Ins -
R3/1 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRING42 |
Cov by Non-Group Ins -
R4/2 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRING53 |
Cov by Non-Group Ins 12-31/R3 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRING13 |
Cov by Non-Group Ins - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PRIOG31 |
Cov by Other Group Ins - R3/1 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIOG42 |
Cov by Other Group Ins - R4/2 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIOG53 |
Cov by Other Group Ins 12-31/R3 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIOG13 |
Cov by Other Group Ins - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PRIS31 |
Cov by Self-Emp-1 Ins - R3/1 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIS42 |
Cov by Self-Emp-1 Ins - R4/2 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIS53 |
Cov by Self-Emp-1 Ins 12-31/R3 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PRIS13 |
Cov by Self-Emp-1 Ins - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PRIV31 |
Cov by Priv Hlth Ins - R3/1 Int Date |
Constructed |
| PRIV42 |
Cov by Priv Hlth Ins - R4/2 Int Date |
Constructed |
| PRIV53 |
Cov by Priv Hlth Ins 12-31/R3 Int Date |
Constructed |
| PRIV13 |
Cov by Priv Hlth Ins - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT31 |
Cov by Private Ins - Any Time in R3/1 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT42 |
Cov by Private Ins - Any Time in R4/2 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT53 |
Cov by Private Ins - Any Time in R5/3 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT13 |
Cov by Private Ins - R5/3 until 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PROUT31 |
Cov by Someone Out Of Ru - R3/1 Int |
Constructed |
| PROUT42 |
Cov by Someone Out Of Ru - R4/2 Int |
Constructed |
| PROUT53 |
Cov by Someone Out Of Ru 12-31/R3 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| PROUT13 |
Cov by Someone Out Of Ru - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| PUB31X |
Cov by Public Ins - R3/1 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| PUB42X |
Cov by Public Ins - R4/2 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| PUB53X |
Cov by Public Ins 12-31/R3 Int Dt (Ed) |
Constructed |
| PUB13X |
Cov by Public Ins - 12/31/13 (Ed) |
Constructed |
| PUBAT31X |
Any Time Cov by Public - R3/1 |
Constructed |
| PUBAT42X |
Any Time Cov by Public - R4/2 |
Constructed |
| PUBAT53X |
Any Time Cov by Public - R5/3 |
Constructed |
| PUBAT13X |
Any Time Cov by Public - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| INS31X |
Insured - R3/1 Int Date (Ed) |
Constructed |
| INS42X |
Insured - R4/2 Int Date (Ed) |
Constructed |
| INS53X |
Insured 12-31/ R3 Int Date (Ed) |
Constructed |
| INS13X |
Insured - 12/31/13 (Ed) |
Constructed |
| INSAT31X |
Insured Any Time in R3/1 |
Constructed |
| INSAT42X |
Insured Any Time in R4/2 |
Constructed |
| INSAT53X |
Insured Any Time in R5/3 |
Constructed |
| INSAT13X |
Insured Any Time in R5/R3 until 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| STAPR31 |
Cov by State-Spec Prog - R3/1 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| STAPR42 |
Cov by State-Spec Prog - R4/2 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| STAPR53 |
Cov by State-Spec Prog 12-31/R3 Int Dt |
Constructed |
| STAPR13 |
Cov by State-Spec Prog - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| STPRAT31 |
Any Time Coverage by State Ins - R3/1 |
Constructed |
| STPRAT42 |
Any Time Coverage by State Ins - R4/2 |
Constructed |
| STPRAT53 |
Any Time Coverage by State Ins - R5/3 |
Constructed |
| STPRAT13 |
Any Time Cov by State Ins - 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
DENTAL AND PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRIVATE INSURANCE VARIABLES
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| DENTIN31 |
Dental Insurance– RD 3/1 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| DENTIN42 |
Dental Insurance– RD
4/2 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| DENTIN53 |
Dental Insurance– RD
5/3 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| DNTINS31 |
Dental Ins - Rd 3/1 in
13 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| DNTINS13 |
Dental Ins - R5/R3 until 12/31/13 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| PMEDIN31 |
Prescription Drug Insurance – RD 3/1 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| PMEDIN42 |
Prescription Drug Insurance – RD 4/2 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| PMEDIN53 |
Prescription Drug Insurance – RD 5/3 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| PMDINS31 |
Pmed Ins - RD 3/1 in 13 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| PMDINS13 |
Pmed Ins - R5/R3 until 12/31/13 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
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THIRD PARTY PAYER VARIABLES – PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| PMEDUP31 |
Has Usual 3rd Party Payer for Pmeds – R3/1 |
CP01A |
| PMEDUP42 |
Has Usual 3rd Party Payer for Pmeds – R4/2 |
CP01A |
| PMEDUP53 |
Has Usual 3rd Party Payer for Pmeds – R5/3 |
CP01A |
| PMEDPY31 |
Usual 3rd Party Payer for Pmeds – R3/1 |
CP01B |
| PMEDPY42 |
Usual 3rd Party Payer for Pmeds – R4/2 |
CP01B |
| PMEDPY53 |
Usual 3rd Party Payer for Pmeds – R5/3 |
CP01B |
| PMEDPP31 |
Out-of-Pocket Payment For Last PMED-R3/1 |
CP01C/ CP01COV1 |
| PMEDPP42 |
Out-of-Pocket Payment For Last PMED-R4/2 |
CP01C/ CP01COV1 |
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PERSON-LEVEL UTILIZATION VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| OBTOTV13 |
# Office-Based Provider Visits 2013 |
Constructed
|
| OBDRV13 |
# Office-Based Physician Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| OBOTHV13 |
# Office-Based Non-Physician Vsts 2013 |
Constructed |
| OBCHIR13 |
# Office-Based Chiropractor Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| OBNURS13 |
# Off-Based Nurse/Practitioner Vsts 2013 |
Constructed |
| OBOPTO13 |
# Office-Based Optometrist Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| OBASST13 |
# Office-Based Physician Ass’t Vsts 2013 |
Constructed |
| OBTHER13 |
# Office-Based PT/OT Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| OPTOTV13 |
# Outpatient Dept Provider Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| OPDRV13 |
# Outpatient Dept Physician Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| OPOTHV13 |
# Outpatient Dept Non-DR Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| AMCHIR13 |
# Chiropractor Visits (Office-based plus Outpatient) 2013 |
Constructed |
| AMNURS13 |
# Ambulatory Nurse/Practitioner Visits (Office-based plus Outpatient) 2013 |
Constructed |
| AMOPTO13 |
# Ambulatory Optometrist Visits (Office-based plus Outpatient) 2013 |
Constructed |
| AMASST13 |
# Physician Assistant Visits (Office-based plus Outpatient) 2013 |
Constructed |
| AMTHER13 |
# Ambulatory PT/OT Therapy Visits (Office-based plus Outpatient) 2013 |
Constructed |
| ERTOT13 |
# Emergency Room Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| IPZERO13 |
# Zero-Night Hospital Stays 2013 |
Constructed |
| IPDIS13 |
# Hospital Discharges 2013 |
Constructed |
| IPNGTD13 |
# Nights in Hosp for Discharges 2013 |
Constructed |
| DVTOT13 |
# Dental Care Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| DVGEN13 |
# General Dentist Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| DVORTH13 |
# Orthodontist Visits 2013 |
Constructed |
| HHTOTD13 |
# Home Health Provider Days 2013 |
Constructed |
| HHAGD13 |
# Agency Home Health Provider Days 2013 |
Constructed |
| HHINDD13 |
# Non-Agency Home Hlth Providr Days 2013 |
Constructed |
| HHINFD13 |
# Informal Home Hlth Provider Days 2013 |
Constructed |
| RXTOT13 |
# Prescribed Medicines including Refills 2013 |
Constructed |
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WEIGHTS VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| PERWT13F |
Final Person Weight, 2013 |
Constructed |
| FAMWT13F |
Final Family Weight,
2013 |
Constructed |
| FAMWT13C |
Pov Adj Family
Weight-CPS Fam on 12/31/13 |
Constructed |
| SAQWT13F |
Final SAQ Person
Weight, 2013 |
Constructed |
| DIABW13F |
Final Diabetes Care
Supplement Weight |
Constructed |
| VARSTR |
Variance Estimation
Stratum - 2013 |
Constructed |
| VARPSU |
Variance Estimation
PSU - 2013 |
Constructed |
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Summary of Utilization and Expenditure Variables by Health Service Category
| HEALTH SERVICE CATEGORY |
UTILIZATION
VARIABLE(S) |
EXPENDITURE
VARIABLE(S)[1] |
| All Health Services |
-- |
TOT***13 |
| Office Based Visits |
| Total Office Based Visits (Physician + Non-physician + Unknown) |
OBTOTV13 |
OBV***13 |
| Office Based Visits to Physicians |
OBDRV13 |
OBD***13 |
| Office Based Visits to Non-Physicians |
OBOTHV13 |
OBO***13 |
| Office Based Visits to Chiropractors |
OBCHIR13 |
OBC***13 |
| Office Based Nurse or Nurse Practitioner Visits |
OBNURS13 |
OBN***13 |
| Office Based Visits to Optometrists |
OBOPTO13 |
OBE***13 |
| Office Based Physician Assistant Visits |
OBASST13 |
OBA***13 |
| Office Based Physical or Occupational Therapist Visits |
OBTHER13 |
OBT***13 |
| Hospital Outpatient Visits |
| Total Outpatient Visits (Physician + Non-physician + Unknown) |
OPTOTV13 |
-- |
| Sum of Facility and SBD Expenses |
-- |
OPT***13 |
| Facility Expense |
-- |
OPF***13 |
| SBD Expense |
-- |
OPD***13 |
| Outpatient Visits to Physicians |
OPDRV13 |
-- |
| Facility Expense |
-- |
OPV***13 |
| SBD Expense |
-- |
OPS***13 |
| Outpatient Visits to Non-Physicians |
OPOTHV13 |
-- |
| Facility Expense |
-- |
OPO***13 |
| SBD Expense |
-- |
OPP***13 |
| Office Based Plus Outpatient Visits |
| # Chiropractor Visits |
AMCHIR13 |
AMC***13 |
| # Ambulatory Nurse/Practitioner Visits |
AMNURS13 |
AMN***13 |
| # Ambulatory Optometrist Visits |
AMOPT13 |
AME***13 |
| # Physician Assistant Visits |
AMASST13 |
AMA***13 |
| # Ambulatory PT/OT Therapy Visits |
AMTHER13 |
AMT***13 |
| Emergency Room Visits |
| Total Emergency Room Visits |
ERTOT13 |
-- |
| Sum of Facility and SBD Expenses |
-- |
ERT***13 |
| Facility Expense |
-- |
ERF***13 |
| SBD Expense |
-- |
ERD***13 |
| Inpatient Hospital Stays (Including Zero Night Stays) |
| Total Inpatient Stays (Including Zero Night Stays) |
IPDIS13, IPNGTD13 |
-- |
| Sum of Facility and SBD Expenses |
-- |
IPT***13 |
| Facility Expense |
-- |
IPF***13 |
| SBD Expense |
-- |
IPD***13 |
| Zero night Hospital Stays |
IPZERO13 |
-- |
| Facility Expense |
-- |
ZIF***13 |
| SBD Expense |
-- |
ZID***13 |
| Prescription Medicines |
| Total Prescription Medicines |
RXTOT13 |
RX***13 |
| Dental Visits |
| Total Dental Visits |
DVTOT13 |
DVT***13 |
| General Dental Visits |
DVGEN13 |
DVG***13 |
| Orthodontist Visits |
DVORTH13 |
DVO***13 |
| Home Health Care |
| Total Home Health Care |
HHTOTD13 |
-- |
| Agency Sponsored |
HHAGD13 |
HHA***13 |
| Paid Independent Providers |
HHINDD13 |
HHN***13 |
| Informal |
HHINFD13 |
-- |
| Other Medical Expenses |
| Vision Aids |
-- |
VIS***13 |
| Other Medical Supplies and Equipment |
-- |
OTH***13 |
[1] See key at end of table for specific categories for ***.
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KEY: To complete variable name, replace *** with a
particular source of payment category as identified in the following tables:
| Source of Payment Category |
*** |
| Total payments (sum of all sources) |
EXP |
| Out of Pocket |
SLF |
| Medicare |
MCR |
| Medicaid |
MCD |
| Private Insurance |
PRV |
| Veteran’s
Administration/CHAMPVA |
VA |
| TRICARE |
TRI |
| Other Federal Sources |
OFD |
| Other State and Local
Sources |
STL |
| Workers’ Compensation |
WCP |
| Other Private |
OPR |
| Other Public |
OPU |
| Other Unclassified
Sources |
OSR |
| Collapsed Source of Payment Category |
*** |
| Private and TRICARE |
PTR |
Other Federal, Other State and Local,
Other Private, Other Public,
and
Other Unclassified Sources |
OTH |
| Total charges[2] |
TCH |
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[2] No charge variables on file for prescription medicines.
|
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