MEPS HC-115: 2008 Full Year Population Characteristics
May 2010
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends
540 Gaither Road
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 427-1406
Table of Contents
A. Data Use Agreement
B. Background
1.0 Household Component
2.0 Medical Provider Component
3.0 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-DADIP53X)
2.5.4 Person-Level Condition Variables (RTHLTH31-ADHDADDX)
2.5.4.1 Perceived Health Status and Pregnancy Indicator
2.5.4.2 Priority Condition Variables (HIBPDX-ADHDADDX)
2.5.5 Health Status Variables (IADLHP31-DSPRX53)
2.5.5.1 IADL and ADL Limitations
2.5.5.2 Functional and Activity Limitations
2.5.5.3 Vision Problems
2.5.5.4 Hearing Problems
2.5.5.5 Any Limitation Rounds 3, 4, and 5 (Panel 12) / Rounds 1, 2, and 3 (Panel 13)
2.5.5.6 Child Health and Preventive Care
2.5.5.7 Preventive Care Variables
2.5.5.8 2008 Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ)
2.5.5.9 Diabetes Care Survey (DCS)
2.5.6 Disability Days Indicator Variables (DDNWRK31- OTHNDD53)
2.5.7 Access to Care Variables (ACCELI42-PMDLPR42)
2.5.7.1 United States Residency
2.5.7.2 Family Members’ Origins and Preferred Languages
2.5.7.3 Family Members’ Usual Source of Health Care
2.5.7.4 Characteristics of Usual Source of Health Care Providers
2.5.7.5 Access to and Satisfaction with the Provider
2.5.7.6 Access to Medical Treatment, Dental Treatment, and Prescription Medicines
2.5.7.7 Editing the Access to Care Variables
2.5.7.8 Recoding of Additional Other Specify Text Items
2.5.8 Employment Variables (EMPST31-YNOINS53)
2.5.9 Health Insurance Variables (TRIJA08X-RTPLNT42)
2.5.9.1 Monthly Health Insurance Indicators (TRIJA08X-INSDE08X)
2.5.9.2 Summary Insurance Coverage Indicators (PRVEV08 - INSCOV08)
2.5.9.3 FY 2008 PUF Managed Care Variables (TRIST31X-PRDRNP08)
2.5.9.4 Unedited Health Insurance Variables (PREVCOVR-INSENDYY)
2.5.9.5 Health Insurance Coverage Variables – At Any Time/At Interview Date/At 12-31 Variables (TRICR31X - EVRUNAT)
2.5.9.6 Dental and Prescription Drug Private Insurance Variables (DENTIN31-PMDINS08)
2.5.9.7 Prescription Drug Usual Third Party Payer Variables (PMEDUP31-PMEDOP53)
2.5.9.8 Experiences with Public Plans Variables (GDCPBM42 – RTPLNT42)
2.5.10 Person-Level Medical Utilization Variables (OBTOTV08 – HHINFD08)
2.5.10.1 Medical Provider Visits (i.e., Office-Based Visits)
2.5.10.2 Hospital Events
2.5.10.3 Dental Care Visits
2.5.10.4 Home Health Care
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
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 13 Response Rates
3.2.3 Panel 12 Response Rates
3.2.4 Combined Panel Response
3.2.5 Oversampling
3.3 Background on Person-Level Estimation Using this MEPS Public Use Release
3.3.1 Overview (Sec. 3.3)
3.3.2 Developing Person-Level Estimates
3.4 Details on Person-Level Weights Construction
3.4.1 Overview (Sec. 3.4)
3.4.2 MEPS Panel 12
3.4.3 MEPS Panel 13
3.4.4 Raking
3.4.5 The Final Non-Poverty Adjusted Weight for 2008
3.4.6 A Note on MEPS Population Estimates
3.4.7 Coverage
3.5 No Family Weights on this Public Use File
3.6 Weights and Response Rates for the Self-Administered Questionnaire
3.7 Weights and Response Rates for the Diabetes Care Survey
3.8 Variance Estimation
3.9 Guidelines for Determining which Weight to Use for Analyses Involving Data/Variables from Multiple Sources and Supplements: MEPS 2008 Full-Year Use File
3.10 Using MEPS Data for Trend Analysis
D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
A. Data Use Agreement
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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B. Background
1.0 Household Component
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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2.0 Medical Provider Component
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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3.0 Survey Management and Data Collection
MEPS HC and MPC data are collected under the authority
of the Public Health Service Act. Data are collected under contract with Westat,
Inc. 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:
www.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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C. Technical and Programming Information
1.0 General Information
This documentation describes the 2008 full-year
population characteristics data file from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Household Component (MEPS HC). Released as an ASCII file (with related SAS 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 2008. The file contains 1155 variables and has a
logical record length of 2430 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 12 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 13, the rounds
for the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2008, and contains variables
pertaining to survey administration, demographics, employment, health status,
disability days, quality of care, patient satisfaction, health insurance and
person-level medical care use counts. The 2008 full-year expenditure and income
data will be forthcoming.
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 (Section D)
Both weighted and unweighted frequencies of all the
variables included in the 2008 full-year population characteristics data file
are provided in the accompanying codebook file.
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: www.meps.ahrq.gov.
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2.0 Data File Information
This public use dataset contains variables and frequency distributions
associated with 33,066 persons who participated in the MEPS Household Component
of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey in 2008. 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). Note that persons who will have a positive family weight but not a
positive person weight have been placed on this public use file to maintain
consistency in terms of file structure with the upcoming public use file with
expenditure and income data. Those will be the only records without a positive
person weight appearing on this file.
Note that unlike some previous MEPS Population
Characteristic files, family weights are not included on this release. As
indicated above, all persons included on this file that do not have positive
person weights will have a positive family weight on the final 2008 Consolidated
PUF: HC-121.
These 33,066 persons were part of one of the two MEPS
panels for whom data were collected in 2008: Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 12 or
Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 13. Of these persons, 31,262
were assigned a positive person-level weight. The codebook provides both
weighted and unweighted frequencies for each variable on the dataset. In
conjunction with the person-level weight variable (PERWT08P) 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 2008.
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2.1 Codebook Structure
The codebook and data file sequence lists variables in
the following order:
- Unique person identifiers and survey administration variables
- Geographic variables
- Demographic variables
- Person-level priority condition variables
- Health status variables
- Access to care variables
- Disability days variables
- Employment variables
- Health insurance variables
- Medical usage count variables
- Weight and variance estimation variables
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2.2 Reserved Codes
The following reserved code values are used:
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 INAPPLICABLE |
Question was not asked due to skip pattern |
| -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 >= $72.12 |
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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2.3 Codebook Format
This codebook describes an ASCII data set and provides
the following programming identifiers for each variable:
| Identifier |
Description |
| Name |
Variable name (maximum of 8 characters)
|
| Description |
Variable descriptor (maximum 40 characters)
|
| Format |
Number of bytes |
| Type |
Type of data: numeric (indicated by NUM) or character (indicated by CHAR) |
| Start |
Beginning column position of variable in record |
| End |
Ending column position of variable in record |
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2.4 Variable Naming
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 12 and
Round 1, 2, or 3 of Panel 13. Unless otherwise noted, variables that end in "08"
represent status as of December 31, 2008.
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
re-enumeration 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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2.5 File Contents
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 respondents to
the survey and are included in MEPS data files with positive person weights, but
no data were collected for the periods they were not in-scope and their annual
data for variables like health care utilization, expenditures, and insurance
coverage reflect only the part of the year they were in-scope for the survey.
Persons who are in-scope 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 in-scope only part
of the year, see
www.meps.ahrq.gov/about_meps/hc_sample.shtml.
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2.5.1 Survey Administration Variables (DUID-RURSLT53)
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 re-enumeration 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,
2008. Variable names ending in "xy" represent variables relevant to Round "x" of
Panel 12 or Round "y" of Panel 13. For example, RULETR53 is a variable relevant
to Round 5 of Panel 12 or Round 3 of Panel 13, depending on the panel in which
the person was included. The variable PANEL indicates the panel in which the
person participated.
The December 31, 2008 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 12 or Panel 13 for
each person on the file. Panel 12 is the panel that started in 2007, and Panel
13 is the panel that started in 2008.
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, 2008 or the last round they
were in the survey) is indicated by the RULETR08 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 a 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 RUSIZE08 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 FAMID08 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, 2008.
The FAMID variables differ from the RULETR variables only in that student RUs
are combined with their parents’ RU.
One other family identifier, FAMIDYR, is provided on
this file. The annualized family ID letter, FAMIDYR, identifies eligible members
of the eligible annualized families within a DU. 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 FAMSZE08 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,
RUSIZE08, FAMSZE31, FAMSZE42, FAMSZE53, and FAMSZE08 exclude persons who are
ineligible for data collection (i.e., those where ELGRND31 NE 1, ELGRND42 NE 1,
ELGRND53 NE 1 or ELGRND08 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 1/1/08 |
| 82 |
Entire RU is military before 1/1/08 |
| 83 |
Entire RU institutionalized before 1/1/08 |
| 84 |
Entire RU left U.S. before 1/1/08 |
| 85 |
Entire RU is ineligible before 1/1/08; Multi-reason |
| 86 |
Entire RU is ineligible; Non-Key NHIS study |
| 87 |
Re-enumeration 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 1/1/08 |
| 95 |
Entire RU institutionalized after 1/1/08; No proxy |
| 96 |
Entire RU deceased after 1/1/08; No proxy |
| 97 |
Re-enumeration 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 |
Re-enumeration 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 1/1/08 |
| 95 |
Entire RU institutionalized after 1/1/08; No proxy |
| 96 |
Entire RU deceased after 1/1/08; No proxy |
| 97 |
Re-enumeration 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. RUCLAS08 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 RUCLAS08 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 RUCLAS08 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 RUCLAS08 was set to RUCLAS31. If the person was not
linked to a responding RU during any round, then RUCLAS08 was set to -9.
Geographic Variables
The round-specific variables REGION31, REGION42,
REGION53, and the end-of-year status variable REGION08 indicate the Census
region for the RU. REGION08 indicates the region for the 2008 portion of Round
5/3. For most analyses, REGION08 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 |
The round-specific variables MSA31, MSA42, and MSA53
and the end-of-year status variable MSA08 indicate whether or not the RU is
found in a Metropolitan Statistical Area and reflect the most recent definitions
of metropolitan statistical areas established by Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), including the most recent updates. These updates are based on the
application of the 2000 Standards for Defining Metropolitan Statistical Areas of
OMB to Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2004 and July 1, 2005. For
MEPS data releases prior to 2004 the MSA variables were coded in compliance with
the definition of metropolitan statistical areas based on application of OMB
standards to Census 1990 data. MSA31, MSA42, and MSA53 indicate the MSA status
at the time of Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3 interviews. MSA08 indicates the MSA
status for the 2008 portion of Round 5/3. For most analyses, analysts should use
MSA08 rather than MSA31, MSA42, or MSA53.
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, BEGRFD31, BEGRFY31, BEGRFM42, BEGRFD42,
BEGRFY42, BEGRFM53, BEGRFD53, and BEGRFY53. The reference period for Round 1 for
most persons began on January 1, 2008 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,
ENDRFD31, ENDRFY31, ENDRFM42, ENDRFD42, ENDRFY42, ENDRFM53, ENDRFD53, ENDRFY53,
ENDRFM08, ENDRFD08, and ENDRFY08. 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.
Reference Person Identifiers
The round-specific variables REFPRS31, REFPRS42, and
REFPRS53 and the end-of-year status variable REFPRS08 identify the reference
person for Rounds 3/1, 4/2 and 5/3, and as of December 31, 2008 (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 RESP08 identify
the respondent for Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3 and as of December 31, 2008 (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 PROXY08
identify the type of respondent for Rounds 3/1, 4/2, 5/3 and as of December 31,
2008 (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 Closing section question, (CL62A),
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 inscope status, Keyness status,
eligibility status, and disposition status. These variables include: KEYNESS,
INSCOP31, INSCOP42, INSCOP53, INSCOP08, INSC1231, INSCOPE, ELGRND31, ELGRND42,
ELGRND53, ELGRND08, PSTATS31, PSTATS42, and PSTATS53. These variables are set
based on sampling information and responses provided in the Re-enumeration
section of the CAPI questionnaire.
Through the Re-enumeration section of the CAPI
questionnaire, each member of a RU was classified as "Key" or "Non-Key",
"inscope" 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 2008. Because a
person’s eligibility for the survey might have changed since the NHIS interview,
a sampling re-enumeration 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 2008, then newborns should be identified using AGE08X = 0 rather than
PSTATSxy = 51.
Inscope
The round-specific variables INSCOP31, INSCOP42, and
INSCOP53 indicate a person’s inscope status for Rounds 3/1, 4/2, and 5/3.
INSCOP08, INSC1231, and INSCOPE indicate a person’s inscope status for the
portion of Round 5/3 that covers 2008, the person’s inscope status as of
12/31/08, and whether a person was ever inscope during the calendar year 2008. A
person was considered as inscope 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 inscope 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, 2008 |
| 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 in 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, 2008 for INSCOP08) |
| 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 non-Key or full-time in the
military, not a member of an RU during this time period, and was an RU
member in an earlier round |
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 a member of an NHIS household at the
time of the NHIS interview or became a member of such a household after being
out-of-scope at the time of the NHIS (examples of the latter situation include
newborns and persons returning from military service, an institution, or living
outside the United States).
A non-Key person is one whose chance of selection for
the NHIS (and MEPS) was associated with a household eligible but not sampled for
the NHIS and who later became a member of a MEPS Reporting Unit. MEPS data
(e.g., utilization and income) were collected for the period of time a non-Key
person was part of the sampled unit to provide information for family-level
analyses. However, non-Key persons who leave a sample household unaccompanied by
a Key, inscope 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 2008.
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 inscope
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, inscope 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 inscope 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 ELGRND08 indicate a person’s eligibility status for
Rounds 3/1, 4/2 and 5/3 and as of December 31, 2008.
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 2008.
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 inscope (not eligible) |
| 74 |
Moved as full-time military but not to a
military facility and without someone Key and inscope (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
2.5.2 Navigating the MEPS Data with Information on Person Disposition Status
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, BEGRFD31, BEGRFD42, BEGRFD53, BEGRFY31, BEGRFY42, BEGRFY53, ENDRFM31,
ENDRFM42, ENDRFM53, ENDRFD31, ENDRFD42, ENDRFD53, ENDRFY31, ENDRFY42, ENDRFY53,
ENDRFM08, ENDRFD08, and ENDRFY08.
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 section (CL) 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 13 Round 2 and Panel 12 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 2008.
| 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, 2008
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, 2008
PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview date |
Interview date |
| 13 |
FT student living away from home, but
associated with sampled household |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2008
PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview date |
Interview date |
| 14 |
The person is FT active military duty during
round and is inscope for part of the reference period and is in the RU
at the end of the reference period |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2008
PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview date |
PSTATS31: Interview date
PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: If the person is living
w/ someone Key and inscope, 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, 2008
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, 2008
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, 2008
PSTATS42 and PSTATS53: Prior round interview
date |
Date institutionalized |
| 34 |
Moved from original household, outside US |
-- |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2008
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, 2008
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, 2008
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, 2008
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, 2008 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, 2008
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) will be skipped) |
PSTATS31: January 1, 2008 if born prior to
2008. The date of birth if born in 2008.
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, 2008
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 inscope (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
2.5.3 Demographic Variables (AGE31X-DADIP53X)
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 12
(the panel that started in 2007); Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of Panel 13 (the panel that
started in 2008); and status as of December 31, 2008. Demographic variables that
are round-specific are identified by names including numbers "xy", where x and y
refer to Round numbers of Panels 12 and 13 respectively. Thus, for example,
AGE31X represents the age data relevant to Round 3 of Panel 12 or Round 1 of
Panel 13. 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
12 indicates Panel 12 data and a value of 13 indicates Panel 13 data. The
remaining demographic variables on this file are not round-specific.
The variables describing demographic status of the
person as of December 31, 2008 were developed in two ways. First, the age
variable (AGE08X) represents the exact age, calculated from date of birth and
indicates age status as of 12/31/08. For the remaining December 31st
variables [i.e., related to marital status (MARRY08X, SPOUID08, SPOUIN08),
student status (FTSTU08X), and the relationship to reference persons
(RFREL08X)], 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 and AGE08X
were top-coded at 85 years.
When date of birth was not provided but age was
provided (either from the MEPS interviews or the 2006-2007 NHIS data), the month
and year of birth were assigned randomly from among the possible valid options.
For any cases still not accounted for, age was imputed using:
(1) the mean age difference between MEPS
participants with certain family relationships (where available) or
(2) the mean age value for MEPS participants.
For example, a mother’s age is
imputed as her child’s age plus 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 43 persons on this
file. Age was determined for 30 additional persons from data in a later round.
Sex
Data on the gender of each RU member (SEX) were
initially determined from the 2006 NHIS for Panel 12 and from the 2007 NHIS for
Panel 13. 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 (1
case was resolved this way). If neither of these approaches made it possible to
determine the individual’s gender, gender was randomly assigned (3 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 in 2002.
Race/ethnicity data from earlier years are not directly comparable. The
following table shows the differences:
MEPS Race and Ethnicity Variables, by Years.
|
FY PUFS 1996 – 2001
RACEX
1 = American Indian
2 = Aleut, Eskimo
3 = Asian or Pacific Islander
4 = Black
5 = White
91 = Other
HISPANX
1 = Hispanic
2 = Not Hispanic
RACETHNX
1 = Person is Hispanic
2 = Person is Black/Not Hispanic
3 = Other/Not Hispanic
HISPCAT
-9 = Not Ascertained
-7 = Refused
1 = Puerto Rican
2 = Cuban
3 = Mexican/Mexican American/Mexicano/Chicano
4 = Other Latin American/Other Spanish
5 = Non-Hispanic
|
|
FY PUFS 2002 – current
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 race reported
HISPANX
1 = Hispanic
2 = Not Hispanic
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
HISPCAT
-9 = Not Ascertained
-8 = DK
-7 = Refused
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
RACEAX
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
RACEWX
1 = White – No other race reported
2 = White – Other race(s) reported
3 = All other race assignments
|
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 45 persons to
set race and 42 persons to set ethnicity).
Starting in 2002, individuals were allowed to choose
more than one race and, as a result, three new variables were constructed:
RACEBX, RACEAX, and RACEWX. RACEBX identifies individuals as being: 1) Black--no
other race reported, 2) Black--other race(s) reported, or 3) not black. RACEAX
and RACEWX are constructed similarly but apply to Asians and Whites. All race
and ethnicity variables reflect the imputations done for RACEX and HISPANX. RACETHNX
summarizes both race and ethnicity information in a single variable.
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 MARRY08X. 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 SPOUID08. 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, 2008, respectively. If no spouse
was identified in the household, the variable was coded as 995 "No spouse in
household". 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 SPOUIN08
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, 2008 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 were 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
FTSTU08X indicate whether the person was a full-time student at the interview
date (or 12/31/08 for FTSTU08X). 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 13, it was based on age as of the 2007 NHIS interview
date.
Number of years of education completed is indicated in
the variable EDUCYR. Information was obtained from question RE 103. Children who
are 5 years of age or older and who never attended school were coded as 0;
children under the age of 5 years were coded as -1 "Inapplicable" regardless of
whether they attended school. However, among the cases coded as –1
"Inapplicable", there is no distinction between those who were under the age of
five and others who were inapplicable, such as persons who may be
institutionalized for an entire round. EDUCYR is based on the first round in
which the number of years of education is collected for a person. The user
should note that EDUCYR is an unedited variable and minimal data cleaning was
performed on this variable.
The variable HIDEG, indicating highest degree of
education, was obtained from three questions: highest grade completed (RE103),
high school diploma (RE104), and highest degree (RE105). Persons under 16 years
of age were coded as 8 "Under 16 – Inapplicable". In cases where the response to
the highest degree question was "No degree" and the response to the highest
grade question was 13 through 17 "1 or More Years of College", the variable
HIDEG was coded as 3 "High School Diploma". If highest grade completed was
"Refused" or "Don’t Know" for those with a "No Degree" response for the highest
degree question, the variable HIDEG was coded as 1 "No Degree". HIDEG is based
on the first round in which the highest degree was collected for a person. The
user should note that HIDEG is an unedited variable and minimal data cleaning
was performed on this variable.
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 variables RFREL31X, RFREL42X, RFREL53X, and RFREL08X indicate the
relationship of each individual to the reference person of the Reporting Unit
(RU) in a given round. For the reference person, this variable has the value
"Self"; for all other persons in the RU, relationship to the reference person is
indicated by codes representing "Husband/Spouse", "Wife/Spouse", "Son",
"Daughter", "Female Partner", "Male Partner", etc. A code of 91, meaning "Other
Related, Specify", was used to indicate rarely observed relationship
descriptions such as "Mother of Partner". If the relationship of an individual
to the reference person was not ascertained during the round-specific interview,
relationships between other RU members were used, where possible, to assign a
relationship to the reference person. If MEPS data from calendar year 2008 were
not sufficient to identify the relationship of an individual to the reference
person, relationship variables from the 2007 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 step parents. 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 2008 Full
Year File.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.4 Person-Level Condition Variables (RTHLTH31-ADHDADDX)
2.5.4.1 Perceived Health Status and Pregnancy Indicator
Perceived health status (RTHLTH31, RTHLTH42, and
RTHLTH53) and perceived mental health status (MNHLTH31, MNHLTH42, and MNHLTH53)
were collected in the Priority Conditions Enumeration 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 12 or Round 1 of Panel 13, PREGNT42 indicates if the person was
pregnant in Round 4 of Panel 12 or Round 2 of Panel 13, and PREGNT53 indicates
whether the person was pregnant in Round 5 of Panel 12 or Round 3 of Panel 13.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.4.2 Priority Condition Variables (HIBPDX-ADHDADDX)
The Priority Conditions Enumeration (PE) section was
new in Panel 12. 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 12 and Round 1 or 2 of Panel 13 and variables ending in "53"
reflect data obtained in Round 4 or 5 of Panel 12 and Round 3 of Panel 13. For
asthma treatment variables (ASACUT53 through ASWNFL53), the data were obtained
in Round 5 of Panel 12 and Round 3 of Panel 13.
Before 2007, the DX variables contained a "53" suffix
because they reflected data collected only in Rounds 3 and 5 in the 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.
Beginning with Panel 12, 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).
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
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).
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).
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 PE section collects the age of diagnosis for each
priority condition, excluding joint pain, at the conditions level. Now that the
age is collected at the conditions level and is included on the Conditions PUF,
beginning in 2008, CHLAGE is omitted from the Use PUF.
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, CABONE, CABRAIN, CABREAST, CACERVIX CACOLON, CAESOPH,
CAGALLBL, CAKIDNEY, CALARYNX, CALEUKEM, CALIVER, CALUNG, CALYMPH, CAMELANO,
CAMOUTH, CAOVARY, CAPANCR, CAPROSTA, CARECTUM, CASKINNM, CASKINDK, CAMUSCLE,
CASTOMCH, CATESTIS, CATHROAT, CATHYROD, CAUTERUS indicate selection of cancer of
the bladder, blood, bone, brain, breast, cervix, colon, esophagus, gallbladder,
kidney, or larynx; leukemia; cancer of the liver or lung; lymphoma or melanoma;
cancer of the mounth/tongue/lip, ovary, pancreas, prostate, rectum, skin; soft
tissue, muscle, or fat; stomach, testis, throat, thyroid, or uterus. Cancer of
the cervix, ovary, or uterus could not be reported for males, and cancer of the
prostate or testis could not be reported for females.
Recoding of Cancer Variables
Cancer variables were new in 2008. Specific cancer
diagnosis variables with a frequency count of 20 or less 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.
The variable CABREAST, which indicates diagnosis of
breast cancer, was recoded to inapplicable (-1) for males. 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 had ever been
diagnosed with diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes). Starting in Panel 12,
a new item was added to the PC section (PC02A – REFDIAB). This item 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 who said they had 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.
Prior to Panel 12, the diabetes diagnosis question was
asked of all current or institutionalized RU members regardless of age.
Beginning with Panel 12, the diabetes diagnosis question was asked of current or
institutionalized RU members aged 18 or older. Persons aged 17 or younger were
coded as "Inapplicable" (-1) on this variable.
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.
Arthritis
ARTHDX asked if the person (age 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).
Asthma
ASTHDX indicates whether a person had ever been
diagnosed with asthma. Those who said "Yes" 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 followup 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 13, 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 (ADHD/ADD)
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).
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.5 Health Status Variables (IADLHP31-DSPRX53)
Due to the overlapping panel design of the MEPS (Round
3 for Panel 12 overlapped with Round 1 for Panel 13, Round 4 for Panel 12
coincided with Round 2 for Panel 13, and Round 5 for Panel 12 occurred at the
same time as Round 3 for Panel 13), data from overlapping rounds have been
combined across panels. Thus, any variable ending in "31" reflects data obtained
in Round 3 of Panel 12 and Round 1 of Panel 13. Analogous comments apply to
variables ending in "42" and "53". Health Status variables whose names end in
"08" indicate a full-year measurement.
This data release incorporates information from
calendar year 2008. However, health status data obtained in Round 3 of both
Panel 12 and Panel 13 are included in variables that have names ending in "31"
and "53" respectively. For persons in Panel 12, Round 3 extended from 2007 into
2008. Therefore, for these people, some information from late 2007 is included
for variables that have names ending in "31". For persons in Panel 13, Round 3
extended from 2008 into 2009. Therefore, for these people, some information from
early 2009 is included for variables that have names ending in "53". Note that
for most Panel 12 persons, the Round 5 reference period ends on December 31,
2008; however, the Round 5 interview actually occurs in 2009. 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, 2008. 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 2009. 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, 2008, 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 2009.
Health Status variables in this data release can be
classified into several conceptually distinct sets:
- ADL (Activities of Daily Living) and IADL (Instrumental Activities of
Daily Living) limitations
- Functional limitations and activity limitations
- Vision problems
- Hearing problems
- Any limitations
- Child health and preventive care
- Preventive care
- Self-administered questionnaire
- Diabetes care survey
ADL and IADL limitations were measured in all rounds.
Functional and activity limitations were measured in Rounds 3 and 5 for Panel 12
and Rounds 1 and 3 for Panel 13. Vision, hearing, and children’s health status
were measured in Round 4 for Panel 12 and Round 2 for Panel 13. Preventive care
was measured in Round 5 of Panel 12 and Round 3 of Panel 13. The
self-administered questionnaire was distributed in Round 4 of Panel 12 and Round
2 of Panel 13. The diabetes care supplement was distributed in Round 5 of Panel
12 and Round 3 of Panel 13.
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
2.5.5.1 IADL and ADL Limitations
IADL Help
The Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
Help or Supervision variables (IADLHP31, IADLHP42, and IADLHP53) were
each constructed from a series of three questions administered in the Health
Status section of the interview. 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, IADLHP42, 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).
The Duration of IADL Condition variables (IADL3M31,
IADL3M42 and IADL3M53) were 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
(IADLHP## 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 IADLHP##, IADL3M## was coded "Inapplicable" (-1).
ADL Help
The Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Help or
Supervision variables (ADLHLP31, ADLHLP42, and ADLHLP53) were each constructed
in the same manner as the IADL help variables, but using questions HE04-HE06.
Coding conventions for missing data were the same as for the IADL variables.
The Duration of ADL Condition variables (ADL3MO31,
ADL3MO42 and ADL3MO53) were 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 (ADLHLP##
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 ADLHLP##, ADL3MO## was coded "Inapplicable" (-1).
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.5.2 Functional and Activity Limitations
Functional Limitations
A series of questions 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 -1 code
("Inapplicable") for WLKLIM31 or WLKLIM53.
For Rounds 3 (Panel 12) and 1 (Panel 13), 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 = 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". Therefore, it is possible for someone aged 12 or less to have a
code of "Yes" (1) on WLKLIM31, and also to have codes of "Inapplicable" on the
subsequent series of questions.
For Rounds 5 (Panel 12) and 3 (Panel 13), 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
WLK3MO53 – expected to have difficulty with any of these activities for at least 3 more months
Editing conventions were the same for this "53" series
of variables as they were for the corresponding "31" series described above.
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".
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 12) or Round 1 (Panel 13), 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) was asked if the
person was completely unable to work at a job, do housework, or go to school.
Those respondents 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 respondent had
limitations; if a respondent was limited in more than one of these three
activities, UNABLE31 did not specify if the respondent was completely
unable to perform all of them, or only some of them.
For Rounds 5 (Panel 12) or 3 (Panel 13) 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). Respondents with one, two, or three specific cognitive limitations
cannot be distinguished. In addition, because the question asked specifically
about adult family members, all persons less than 18 years of age are coded as
"Inapplicable" (-1) on this question.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.5.3 Vision Problems
A series of questions (HE26 to HE32) provides
information on visual impairment. These questions were asked of all household
members, regardless of age. Deceased respondents were coded as "Inapplicable"
(-1).
WRGLAS42 indicates whether a person wears eyeglasses
or contact lenses. This variable was based on two questions, HE26 and HE27. The
initial question (HE26) determined if anyone in the family wore eyeglasses or
contact lenses. If the response was "Yes" (1), a follow-up question (HE27) 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).
SEEDIF42 indicates whether anyone in the family had
difficulty seeing (with glasses or contacts, if used). This variable was based
on two questions, HE28 and HE29. The initial question (HE28) determined if
anyone in the family had difficulty seeing. If the response was "Yes" (1), a
follow-up question (HE29) was asked to determine which household member(s) had a
visual 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 difficulty seeing, all family members were
coded as "Don’t Know" (-8).
Three subsequent questions were asked only of
individuals who had difficulty seeing (i.e., SEEDIF42 was "Yes" (1)). Persons
with no visual impairment were coded as "Inapplicable" (-1) for these questions,
as were persons with "Don’t Know" (-8), "Refused" (-7), or "Not Ascertained"
(-9) responses to SEEDIF42. The three subsequent questions are summarized in the
three subsequent variables. BLIND42 determined if a person with difficulty
seeing was blind. For persons who were not blind (BLIND42 was "No" (2)),
READNW42 asked whether the person could see well enough to read ordinary
newspaper print (with glasses or contacts, if used); persons who were blind were
not asked this question and were coded "Inapplicable" (-1). For persons who
could not read ordinary newspaper print (READNW42 was "No" (2)), RECPEP42 asked
if the person could see well enough to recognize familiar people standing two or
three feet away. Persons who were blind or who could read newsprint were not
asked this question and were coded "Inapplicable" (-1).
VISION42 summarizes the pattern of responses to the
set of visual impairment questions. Codes for VISION42 are as follows:
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 |
All component variables are "Inapplicable"
(SEEDIF42 was -1 and BLIND42 was -1 and READNW42 was -1 and RECPEP42 was -1) |
| -9 |
One or more component variables was "Refused"
(-7), "Don’t know" (-8), or "Not ascertained" (-9) |
| 1 |
No difficulty seeing (SEEDIF42 was "No" (2)) |
| 2 |
Some difficulty seeing, can read newsprint (SEEDIF42 was "Yes"
(1) and BLIND42 was "No" (2) and READNW42 was "Yes" (1)) |
| 3 |
Some difficulty seeing, cannot read newsprint,
can recognize familiar people (SEEDIF42 was "Yes" (1) and BLIND42 was
"No" (2) and READNW42 was "No" (2) and RECPEP42 was "Yes" (1)) |
| 4 |
Some difficulty seeing, cannot read newsprint,
cannot recognize familiar people but is not blind (SEEDIF42 was "Yes"
(1) and BLIND42 was "No" (2) and READNW42 was "No" (2) and RECPEP42 was
"No" (2)) |
| 5 |
Blind (SEEDIF42 was "Yes" (1) and BLIND42 was
"Yes" (1) |
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.5.4 Hearing Problems
A series of questions (HE33 to HE39) provides
information on hearing impairment. These questions were asked of all household
members, regardless of age. Deceased respondents were coded "Inapplicable" (-1).
HEARAD42 indicates whether a person wears a hearing
aid. This variable was based on two questions, HE33 and HE34. The initial
question (HE33) determined if anyone in the family wore a hearing aid. If the
response was "Yes", a follow-up question (HE34) 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).
HEARDI42 indicates whether a person had difficulty
hearing (with a hearing aid, if used). This variable is based on two questions,
HE35 and HE36. The initial question (HE35) determined if anyone in the family
had difficulty hearing. If the response was "Yes", a follow-up question (HE36)
was asked to determine which household member had an aural 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" but no specific individual was
identified as having difficulty hearing, all family members were coded as "Don’t
Know" (-8).
Three subsequent questions were asked only of
individuals who had difficulty hearing (i.e., HEARDI42 was "Yes" (1)). Persons
with no hearing impairment were coded as "Inapplicable" (-1) for these
questions, as were persons with "Don’t Know" (-8), "Refused" (-7), or "Not
Ascertained" (-9) responses to HEARDI42. The three subsequent questions are
summarized in the three subsequent variables. DEAF42 determined if a person with
difficulty hearing was deaf. For persons who were not deaf (DEAF42 was "No"
(2)), HEARMO42 asked whether the person could hear well enough to hear most of
the things people say (with a hearing aid, if used); persons who were deaf were
not asked this question and were coded as "Inapplicable" (-1). For persons who
could not hear most things people say (HEARMO42 was "No" (2)), HEARSM42 asked if
the person could hear well enough to hear some of the things that people say.
Persons who were deaf or who could hear most conversation were not asked this
question and were coded as "Inapplicable" (-1).
HEARNG42 summarizes the pattern of responses to the
set of hearing impairment questions. Codes for HEARNG42 are as follows:
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 |
All component variables are "Inapplicable"
(HEARDI42 was -1 and DEAF42 was -1 and HEARMO42 was -1 and HEARSM42 was -1) |
| -9 |
One or more component variables was "Refused"
(-7), "Don’t know" (-8), or "Not ascertained" (-9) |
| 1 |
No difficulty hearing (HEARDI42 was "No" (2)) |
| 2 |
Some difficulty hearing, can hear most things
people say (HEARDI42 was "Yes" (1) and DEAF42 was "No" (2) and HEARMO42
was "Yes" (1)) |
| 3 |
Some difficulty hearing, cannot hear most
things people say, can hear some things people say (HEARDI42 was "Yes"
(1) and DEAF42 was "No" (2) and HEARMO42 was "No" (2) and HEARSM42 was
"Yes" (1)) |
| 4 |
Some difficulty hearing, cannot hear most
things people say, cannot hear some things people say but is not deaf
(HEARDI42 was "Yes" (1) and DEAF42 was "No" (2) and HEARMO42 was "No"
(2) and HEARSM42 was "No" (2)) |
| 5 |
Deaf (HEARDI42 was "Yes" (1) and DEAF42 was
"Yes" (1) |
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.5.5 Any Limitation Rounds 3, 4, and 5 (Panel 12) / Rounds 1, 2, and 3 (Panel 13)
ANYLIM08 summarizes whether a person has any ADL,
IADL, activity, functional, or sensory limitations in any of the pertinent
rounds. This variable was derived based on data from Rounds 3, 4, and 5 (Panel
12) or Rounds 1, 2, and 3 (Panel 13). ANYLIM08 was built using the component
variables IADLHP31, IADLHP42, IADLHP53, ADLHLP31, ADLHLP42, ADLHLP53, WLKLIM31,
WLKLIM42, WLKLIM53, ACTLIM31, ACTLIM53, SEEDIF42, and HEARDI42. (The latter two
variables, discussed above, indicate any visual or hearing impairment,
respectively.) If any of these components was coded "Yes", then ANYLIM08 was
coded "Yes" (1). If all components were coded "No", then ANYLIM08 was coded "No"
(2). If all the components were "Inapplicable" (-1), then ANYLIM08 was coded as
"Inapplicable" (-1). If all the components had missing value codes (i.e., -7,
-8, -9, or -1), ANYLIM08 was coded as "Not Ascertained" (-9). If some components
were "No" and others had missing value codes, ANYLIM08 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 respondents, if all other components were "No",
then ANYLIM08 was coded as "No" (2). The variable label for ANYLIM08 departs
slightly from conventions. Typically, variables that end in "08" refer only to
2008. However, some of the variables used to construct ANYLIM08 were assessed in
2009, so some information from early 2009 is incorporated into this variable.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.5.6 Child Health and Preventive Care
Starting in 2001, a Child Health and Preventive Care
section was added to Rounds 2 and 4 of MEPS, and it contains questions that had
been in the 2000 Parent Administered Questionnaire (PAQ), selected children’s
questions that had been asked in previous years, and additional child preventive
care questions. 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 10,081 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, 9,138 were assigned a positive person-level weight for
2008 (PERWT08P > 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 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.
Four 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 at least one question for each of the 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.facct.org).
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 had been
asked in the 2000 PAQ. In 2008, CHNECP42 and CHPRRE42 were replaced by CHENEC42
and CHEYRE42, respectively. CHNECP42 and CHPRRE42 asked how difficult it was to
get care. The new variables indicate how easy it was to get care. 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). The response scale
changed from a problem scale (A BIG PROBLEM, A SMALL PROBLEM, and NOT A PROBLEM) to a timeframe
scale (NEVER, SOMETIMES, USUALLY, and ALWAYS).
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). The response scale changed from a problem scale (A BIG PROBLEM, A SMALL
PROBLEM, and NOT A PROBLEM) to a timeframe scale (NEVER, SOMETIMES, USUALLY, and ALWAYS).
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 (32%), these children were
given a "-1 Inapplicable" code for the variable CHBMIX42. CHBMIX42 is included
in the 2008 file and on the above list. 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:
www.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 2008, 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 2008 was created. Two SAS programs were downloaded from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Web site for the purpose of calculating the
BMI for children (step 3). These programs used the preliminary data set of
children to generate a preliminary child BMI based on the 2000 CDC growth charts
(www.cdc.gov/growthcharts).
These programs 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
2008.
CHBMIX42 is not top- or bottom-coded or edited.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.5.7 Preventive Care Variables
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 variables in this series, along with their
applicable subgroup is as follows:
DENTCK53 – on average, frequency of dental check-up
All ages; both genders
BPCHEK53 – how long since last blood pressure check
Age > 17; both genders
BPMONT53 – how many months since last blood pressure check
Age > 17; both genders; BPCHEK53 is "Within Past Year"
(1) or "Within Past 2 Years" (2)
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 had ever
advised the person to eat fewer high fat or high cholesterol foods
Age > 17; both genders
EXRCIS53 – has a doctor had 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
STOOL53 – ever had a blood stool test performed at home that was
provided by doctor or other health professional to determine whether stool contains blood
Age >17; both genders
WHENST53 – when was last time had blood stool test using home kit
Age >17; STOOL53=1 (yes, person had a blood stool test performed at home that was provided
by doctor or other health professional to determine whether stool contains blood)
BOWEL53 – ever had sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy
Age >17; both genders
WHNBWL53 – when was last sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy Age >17
; BOWEL53=1 (yes, person had sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy)
PHYACT53 – currently spends half hour or more in moderate to vigorous
physical activity at least three 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 2001, due to confidentiality concerns and
restrictions, the variables HGHTFT53, HGHTIN53, WEIGHT53 and WGTEST53, were
dropped from the Full-Year file. Instead, 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)
For FY 2008, 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.
Previously, the value 400, rather than a mid-point, was assigned to MIDWGT where
estimate of weight was "400 pounds or more" (WGTEST53 = 18); however, in Panel
12, the ranges for the question asking the respondent’s best guess of person’s
weight were revised by collapsing ranges:
1 = 99 pounds or Less
2 = 100-149 Pounds
3 = 150–199 Pounds
4 = 200–249 Pounds
5 = 250–299 Pounds
6 = 300 Pounds or More
Starting in Panel 12, the range for WGTEST53 was
constructed using these new weight ranges. Comparable to what was done
previously, the value 300, rather than a mid-point, was assigned to MIDWGT where
estimate of weight was "300 pounds or more" (WGTEST53 = 6). 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
2.5.5.8 2008 Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ)
The 2008 Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ), a
paper-and-pencil questionnaire, was fielded during Panel 12 Round 4 and Panel 13
Round 2 of the 2008 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 2008 and early 2009.
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 13) or Round 4 (for Panel
12). SAQELIG was coded "2" (Eligible For SAQ, But No SAQ Data) if no SAQ record
existed for the person in the round.
If a respondent 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 response to 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 (SAQWT08P) 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, day and year the SAQ was completed are
indicated by the variables ADCMPM42, ADCMPD42 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.
In 2008, ADNECP53 and ADPRRE42 were replaced by ADEGMC42 and ADSPRF42,
respectively. ADNECP53 and ADPRRE42 asked how difficult it was to get care. The
new variables indicate how easy it was to get care. 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 often it was easy to 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
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
ADSPRF42 – If ADSPEC42 = 1, how often it was easy to see a 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 PCS and the MCS incorporate information from
all 12 questions. However, the Physical Component Summary (PCS) weights more
heavily responses to the following questions: ADGENH42, ADDAYA42, ADCLIM42,
ADPALS42, ADPWLM42, AND ADPAIN42. The Mental Component Summary (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 is described in the manual for the SF-12v2:
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.
This manual can be purchased from QualityMetric, Inc.
(www.qualitymetric.com).
The PCS and MCS cannot be computed directly if a person has missing data for any
of the twelve items. QualityMetric has developed a proprietary method 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 2008 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 cited
above.
Non-Specific Psychological Distress
The 2008 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 2008 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 cutpoint 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
Please note that the weighted frequencies displayed in
the HC-115 codebook for the health status variables collected in the SAQ and DCS
(as designated in the variable labels) are based on the full-year 2008 person
weight PERWT08P. However, when using these variables in analysis, weights
specific to each of these sets of questions should be used (SAQWT08P, DIABW08P).
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.
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2.5.5.9 Diabetes Care Survey (DCS)
The Diabetes Care Survey (DCS), a self-administered
paper-and-pencil questionnaire, was fielded during Panel 12, Round 5 and Panel
13, 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 respondent was ever told by a doctor or health professional that
he/she had diabetes. Starting in Panel 12, a new item was added to the PC
section (PC02A – REFDIAB). This item 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
respondent 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 2008.
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. DSFT0953, DSFT0853, DSFT0753, DSFB0753, and DSFTNV53 indicate whether the
respondent reported having his or her feet checked for sores or irritations: in
2009, in 2008, in 2007, before 2007, or never, respectively. DSEY0953, DSEY0853,
DSEY0753, DSEB0753 and DSEYNV53 indicate whether the respondent reported having
an eye exam in which the pupils were dilated: in 2009, in 2008, in 2007, before
2007, or never, respectively. DSCH0953, DSCH0853, DSCH0753, DSCB0753, and
DSCHNV53 indicate the last time the respondent reported having his or her blood
cholesterol checked: in 2009, in 2008, in 2007, before 2007, or never,
respectively. DSFL0953, DSFL0853, DSFL0753, DSVB0753, and DSFLNV53 indicate the
when the person got a flu vaccination including the flu vaccine nasal spray: in
2009, in 2008, in 2007, before 2007, 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). 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 (2007, 2008,
and/or 2009) may represent persons with additional information included on the
2007 or the 2009 Full Year Use PUF. Additional data for the second-year panel
may be available on the 2007 PUF.
If a respondent was unable to respond to the DCS, the
questionnaire was completed by a proxy (DSPRX53 = 1). A special weight variable
(DIABW08P) 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 2008 (see Section 3.0 "Survey Sample
Information" for details). Please note that the weighted frequencies displayed
in the HC-115 codebook for the health status variables collected in the SAQ and
DCS (as designated in the variable labels) are based on the full-year 2008
person weight PERWT08P. However, when using these variables in analysis, weights
specific to each of these sets of questions should be used (SAQWT08P, DIABW08P).
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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2.5.6 Disability Days Indicator Variables (DDNWRK31- OTHNDD53)
The Disability Days section of the core interview
contains questions about time lost from work or school and days spent in bed
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 12 initiated in 2007 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of the MEPS
Panel 13 initiated in 2008, respectively. 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. Starting in
2003, the Disability Days variables reflect only the data pertinent to the
calendar year (i.e., the current delivery year of 2008). 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 respondent 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 respondent 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. Respondents 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).
WKINBD31, WKINBD42 and WKINBD53 represent the number
of work days lost during each round in which the respondent spent at least half
of the day in bed. These questions were asked only of persons aged 16 and over.
Persons aged 15 or younger and persons whose age is missing received a code of
-1 (Inapplicable). If a respondent answered the preceding work loss question
with "zero days" or "does not work", then the corresponding WKINBD question was
coded as -1 (Inapplicable).
DDNSCL31, DDNSCL42 and DDNSCL53 indicate the number of
times that a respondent 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;
respondents 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##).
SCLNBD31, SCLNBD42 and SCLNBD53 represent the number
of school days lost during each round in which the individual spent at least a
half-day in bed. Respondents 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). If a
respondent answered the preceding school days lost question with "zero days" or
"does not attend school", then the corresponding SCLNBD question is coded as -1
(Inapplicable).
DDBDYS31, DDBDYS42 and DDBDYS53 represent additional
days, other than school or work days, in which the respondent spent at least
half a day in bed, because of a physical illness, injury or a mental or
emotional problem. These are the only indicators of disability days for persons
who do not work or go to school. This question was not asked of children less
than one year of age and persons whose age is missing (coded -1).
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.
Respondents 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. Respondents 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 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
2008 portion of Panel 12 Round 3 (i.e. any missed work days reported here
occurred in the 2007 portion of Panel 12 Round 3). For OTHDYS53, a value of ‘0’
indicates that the person missed no work during the 2008 portion of Panel 13
Round 3 (i.e. any missed work days reported here occurred in the 2009 portion of
Panel 13 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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2.5.7 Access to Care Variables (ACCELI42- PMDLPR42)
The variables ACCELI42 through PMDLPR42 describe data
from the Access to Care (AC) section of the MEPS HC questionnaire, which was
administered in Panel 12 Round 4 and Panel 13 Round 2. This supplement serves a
number of purposes in the MEPS HC by gathering information on five main topic
areas: family members’ origins and preferred languages; family members’ usual
source of health care; characteristics of usual source of health care providers;
satisfaction with and access to 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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2.5.7.1 United States Residency
The AC section ascertains whether a person was born in
the United States (USBORN42) and, if not, how long they have lived in the United
States (USLIVE42). These 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, and only of those persons selected
at AC02A as being uncomfortable speaking English. Due to 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.
In 2002 to 2004, the variable indicating how long a
person has lived in the United States was USLGLV42 and reported a range of
years. Beginning in 2007, and because the response is now collected as a
specific number of years, the names of the source variable and the constructed
variable have changed to reflect the reporting change.
The variable USLIVE42 was top-coded to 85 years to
ensure confidentiality. This top-code value is based on the top-code value for
edited age (AGE##X). Persons who reported living in the United States for 86
years or more had USLIVE42 set to 85.
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2.5.7.2 Family Members’ Origins and Preferred Languages
The AC section ascertains what language is most often
spoken at home (LANGHM42). Those households that prefer to speak Spanish or
another language other than English (LANGHM42 = 2 or 3), were asked whether all
members of the household are comfortable speaking English (ENGHME42). Beginning
in Panel 12, all households eligible for the AC section were asked whether all
members of the household are comfortable conversing in English (ENGCMF42). If
not all persons in the household are comfortable speaking English, the AC
section asks which persons are not comfortable conversing in English (ENGSPK42).
Analysts also examining 2002 data should note that, in
2002, the variable ENGSPK42 indicated the persons who were comfortable
speaking English. Due to a change to the survey in 2003, ENGSPK42 now 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.
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2.5.7.3 Family Members’ Usual Source of Health Care
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. The
variable YNOUSC42 has the following possible values:
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
91 = Other Reason
These values reflect the answer categories given at
AC07. 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
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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2.5.7.4 Characteristics of Usual Source of Health Care Providers
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. in Panel 12, PARTPROV
reflects data collected at the USC provider level; the value of PARTPROV
reflects the individual’s response, and values may vary across household members
who share the same USC provider. Prior to Panel 12, PARTPROV reflected data
collected at the provider level, and every person in the household who shared
the same USC provider had PARTPROV set to the same value as that of the first
household member on the roster who reported that 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 person may choose more than one race for a single provider. These
variables reflect the answer categories given at AC19. If persons choose ‘91’
(Some Other Race) at AC19, they are asked 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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2.5.7.5 Access to and Satisfaction with the Provider
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), or ‘Walks’ (4). 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 new 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 (LANGPR42) if the person
prefers to speak in a language other than English (LANGHM42 is set to 2
(Spanish) or 3 (Another Language)). In 2003, all household members who share a
USC provider and who live in a household where at least one person was not
comfortable speaking English (ENGSPK42 = 2) had LANGPR42 set. Starting in 2004,
only those persons who are not comfortable speaking English (ENGSPK42 = 1) have
LANGPR42 set.
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2.5.7.6 Access to Medical Treatment, Dental Treatment, and Prescription Medicines
Finally, 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,
he/she was asked why (MDUNRS42, DNUNRS42, PMUNRS42). Persons were also asked why
they were delayed 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, persons were also asked how much of a problem
not receiving treatment (MDUNPR42, DNUNPR42, PMUNPR42) or being delayed in
receiving treatment (MDDLPR42, DNDLPR42, PMDLPR42) was.
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2.5.7.7 Editing the Access to Care Variables
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
respondent confidentiality. No variables or categories were suppressed in 2008.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.7.8 Recoding of Additional Other Specify Text Items
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.
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:
10 = Other Insurance Related Reason
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
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.
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.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.8 Employment Variables (EMPST31-YNOINS53)
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 12 persons, the
second number representing the round for Panel 13 persons. For example, EMPST31
refers to employment status on the Round 3 interview date for Panel 12 persons
and employment status on the Round 1 interview date for Panel 13 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 $72.12 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 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 12 persons or Round 2 interview date hourly
wage for Panel 13 persons) is coded as "–2", refer to HRWG31X (Round 3 interview
date hourly wage for Panel 12 persons or Round 1 interview date hourly wage for
Panel 13 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 12 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 12 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 2007 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 2007 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 12, 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 12, 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 12 Round 3
or Panel 13 Round 1. For persons who are part of Panel 12, RNDFLG31 is also set
to "Inapplicable" (–1) if the person is out-of-scope in the 2008 portion of
Round 3. For persons who are part of Panel 13, RNDFLG31 is also set to
"Inapplicable" (–1) if the person is out-of-scope in Round 1. For persons who
are part of Panel 12, 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 13 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 three circumstances:
- in cases where a respondent updated a wage, indicating as the reason for
the change that the amount reported in a previous round was in error, and
then provided the corrected amount for the previous round
- 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 their 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 2008 Full-Year Jobs PUF to obtain the reason for the wage change by
linking on DUPERSID for the appropriate round.
For all Panel 13 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 2008 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 $72.12. 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 2008 Jobs file. Because a person can have other
jobs besides a current main job which are included in the corresponding 2008
Full Year Jobs PUF, wages at these other jobs had to be 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 2008 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, YNOINS31, YNOINS42, YNOINS53)
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.
Respondents with a continuing job who did not have coverage in the current round
are asked if they were 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. If a respondent indicates that other
employees were eligible for health insurance, a follow-up question is asked to
determine the reason the jobholder was not eligible for coverage. This
information is contained in the YNOINS31/42/53 variable. The questions related
to both of these variables are asked when a job is initially reported and also
for subsequent rounds in which the job continues, as applicable.
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, OFREMP, and YNOINS, 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 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 CMJ 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. Both are constructed based on questions that are
round-specific, i.e., the questions are asked when a job is newly reported and
when it is reviewed in subsequent rounds, even when the job ends in that round.
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. Census uses 2003 Census Industry and Occupation Coding schemes,
which were developed for the Bureau’s Current Population Survey and American
Community Survey. Users should note that FY2008 coding is comparable to the
FY2002 through FY2007 coding, but not coding 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 2003 Census industry and occupation codes were collapsed into the
condensed codes on the file, in both HTML and PDF formats. The same type of
crosswalk is included for the pre-2002 file condensed codes, collapsed from the
1990 Census categories.
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 12 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 13 are
provided in this release (STJBMM31, STJBYY31, STJBMM42, STJBYY42, STJBMM53, and
STJBYY53). The start day for the current main job in all rounds (STJBDD31,
STJBDD42, STJBDD53) was removed from the file in 2008 for confidentiality
reasons.
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 12
persons or the Round 3 interview date for Panel 13 persons (EVRETIRE). The other
indicates whether a person ever worked for pay as of the Round 5 interview date
for Panel 12 persons or the Round 3 interview date for Panel 13 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 12
persons or between the first and second rounds for Panel 13 persons (CHGJ3142)
and between the fourth and fifth rounds for Panel 12 persons or between the
second and third rounds for Panel 13 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:
1 = person left previous round current main job and now has a new current main job;
2 = 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);
3 = person left previous round’s current main job and does not have a new job;
4 = 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
2.5.9 Health Insurance Variables (TRIJA08X-RTPLNT42)
2.5.9.1 Monthly Health Insurance Indicators (TRIJA08X-INSDE08X)
Constructed and edited variables are provided that
indicate any coverage in each month of 2008 for the sources of health insurance
coverage collected during the MEPS interviews (Panel 12, Rounds 3 through 5 and
Panel 13, 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 (TRIJA08X –
TRIDE08X) 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 (STAJA08– STADE08) was also
identified but is not considered health insurance for the purpose of this
survey.
Medicare
Medicare (MCRJA08 – MCRDE08) coverage was edited
(MCRJA08X – MCRDE08X) 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 their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it
included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified
managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage
and/or if a government source paid for the coverage.
The Medicaid/SCHIP variables (MCDJA08– MCDDE08) have
been edited (MCDJA08X – MCDDE08X) 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 (OPAJA08 – OPADE08); and
- The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance
(OPBJA08 – OPBDE08).
The variables OPAJA08 – OPADE08 and OPBJA08 – OPBDE08
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 (PUBJA08X –
PUBDE08X). 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 (STAJA08 – STADE08), for example,
the Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage
when constructing the variables PUBJA08X – PUBDE08X.
Private Insurance
Variables identifying private insurance in general
(PRIJA08 – PRIDE08) and specific private insurance sources [such as
employer/union group insurance (PEGJA08 – PEGDE08); non-group (PNGJA08 –
PNGDE08); and other group (POGJA08 – POGDE08)] were constructed. Private
insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during each month of
2008. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders
(policyholder variables begin with the letter "H", e.g., HPEJA08 – HPEDE08).
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 (PDKJA08 – PDKDE08). Covered
persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living
outside the RU (POUJA08 – POUDE08). 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 (PEGJA08 –
PEGDE08, PRSJA08 – PRSDE08) 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
(PEGJA08 – PEGDE08) 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 (PRSJA08 – PRSDE08) was initially reported
in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike
the other employment-related variables (PEGJA08 – PEGDE08), self-employed-firm
size 1 (PRSJA08 – PRSDE08) health insurance could not be reported in the Health
Insurance section for the first time. The variables PRSJA08 – PRSDE08 have been
constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered
employment-related.
Private insurance that was not employment-related
(POGJA08 – POGDE08, PNGJA08 – PNGDE08, PDKJA08 – PDKDE08 and POUJA08 – POUDE08)
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.
Any Insurance in Month
The file also includes summary measures that indicate
whether or not a person has any insurance in a month (INSJA08X – INSDE08X).
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 (STAJA08 – STADE08), 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 INSJA08X – INSDE08X.
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.9.2 Summary Insurance Coverage Indicators (PRVEV08 - INSCOV08)
The variables PRVEV08-UNINS08 summarize health
insurance coverage for the person in 2008 for the following types of insurance:
private (PRVEV08); TRICARE (TRIEV08); Medicaid or SCHIP (MCDEV08); Medicare
(MCREV08); other public A (OPAEV08); other public B (OPBEV08). 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 2008. A value of 2
indicates that the person was not covered for a given type of insurance for all
of 2008. The variable UNINS08 summarizes PRVEV08-OPBEV08. Where PRVEV08-OPBEV08
are all equal to 2, then UNINS08 equals 1; person was uninsured for all of 2008.
Otherwise, UNINS08 is set to 2, not uninsured for some portion of 2008. 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 INSCOV08 that summarizes health insurance coverage for the person in
2008, with the following three values:
1 = ANY PRIVATE (Person had any private
insurance coverage [including TRICARE CHAMPVA] any time during 2008)
2 = PUBLIC ONLY (Person had only public
insurance coverage during 2008)
3 = UNINSURED (Person was uninsured during all of 2008)
Please note that INSCOV08 categorizes 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
PRVEV08 and TRIEV08 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
INSCOV08.
Finally, note that out-of-scope persons are coded "2"
(No) for PRVEV08-INSCOV08. For all other health insurance variables in this data
release, out-of-scope persons are coded "-1" (Inapplicable).
Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.9.3 FY 2008 PUF Managed Care Variables (TRIST31X-PRDRNP08)
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 2008 are
based on responses to health insurance questions asked during the Round 3, 4,
and 5 interviews of Panel 12, and the Round 1, 2, and 3 interviews of Panel 13.
Each variable ends in "xy" where x and y denote the interview round for Panels
12 and 13, 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 12 have been restricted to
the year 2008 portion of the reference period. Similarly, the Panel 12/Round 5
and Panel 13/Round 3 interviews have been restricted to the year 2008 portion of
these reference periods, and the corresponding managed care variables have been
given the suffix "08" (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 respondent 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 respondent changed his or her establishment-related insurance,
the managed care variables describe the characteristics of the last plan held
through the establishment.
Third, the "08" versions of the managed care variables
for Panel 13 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 PRVHMO31/42/08 and PRVMNC31/42/08
indicate coverage by a private HMO or gatekeeper plan in Panel 13, Rounds 1 – 3,
and Panel 12, Rounds 3 – 5. The variables PRVDRL31/42/08 indicate coverage by a
private insurance source that has a book or list of doctors in Panel 13, Rounds
1 – 3, and Panel 12, Rounds 3 – 5. The variables PRDRNP31/42/08 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 13, Rounds 1 – 3, and Panel
12, Rounds 3 – 5. The variables PHMONP31/42/08 indicate coverage by at least one
private insurance source through an HMO that pays for visits to non-plan doctors
in Panel 13, Rounds 1 – 3, and Panel 12, Rounds 3 – 5. Finally, the variables
PMNCNP31/42/08 indicate coverage by at least one private insurance source
through a Gatekeeper Plan that pays for visits to non-plan doctors in Panel 13,
Rounds 1 – 3, and Panel 12, Rounds 3 – 5. The variables MCRPHO31/42/08 indicate
coverage by a Medicare managed care plan in Panel 13, Rounds 1 - 3, and Panel
12, Rounds 3 - 5. The variables MCRPD31/42/08 indicate
coverage by Medicare prescription drug benefit, also known as Part D, in Panel
13, Rounds 1 - 3, and Panel 12, Rounds 3 - 5. The edited version of the Medicare
prescription drug coverage variables (MCRPD31/42/08X) include persons who are
covered by both edited Medicare and edited Medicaid. The variables
MCDHMO31/42/08 and MDCMC31/42/08 indicate coverage by a Medicaid or SCHIP HMO or
managed care plan in Panel 13, Rounds 1 - 3, and Panel 12, Rounds 3 - 5. For
Panel 13, the "31" version indicates coverage at any time in Round 1, the "42"
version indicates coverage at any time in Round 2, and the "08" version
represents coverage at any time during the 2008 portion of Round 3. For Panel
12, the "31" version indicates coverage at any time during the 2008 portion of
Round 3, the "42" version indicates coverage at any time in Round 4, and the
"08" version represents coverage at any time during Round 5 (because Round 5
ends on 12/31/08).
In the health insurance section of the questionnaire,
respondents reporting private health insurance were asked to identify what types
of coverage they had via a checklist. If they 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.
TRICARE Plan Variables
Round specific variables are provided that indicate
which TRICARE plan the respondent was covered by for each round of 2008. These
variables indicate whether the person was covered by TRICARE Standard
(TRIST31/42/08X), TRICARE Prime (TRIPR31/42/08X), TRICARE Extra
(TRIEX31/42/08X), and TRICARE for Life (TRILI31/42/08X). 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 TRICH42/08X
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 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 and for this
group coverage through a managed care plan 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 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 and prescription drug benefit questions were
asked. These questions were asked for each round a person indicates Medicare
coverage.
The Medicare prescription drug benefit variables
(MCRPD31/42/08) have been edited (MCRPD31/42/08X) 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
MCRPHO08 have five possible values:
1 = The person was covered by Medicare and coverage through
a Medicare Managed Care Plan.
2 = The person was covered by Medicare but not coverage
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 MCRPD08(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.
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, but they are comprised of two distinct groups of
individuals. The first group includes persons in Other Government programs that
were identified as being in a Medicaid HMO or gatekeeper plan that did not
require premium payment from the insured party. By definition, this group was
asked about the managed care characteristics of their insurance coverage. The
second group includes a small number of persons who did not report public
insurance, but were classified as Medicaid recipients because they reported
receiving AFDC, SSI, or WIC. The health insurance plan type questions were not
asked of this group. As a consequence, the plan type could be determined for
some, but not all, respondents who were assigned Medicaid coverage through
logical editing of the data.
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 MCDHMO08 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, respondents who had been
previously identified as covered by Medicaid were asked whether the name of
their 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
MCDHMO08 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.
Medicaid/SCHIP Gatekeeper Plans
If the respondent 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 MCDMC08 were set to "Yes"
if the person 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 to which they were referred to.
In each round, the variables MCDMC31, MCDMC42, and
MCDMC08 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 PRVHMO08 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 PRVHMO08 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 belonging 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 person 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, PRVMNC42, and PRVMNC08 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, PRVMNC42, and PRVMNC08 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.
Private Plan that has a Book or List of Doctors
If the respondent did not report belonging 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 person
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, PRVDRL42, and PRVDRL08 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,
PRVDRL42, and PRVDRL08 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 they belong 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 person 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, PHMONP42, and PHMONP08
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, PHMONP42, and PHMONP08 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 they belong 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 person 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, PMNCNP42, and
PMNCNP08 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, PMNCNP42, and PMNCNP08 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 they belong 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 person 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, PRDRNP42, and PRDRNP08 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 of 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,
PRDRNP42, and PRDRNP08 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.
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2.5.9.4 Unedited Health Insurance Variables (PREVCOVR-INSENDYY)
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, 2007 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 less 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.
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2.5.9.5 Health Insurance Coverage Variables –
At Any Time/At Interview Date/At 12-31 Variables (TRICR31X - EVRUNAT)
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, 2008. Note that for respondents 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 12 members.
The health insurance variables are constructed for the
sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interviews (Panel
12, Rounds 3 through 5 and Panel 13, 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 2.5.9.1 "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 MCARE08) and the edited versions of these variables (MCARE31X, MCARE42X,
MCARE53X and MCARE08X) were constructed similarly to the month-by-month Medicare
variables.
Medicaid/SCHIP and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage
Medicaid/SCHIP variables (MCAID31, MCAID42, MCAID53,
MCAID08) and the edited versions of these variables (MCAID31X, MCAID42X,
MCAID53X, MCAID08X, MCDAT31X, MCDAT42X, MCDAT53X, MCDAT08X) were constructed
similarly to the month-by-month Medicaid/SCHIP variables.
Other Public A variables (OTPUBA31, OTPUBA42,
OTPUBA53, OTPUBA08; and OTPAAT31, OTPAAT42, OTPAAT53, OTPAAT08) were constructed
similarly to the month-by-month Other Public variables.
Any Public Insurance
Any public insurance variables (PUB31X, PUB42X,
PUB53X, PUB08X, PUBAT31X, PUBAT42X, PUBAT53X, and PUBAT08X) and state-specific
programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage variables (STAPR31, STAPR42,
STAPR53, STAPR08, STPRAT31, STPRAT42, STPRAT53, and STPRAT08) 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, PRIV08, PRIVAT31, PRIVAT42, PRIVAT53, PRIVAT08) and
specific private insurance sources (such as employer/union group insurance
[PRIEU31, PRIEU42, PRIEU53, PRIEU08]; coverage through a job classified as
self-employed with firm size of 1 [PRIS31, PRIS42, PRIS53, PRIS08]; non-group
coverage [PRING31, PRING42, PRING53, PRING08]; other group coverage (PRIOG31,
PRIOG42, PRIOG53, PRIOG08], coverage through an unknown private category
[PRIDK31, PRIDK42, PRIDK53, PRIDK08]; and coverage from a policyholder living
outside the RU [PROUT31, PROUT42, PROUT53, PROUT08]) were constructed similarly
to the month-by-month variables in section 2.5.9.1. 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,
INS08X, INSAT31X, INSAT42X, INSAT53X, and INSAT08X) and state-specific programs
that provide non-comprehensive coverage variables (STAPR31, STAPR42, STAPR53,
STAPR08, STPRAT31, STPRAT42, STPRAT53, and STPRAT08) were constructed similarly
to the month-by-month any insurance and state-specific program variables.
Ever Uninsured in Period
The variable EVRUNINS indicates whether a person was
ever uninsured on the interview date or on 12/31. If the person is uninsured on
the interview date/on 12/31 for any round that they were in-scope (INS##X = 2),
EVRUNINS is coded as "Yes" (1). If the person is insured on the interview
date/on 12/31 for all rounds that they were in-scope (INS##X = 1), EVRUNINS is
coded as "No" (2). The variable EVRUNAT indicates whether a person was ever
uninsured at any time in 2008. If the person is uninsured at any time in the
round for any round that they were in-scope (INSAT##X = 2), EVRUNAT is coded as
"Yes" (1). If the person is insured at any time in the round for all rounds that
they were in-scope (INSAT##X = 1), EVRUNAT is coded as "No" (2). EVRUNINS and
EVRUNAT are coded "Inapplicable" (-1) for persons who were out-of-scope for all
rounds.
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2.5.9.6 Dental and Prescription Drug Private Insurance Variables (DENTIN31-PMDINS08)
Dental Private Insurance Variables
Round specific variables (DENTIN31/42/53) are provided
that indicate the respondent was covered by a private health insurance plan that
included at least some dental coverage for each round of 2008. 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. Respondents who reported dental
coverage from at least one reported private plan were coded as having private
dental coverage.
DENTIN53 reflects coverage for all of Panel 13 Round 3
where the end reference year could extend into 2009. DENTIN31 for Panel 12 Round
3 reflects coverage in 2007 and 2008 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 (DNTINS31/08).
Prescription Drug Private Insurance Variables
Round specific variables (PMEDIN31/42/53) are provided
that indicate the respondent was covered by a private health insurance plan that
included at least some prescription drug insurance coverage for each round of
2008. 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. Respondents who 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 13 Round 3
where the end reference year could extend into 2009. PMEDIN31 for Panel 12 Round
3 reflects coverage in 2007 and 2008 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 (PMDINS31/08).
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2.5.9.7 Prescription Drug Usual Third Party Payer Variables
(PMEDUP31-PMEDOP53)
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 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.
If the sample member reportedly had a third party
payer, then the respondent was also asked how much the sample member paid
out-of-pocket for his or her last prescription. The responses, in PMEDOP31,
PMEDOP41, PMEDOP53, 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.
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2.5.9.8 Experiences with Public Plans Variables (GDCPBM42 – RTPLNT42)
The variables GDCPBM42 through RTPLNT42 contain
responses to the satisfaction with plans supplement, which was administered in
the second and fourth interviews of the MEPS HC. Question wording is based on
questions in the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®),
an AHRQ-sponsored family of survey instruments designed to measure quality from
the consumer’s perspective. There are two sets of variables, one for
TRICARE/CHAMPVA and the other for Medicaid, SCHIP, or other state or local
government hospital/physician coverage, because families may have both types of
insurance. Family respondents who reported any current family member had
TRICARE/CHAMPVA in that round were asked about the family’s experiences with
TRICARE/CHAMPVA. These family- (RU-) level responses do not vary across RU
members with TRICARE/CHAMPVA at any time during the round; for RU members
without TRICARE/CHAMPVA during the round, the values are set to inapplicable.
Family respondents who reported any current family
member had Medicaid, SCHIP, or other state or local government
hospital/physician coverage in that round were asked about the family’s
experiences with that coverage. These RU-level responses do not vary across RU
members who at any time during the round had Medicaid, SCHIP, or other state or
local government hospital/physician coverage. For RU members without these types
of public insurance during the round, the values are set to inapplicable.
The variables address the following topics: difficulty
getting a personal doctor or nurse (GDCPBM42 and GDCPBT42), needing approval for
treatment and delays associated with waiting for approval (APRTRM42, APRDLM42,
APRTRT42, APRDLT42), looking for information on how plan works and problems
finding information (LKINFM42, PBINFM42, LKINFT42, PBINFT42), calling customer
service and problems getting help from customer service (CSTSVM42, PBSVCM42,
CSTSVT42, PBSVCT42), filling out paperwork for the plan and problems with the
paperwork (PPRWKM42, PBPWKM42, PPRWKT42, PBPWKT42), rating of experience with
plan (RTPLNM42 and RTPLNT42).
Variables for experiences with private plans are on
the 2008 Person Round Plan file, PUF HC-119. On that file, each person has a
separate record for each private plan, and each record has variables with the
family’s experiences with that specific plan.
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2.5.10 Person-Level Medical Utilization Variables (OBTOTV08 – HHINFD08)
The MEPS Household Component (HC) collects data in
each round on use for office- and hospital-based care, home health care, dental
services, 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 12 (excluding 2007 events covered in Round 3) and across Rounds
1 – 3 for Panel 13 (excluding 2009 events covered in Round 3) to produce the
annual utilization counts for 2008. This file contains utilization variables for
several categories of health care services. In general, there is one utilization
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.
(Expenditure variables are not included on this file and will be provided in the
forthcoming 2008 Income and Expenditure file.)
The following sections summarize definitional,
conceptual, and analytic considerations when using the utilization variables in
this file. Separate discussions are provided for each MEPS medical service
category.
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2.5.10.1 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
2008 (OBTOTV08) as well as the number of such visits to physicians (OBDRV08) and
non-physician providers (OBOTHV08) are contained in this file. For a small
proportion of sample persons, the sum of the physician and non-physician visit
variables (OBDRV08 + OBOTHV08) is less than the total number of office-based
visits variable (OBTOTV08) because OBTOTV08 contains reported visits where the
respondent did not know the type of provider.
Non-physician visits (OBOTHV08) 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 (OBCHIR08), nurses/nurse
practitioners (OBNURS08), optometrists (OBOPTO08), physician assistants
(OBASST08), and physical or occupational therapists (OBTHER08).
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2.5.10.2 Hospital Events
Separate utilization variables for hospital care are
provided for each type of setting (outpatient department, emergency room, and
inpatient stays).
Hospital Outpatient Visits
Variables for the total number of reported visits to
hospital outpatient departments in 2008 (OPTOTV08) as well as the number of
outpatient department visits to physicians (OPDRV08) and non-physician providers
(OPOTHV08) are contained in this file. For a small proportion of sample persons,
the sum of the physician and non-physician visit variables (OPDRV08 + OPOTHV08)
is less than the total number of outpatient visits variable (OPTOTV08) because
OPTOTV08 contains reported visits where the respondent did not provide
information on the type of provider seen.
Hospital Emergency Room Visits
The variable ERTOT08 represents a count of all
emergency room visits reported for the survey year.
Hospital Inpatient Stays
Two measures of total inpatient utilization are
provided on the file:
- IPDIS08 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).
- IPNGT08 is the unimputed total number of nights spent in a hospital by a
person for all stays that end in 2008. The imputed version will be on the
forthcoming 2008 Income and Expenditure file, as IPNGTD08.
Data used to construct the inpatient utilization
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. 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 variables.
Some analysts may prefer to exclude "zero night stays"
from inpatient analyses and/or count these stays as ambulatory visits.
Therefore, a separate use variable is provided that contains a count of the
number of inpatient events where the reported dates of admission and discharge
were the same (IPZERO08). This variable can be subtracted from IPDIS08 to
exclude "zero night stays" from inpatient utilization estimates.
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2.5.10.3 Dental Care Visits
The total number of dental care visits variable
(DVTOT08) 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 (DVGEN08) and to orthodontists
(DVORTH08).
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2.5.10.4 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 2008 where home health care was
received from the following: from any type of paid or unpaid caregiver
(HHTOTD08), from agencies, hospitals, or nursing homes (HHAGD08), from
self-employed persons (HHINDD08), and from unpaid informal caregivers not living
with the sample person (HHINFD08). 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 2. The number of provider days would also equal 2 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 1. 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.
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2.6 Linking to Other Files
2.6.1 Event and Condition Files
Records on this file can be linked to 2008 MEPS-HC
public use event and condition files by the sample person identifier (DUPERSID).
The Panel 12 cases on this file (PANEL=12) can also be linked back to the 2007
MEPS-HC public use event and condition files.
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2.6.2 National Health Interview Survey
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
www.meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/more_info_download_data_files.jsp.
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2.6.3 Longitudinal Analysis
For Panels 1 through 8, panel-specific files (called
Longitudinal Weight Files) containing estimation variables to facilitate
longitudinal analysis are available for downloading in the data section of the
MEPS Web site. To create longitudinal files for these panels, it is necessary to
link data from two subsequent annual files that contain data for the first and
second years of the panel, respectively. Starting with Panel 9, it is not
necessary to link files for longitudinal analysis because Longitudinal Data
Files have been constructed and are available for downloading on the web.
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3.0 Survey Sample Information
3.1 Background on Sample Design and Response Rates
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 2008. The data were collected in
Rounds 1, 2, and 3 for MEPS Panel 13 and Rounds 3, 4, and 5 for MEPS Panel 12.
(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 file that has been provided for the full-year files associated with
years 1996 – 2007 of MEPS.
The only utilization data that appear on this file are
those associated with health care events occurring in calendar year 2008.All such utilization data associated with
calendar year 2008 as reported by MEPS respondents have been included in this
database for both panels and their corresponding rounds.
Incentive Experiment in Panel 13
With the encouragement of the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), an experiment was undertaken for MEPS Panel 13 (first fielded
in
2008) to evaluate whether and how differential payments to household respondents
might affect survey participation, the level of effort required to obtain
participation, and the quality of the data collected. Each sampled household
in Panel 13 was randomly assigned to one of three different levels of payment—$30,
$50, or $70—with the experiment continuing through the panel’s five
rounds of data collection. Households receiving the $30 payment represent the
control
group, since that amount had been offered to all households in the 2007 panel.
Preliminary findings for Rounds 1 through 3 indicate that higher payment levels
do seem to encourage higher levels of participation overall and for some
subgroups. To learn more about this experiment, refer to the Household
Annual Contractor Methodology Report (located in the Household – Survey
Basics section). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
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3.1.1 References
There have been some published reports on the MEPS
sample design. For detailed information on the MEPS sample design for Panel 1,
see Cohen, S. Sample Design of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research;
1997. MEPS Methodology Report, No. 2. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0027. For detailed
information on the MEPS sample design for Panel 2, 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; 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.
www.meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/mr22/mr22.shtml.
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3.1.2 MEPS--Linked to the National Health Interview Survey
Changes in the NHIS Sample Design and its Impact on MEPS
The 2008 FY file marks a return to having both MEPS
Panels (Panels 12 and 13) being based on a single NHIS sample design, serving to
reduce both precision (due to increased clustering) and degrees of freedom (due
to a reduction in variance strata) compared to the design associated with the FY
2007 data but also reducing operational costs.
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.
Other Details on the MEPS Subsample of Responding
Households from the NHIS
The households in this 2008 MEPS database stem from a
subsample of households participating in the NHIS in 2006 and 2007, both years
based on the new NHIS sample design. The households (occupied DUs) selected for
MEPS Panel 12 were a subsample of the 2006 NHIS responding households while
those in MEPS Panel 13 were a subsample of 2007 NHIS respondents. A household
may contain one or more family units, each consisting of one or more
individuals. Analysis can be undertaken using either the individual or the
family as the unit of analysis.
There were 7,319 households (occupied DUs) selected
for inclusion in MEPS Panel 12, of which 7,294 were eligible for fielding
(college dormitories were eliminated). They were selected as a nationally
representative subsample of the households responding to the 2006 NHIS. A
subsample of 9,703 households was selected for MEPS Panel 13 from among
households responding to the 2007 NHIS, of which 9,688 were fielded after the
elimination of college dorms.
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.
Under the old NHIS design households containing
Hispanics and Blacks were oversampled at rates of approximately 2 and 1.5 times,
respectively, the rate of remaining households. Under the new NHIS sample design
Asians are also oversampled. The estimated oversampling rates of the three
minorities under the new NHIS design have not yet been reported.
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.)
Return To Table Of Contents
3.1.3 Sample Weights and Variance Estimation
In the database "MEPS HC-115: 2008 Full Year
Population Characteristics," weight variables are provided for generating MEPS
estimates of totals, means, percents, and rates for persons and families in the
civilian noninstitutionalized population. 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
3.2 The MEPS Sampling Process and Response Rates: An Overview
For most MEPS panels, a sample representing about
three-eighths of the NHIS responding households is made available for use in
MEPS. The MEPS Panel 12 sample was selected from among a "one-fourth" sample of
NHIS responding households, while the Panel 13 sample was selected from a
"three-eighths" sample.
A subsample of the NHIS responding households is then
drawn for MEPS interviewing. 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 2008
Full Year file (Panel 13 Rounds 1-3/Panel 12, Rounds 3-5)
| |
Panel 12 |
Panel 13 |
2008 Combined |
| A. Percentage of NHIS households designated for use in MEPS(those initially characterized as responding) |
88.1% |
87.4% |
|
| B. Number of households sampled from the NHIS |
7,319 |
9,703 |
|
| C. Number of Households sampled from the NHIS and fielded for MEPS |
7,294 |
9,688 |
|
| D. Round 1 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
7,712 |
10,325 |
|
| E. Round 1 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
5,901 |
8,017 |
|
| F. Round 2 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
6,058 |
8,252 |
|
| G. Round 2 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
5,584 |
7,809 |
|
| H. Round 3 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
5,686 |
7,982 |
|
| I. Round 3 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
5,383 |
7,684 |
|
| J. Round 4 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
5,474 |
|
|
| K. Round 4 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
5,267 |
|
|
| L. Round 5 – Number of RUs eligible for interviewing |
5,298 |
|
|
| M. Round 5 – Number of RUs with completed interviews |
5,182 |
|
|
Overall response rates through the Spring of 2008
P13: A x (E/D) x (G/F) x (I/H)
P12: A x (E/D) x (G/F) x (I/H) x (K/J) x (M/L)
Combined: 0.39 x P12 + 0.61 x P13 |
55.4%
(Panel 12
through
Round 5) |
61.8%
(Panel 13
through
Round 3) |
59.3% |
Return To Table Of Contents
3.2.1 Response
In order to produce annual health care estimates for
calendar year 2008 based on the full MEPS sample data from the MEPS Panel 12 and
Panel 13, samples are combined. More specifically, full calendar year 2008 data
collected in Rounds 3 through 5 for the MEPS from the Panel 12 sample are
combined with data from the first three rounds of data collection for the MEPS
Panel 13 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 RU members who have moved to another location in the U.S., thus
creating a new RU to be interviewed for MEPS, and student RUs. 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
12, Round 2 the ratio of 5,584 (Row G) to 6,058 (Row F) multiplied by 100
represents the percentage response rate for the round (92.2 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 response rate for the combined sample of
Panels 12 and 13 for 2008 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 13 represents about 61 percent of the combined sample
size while Panel 12 represents the remaining 39 percent. Thus, the combined
response rate of 59.3 percent has been computed as 0.61 times the overall Panel
13 response rate through Round 3 plus 0.39 times the overall Panel 12 response
rate through Round 5.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.2.2 Panel 13 Response Rates
For MEPS Panel 13, Round 1, 9,688 households were
fielded in 2008 (Row C of Table 3.1), a nationally representative subsample of
the households responding to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
Table 3.1 shows the number of RUs eligible for
interviewing in each Round of Panel 13 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 87.4 (the percentage of the NHIS sampled
households designated for use in selecting a sample of households for MEPS)
yields an overall response rate of 61.8 percent for Panel 13 through Round 3.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.2.3 Panel 12 Response Rates
For MEPS Panel 12, 7,294 households were fielded in
2007 (as indicated in Row C of Table 3.1), a nationally representative subsample
of the households responding to the 2006 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 12. The overall response rate for Panel 12 has been computed in a similar
fashion to that of Panel 13 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 12 through Round 5 is 55.4
percent.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.2.4 Combined Panel Response
A combined response rate for the survey respondents in
this data set is obtained by taking a weighted average of the panel specific
response rates. The Panel 12 response rate was weighted by a factor of 0.39 and
that of Panel 13 was weighted by a factor of 0.61, reflecting approximately the
distribution of the overall sample between the two panels. The resulting
combined response rate for the combined panels has been computed as (0.61 x
61.8) plus (0.39 x 55.4) or 59.3 percent (as shown in Table 3.1).
Return To Table Of Contents
3.2.5 Oversampling
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 the MEPS Panel 12 sample
and the MEPS Panel 13 sample, the NHIS responding households eligible for MEPS
that contained either Asians or families predicted to have an income under 200
percent of the poverty level (based on a statistical model) were sampled with
certainty. In addition, households containing Blacks or Hispanics were taken
with certainty for Panel 13 while for Panel 12 households containing either
Blacks or Hispanics that were not among those households selected with certainty
were also oversampled. The sampling rate for both the Black and Hispanic strata
was about 90 percent for Panel 12. For Panel 12 the only remaining sample domain
(or stratum) was "Other", sampled at a rate of about 90 percent as well. For
Panel 13 the "Other" domain was sampled at a rate of 57 percent. The main reason
for the high sampling rate for the "Other" domain in Panel 12 compared to most
other years is that only the first two quarters of the two NHIS sample panels
available for MEPS were used. Typically, the first three quarters are used and a
higher degree of oversampling is undertaken. As a result, the sample allocation
for the "Other" domain is somewhat different for Panel 13 compared to Panel 12
and unweighted comparisons (e.g., response rates) should be viewed from that
perspective. Specifically, with respect to response rates, Panel 12 included
proportionately more households in the group "Others", which typically has a
lower propensity to respond. Also, because the Black, Hispanic, and Other
domains all were sampled at about the same rate and this rate was close to 1,
the variation in weights for Panel 12 is somewhat lower than that for previous
panels with a corresponding reduction in the contribution of weight variation to
the variation in the MEPS estimates.
Within each domain/stratum systematic samples of
the MEPS-eligible households were selected from among the NHIS household
respondents made available for MEPS sample selection purposes.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.3 Background on Person-Level Estimation Using this MEPS Public Use Release
3.3.1 Overview
There is a single person-level weight variable called
PERWT08P. However, care should be taken in its application as it permits both
"point-in-time" and "range of time" estimates, depending on the
variables used to define the set of persons of interest for analysis. A person-level
weight was assigned to each key, inscope person who responded to MEPS for the full
period of time that he or she was inscope during the MEPS (recall that a person is
inscope whenever he or she is a member of the civilian, noninstitutionalized
portion of the U.S. population). Since Panel 12 began in 2007, persons were required
to provide data while inscope for both 2007 and 2008. Since Panel 13 persons began in
2008, the requirement only pertains to 2008.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.3.2 Developing Person-Level Estimates
The data in this file can be used to develop estimates
on persons in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population at any time during
2008 and for the slightly smaller population of persons in the civilian,
noninstitutionalized population on December 31, 2008. To obtain a
cross-sectional (point-in-time) estimate for inscope persons living in the
country on December 31, 2008, the analysis should be restricted to cases where
INSC1231=1 (the person is inscope on December 31, 2008). The weight variable
PERWT08P must be applied to the analytic variable(s) of interest to obtain
either type of national estimate. Table 3.2 contains a summary of cases to
include and sample sizes for the two populations described above.
Table 3.2 Identifying Populations of Interest at the Person Level and Corresponding Sample Sizes
| Population of Interest |
Cases to Include |
Sample Size |
| Civilian, Noninstitutionalized Population over the course of 2008 |
PERWT08P>0 |
31,262 |
| Civilian, Noninstitutionalized Population on December 31, 2008 |
PERWT08P>0 and INSC1231=1 |
30,922 |
Return To Table Of Contents
3.4 Details on Person-Level Weights Construction
3.4.1 Overview
The person-level weight PERWT08P was developed in
three stages. The person-level weight for Panel 12 was created, including both
an adjustment for nonresponse over time and raking. The raking involved
controlling to several sets of marginal control totals reflecting Current
Population Survey (CPS) population estimates based on five different variables.The person-level weight for Panel 13 was created,
also including an adjustment for nonresponse over time and raking, controlling
to CPS population estimates based on the same five variables. A composite
weight was formed from the Panel 12 and Panel 13 weights by multiplying the
Panel weights by factors corresponding to the relative sample size of the two
panels. Then a final raking was undertaken on this composite weight variable,
again based on the same five variables used previously.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.4.2 MEPS Panel 12
The person-level weight for MEPS Panel 12 was
developed using the 2007 full-year weight for an individual as a "base" weight
for survey participants present in 2007. For key, inscope respondents who joined
an RU some time in 2008 after being out-of-scope in 2007, the "base" weight was
taken to be the 2007 family weight associated with the family the person joined.
The weighting process included an adjustment for person-level nonresponse over
Rounds 4 and 5 as well as raking to population control totals for December 2008
for key, responding persons inscope on December 31, 2008. These control totals
were derived by scaling back the population distribution obtained from the March
2009 CPS to reflect the December 31, 2008 estimated population total (estimated
based on Census projections for January 1, 2009). Variables used for
person-level raking included: Census region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West);
MSA status (MSA, non-MSA); race/ethnicity (Hispanic, Black but non-Hispanic,
Asian, and other); sex; and age. (Poverty status is not included in this version
of the MEPS full year database because of the time required to process the
income data collected and then assign persons to a poverty status category). Key
responding persons not inscope on December 31, 2008 but inscope earlier in the
year retained, as their final Panel 12 weight, the weight after the nonresponse
adjustment.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.4.3 MEPS Panel 13
The person-level weight for MEPS Panel 13 was
developed using the 2008 MEPS Round 1 person-level weight as a "base" weight.
For key, inscope respondents who joined an RU after Round 1, the Round 1 family
weight served as a "base" weight. The weighting process included an adjustment
for nonresponse over the remaining data collection rounds in 2008 as well as
raking to the same population control figures for December 2008 used for the
MEPS Panel 12 weights for key, responding persons inscope on December 31, 2008.
The same five variables employed for Panel 12 raking (census region, MSA status,
race/ethnicity, sex, and age) were also used for Panel 13 raking. As with Panel
12, Panel 13 key, responding persons not inscope on December 31, 2008 but
inscope earlier in the year retained the weight after nonresponse adjustment as
their final Panel 13 weight.
Note that the MEPS Round 1 weights for both panels
incorporated the following components: a weight reflecting the original
household probability of selection for the NHIS and an adjustment for NHIS
nonresponse; a factor representing the proportion of the 16 NHIS panel-quarter
combinations eligible for MEPS; the oversampling of certain subgroups for MEPS
among the NHIS household respondents eligible for MEPS; ratio-adjustment to
NHIS-based national population estimates at the household (occupied DU) level;
adjustment for nonresponse at the DU-level for Round 1; and poststratification
to U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population estimates at the family and
person level obtained from the corresponding March CPS data bases.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.4.4 Raking
Beginning with the Full Year 2002 files, "raking" has
been employed for the "Full Year" MEPS weighting to calibrate survey weights to
match designated population control totals, replacing the poststratification
process previously employed. Raking is a commonly used process for adjusting
survey weights so that estimates of subpopulation totals match more stable
figures available from independent sources. It can be thought of as
multi-dimensional poststratification that requires an iterative solution. Survey
weights are poststratified to several sets of control figures (dimensions) in a
sequential and continuous fashion until convergence is achieved. Convergence is
the state where survey weights satisfy the criteria that the sums of the survey
weights for the subgroups represented by the various dimensions are
simultaneously within a specified distance of the corresponding control figures
(e.g., within 1, 10, 100, 500, etc. of the control totals). For instance, if one
dimension in a raking effort was sex by MSA status and the specified distance
was 10, then, after convergence has been achieved, the sum of the survey weights
for males in MSA areas would be within 10 of the control figure for males in MSA
areas, etc.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.4.5 The Final Non-Poverty Adjusted Weight for 2008
Variables used in the raking of the person-level
weights to control totals derived from CPS data included: census region
(Northeast, Midwest, South, West); MSA status (MSA, non-MSA); race/ethnicity
(Hispanic, Black but non-Hispanic, Asian, and other); sex, and age. Persons
included in the raking process were those inscope on December 31, 2008. In
addition, the weights of some persons out-of-scope on December 31, 2008 were
poststratified. Specifically, the weights of persons out-of-scope on December
31, 2008 that were inscope some time during the year and also 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 2008 were poststratified to corresponding estimates
derived using data obtained from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS)
and Vital Statistics information provided by the National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS). Separate control totals were developed for the "65 and older"
and "under 65" civilian, noninstitutionalized decedent populations.
Overall, the population estimate for the civilian,
noninstitutionalized population over the course of the year (PERWT08P>0) is
304,375,942 (see Table 3.3). The estimated population total for those in-scope
on December 31, 2008 (PERWT08P>0 and INSC1231=1) is 300,368,750.
Table 3.3. Persons with a person weight for the 2008 Full Year file
| |
Panel 12 |
Panel 13 |
Combined |
Population estimate
(weighted total of combined sample) |
| Number |
12,314 |
18,948 |
31,262 |
304,375,952 |
Return To Table Of Contents
3.4.6 A Note on MEPS Population Estimates
Beginning with the 2001 Full Year data, MEPS
transitioned to 2000 census-based population estimates for poststratification
and raking. Prior to 2001, 1990-census-based estimates were used. In addition,
MEPS population estimates have undergone some "discontinuities", due to
adjustments made to the 2003 CPS estimates (CPS is the source of the control
figures used for raking and poststratification in MEPS). More specifically, MEPS
estimates for the civilian, noninstitutionalized population from the full year
2001 public use files compared to those from previous years show a
sizeable increase in population in 2001. In previous years the percentage
increase had been slightly under one percent, while between the 2000 and 2001
MEPS population estimates it was roughly two percent. The MEPS file for full
year 2001 was the first where CPS figures reflected 2000 Census figures instead
of projections from figures obtained from the 1990 Census. The projections were
somewhat low compared to 2000 Census figures. Some subgroups were particularly
affected. For example, the CPS figures reflecting 2000 Census figures provide
population estimates for Hispanics that are roughly 8 percent higher than
previous projections suggested. For the full year 2003 files there was another
discontinuity. The March, 2003 CPS database, the basis of the MEPS full year
2002 control figures, experienced a one time population adjustment of roughly
941,000, reflecting current information and research on net migration. This had
a large impact on the Hispanic population (roughly a 1.7 percent increase), a
minor impact on the white population (a .4 percent increase), and no change at
all in Black population estimates.
For more information about these recent changes in CPS
population estimates, see "Revisions to the Current Population Survey Effective
in January 2003" in the January 2003 issue of the monthly Labor Review (authored
by Mary Bowler, Randy E. Ilg, Stephen Miller, Ed Robison, and Anne Polivka, all
at the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Recent changes in the definition of racial
categories are also noted in this report.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.4.7 Coverage
The target population associated with this MEPS
database is the 2008 U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population. However,
the MEPS sampled households are a subsample of the NHIS households interviewed
in 2006 (Panel 12) and 2007 (Panel 13). New households created after the NHIS
interviews for the respective Panels and consisting exclusively of persons who
entered the target population after 2006 (Panel 12) or after 2007 (Panel 13) 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.
Some evaluation of NHIS coverage has been undertaken,
comparing coverage of households before and after the NHIS redesign. There is
evidence of improved coverage overall and for some subpopulations.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.5 No Family Weights on this Public Use File
Due to relatively limited opportunities for
family-level analysis with the data on this file, family weights are not
included on this file. However, family weights will be created for the Full Year
2008 MEPS public use file where expenditure and income data are provided.
Nevertheless, records for those persons who will have a
positive family weight but not a positive person weight have been placed on this
Public Use File to maintain consistency in terms of file structure with the
upcoming Public Use File with expenditure and income data. Those will be the
only records without a positive person weight appearing on this file.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.6 Weights and Response Rates for the Self-Administered Questionnaire
For analytic purposes, a single person-level weight
variable, SAQWT08P, has been provided for use with the data obtained from the
Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ). This questionnaire was administered in
Panel 13, Round 2 and Panel 12, 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 weight variable was developed by first 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 2008 (the same source of control figures used for the
full year person weights). The variables used to form control figures were
region, MSA status, age, sex, and race/ethnicity, as 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.
In all, there were 20,526 persons assigned a SAQ
weight with the sum of the weights being 225,902,728 (an estimate of the
civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 18 or older at the time the SAQ
was administered).
The Panel 12 response rate for the 2008 SAQ was 92.6
percent, while the Panel 13 response rate for the 2008 SAQ was 92.8 percent.
Pooled 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 .39 was associated with Panel 12, and a value of .61 was
associated with Panel 13). The pooled response rate for the combined panels for
the 2008 SAQ is 92.7 percent.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.7 Weights and Response Rates for the Diabetes Care Survey
A person-level weight, DIABW08P, 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 Round 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 consutrcted 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 Round 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 some time 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 Round 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 Round 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, 1,841 people were assigned a DCS weight
(DIABW08P>0). The sum of the DCS weights is 20,300,342, an estimate of the adult
population self-reporting as having been diagnosed with diabetes as identified
by the two step process described above. This estimate may understate the total
number of persons with diabetes because occasionally a family member with
diabetes may not have been identified by the RU respondent.
The Panel 12 response rate for the 2008 DCS was 92.3
percent. The Panel 13 response rate for the 2008 DCS was 92.5 percent. The
pooled response rate for the combined panels for the DCS is 92.7 percent. The
pooled response rate is a weighted average for the two panels, reflecting their
relative sample sizes (roughly 61 percent of the respondents are from Panel 13,
the remaining 39 percent from Panel 12).
Return To Table Of Contents
3.8 Variance Estimation
MEPS has 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 rounds. However, beginning with the
2002 Point-in-Time PUF, the variance strata and PSUs were developed to be
compatible with all future PUF 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.
For the 2008 Full Year file,
there are 165 variance strata available for variance estimation with either two
or three variance estimation PSUs per stratum. There are fewer strata in 2008
than in 2007 because, as mentioned earlier, the 2007 Full Year file consists of
two panels that were selected under two independent NHIS sample designs. The
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 to 2006
with data from 2007 or later (the 165 variance strata described above),
one can use the variance strata numbering as is.
- When pooling any year from 1996 to 2001
with any year from 2002 to 2006, use the H36 file.
- A new H36 file will be constructed in the
future to allow pooling of 2007 and later years with 1996 to 2006.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.9 Guidelines for Determining which Weight to Use for Analyses Involving
Data/Variables from Multiple Sources and Supplements: MEPS 2008 Full-Year Use File
Decisions on which weight variable to use is based on
a hierarchy.
For person level analyses not involving variables from
the SAQ or DCS, PERWT08P should always be used.
For person-level analysis involving variables from the
SAQ but not the DCS, the SAQWT08P should be used. For example, if examining
access to care or quality of care variables from the SAQ by social-demographics,
health status, or health insurance status, SAQWT08P 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 DIABW08P should be used for those
eligible to provide DCS data.
Return To Table Of Contents
3.10 Using MEPS Data for Trend Analysis
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
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. Looking at changes over longer
periods of time can provide a more complete picture of underlying trends.
Analysts of MEPS data may wish to consider using techniques to evaluate, smooth,
or stabilize estimates of trends. Such techniques include comparing pooled time
periods (e.g. 1996-97 versus 2005-06), 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 (i.e., the chance of declaring an observed
difference to be statistically significant when there is no difference in the population
parameters). Performing numerous statistical significance tests increases the
likelihood of a Type I error.
Return To Table Of Contents
D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
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 |
| FAMID08 |
Family ID (Student Merged In) – 12/31/08 |
CAPI Derived |
| FAMIDYR |
Annual Family Identifier |
Constructed |
| RULETR31 |
RU Letter – R3/1 |
CAPI Derived |
| RULETR42 |
RU Letter – R4/2 |
CAPI Derived |
| RULETR53 |
RU Letter – R5/3 |
CAPI Derived |
| RULETR08 |
RU Letter as of 12/31/08 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE31 |
RU Size – R3/1 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE42 |
RU Size – R4/2 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE53 |
RU Size – R5/3 |
CAPI Derived |
| RUSIZE08 |
RU Size as of 12/31/08 |
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 |
| RUCLAS08 |
RU fielded as: Standard/New/Stud-12/31/08 |
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 |
| FAMSZE08 |
RU Size Including Students as of 12/31/08 |
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 |
| REGION08 |
Census Region as of 12/31/08 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| MSA31 |
MSA Status – R3/1 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| MSA42 |
MSA Status – R4/2 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| MSA53 |
MSA Status – R5/3 |
Assigned in Sampling |
| MSA08 |
MSA Status as of 12/31/08 |
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 |
| REFPRS08 |
Reference Person as of 12/31/08 |
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 |
| RESP08 |
1st Respondent Indicator as of 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PROXY08 |
Was Respondent a Proxy as of 12/31/08 |
RE 2 |
| INTVLANG |
Language Interview Was Completed |
CL62A |
| BEGRFD31 |
R3/1 Reference Period Begin Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFM31 |
R3/1 Reference Period Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFY31 |
R3/1 Reference Period Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFD31 |
R3/1 Reference Period End Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFM31 |
R3/1 Reference Period End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFY31 |
R3/1 Reference Period End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFD42 |
R4/2 Reference Period Begin Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFM42 |
R4/2 Reference Period Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFY42 |
R4/2 Reference Period Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFD42 |
R4/2 Reference Period End Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFM42 |
R4/2 Reference Period End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFY42 |
R4/2 Reference Period End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFD53 |
R5/3 Reference Period Begin Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFM53 |
R5/3 Reference Period Begin Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| BEGRFY53 |
R5/3 Reference Period Begin Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFD53 |
R5/3 Reference Period End Date: Day |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFM53 |
R5/3 Reference Period End Date: Month |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFY53 |
R5/3 Reference Period End Date: Year |
CAPI Derived |
| ENDRFD08 |
2008 Reference Period End Date: Day |
RE Section |
| ENDRFM08 |
2008 Reference Period End Date: Month |
RE Section |
| ENDRFY08 |
2008 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 |
| INSCOP08 |
Inscope – R5/3 Start through 12/31/08 |
RE Section |
| INSC1231 |
Inscope Status on 12/31/08 |
Constructed |
| INSCOPE |
Was Person Ever Inscope in 2008 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND31 |
Eligibility – R3/1 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND42 |
Eligibility – R4/2 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND53 |
Eligibility – R5/3 |
RE Section |
| ELGRND08 |
Eligibility Status as of 12/31/08 |
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 |
| AGE08X |
Age as of 12/31/08 (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| DOBMM |
Date of Birth: Month |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| DOBYY |
Date of Birth: Year |
RE 12, 57-66 |
| SEX |
Sex |
RE 12, 57, 61 |
| RACEX |
Race (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 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 |
| RACETHNX |
Race/Ethnicity (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 98A-100A |
| HISPANX |
Hispanic Ethnicity (Edited/Imputed) |
RE 98A-101A |
| HISPCAT |
Specific Hispanic Ethnicity Group |
RE 98A-101A |
| 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 |
| MARRY08X |
Marital Status–12/31/08 (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 |
| SPOUID08 |
Spouse ID – 12/31/08 |
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 |
| SPOUIN08 |
Marital Status w/Spouse Present–12/31/08 |
RE 13, 76A, 97 |
| EDUCYR |
Years of Educ When First Entered MEPS |
RE 103-105 |
| HIDEG |
Highest Degree When First Entered MEPS |
RE 103-105 |
| 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 |
| FTSTU08X |
Student Status if Ages 17-23 – 12/31/08 |
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 |
| RFREL31X |
Relation to Ref Pers – R3/1 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| RFREL42X |
Relation to Ref Pers – R4/2 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| RFREL53X |
Relation to Ref Pers – R5/3 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| RFREL08X |
Relation to Ref Pers – 12/31/08 (Edit/Imp) |
RE 76-77 |
| 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
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 |
| 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 |
| HIBPDX |
High Blood Pressure Diag (>17) |
PE02 |
| BPMLDX |
Mult Diag High Blood Press (>17) |
PE04 |
| CHDDX |
Coronary Hrt Disease Diag (>17) |
PE05 |
| ANGIDX |
Angina Diagnosis (>17) |
PE07 |
| MIDX |
Heart Attack (MI) Diag (>17) |
PE09 |
| OHRTDX |
Other Heart Disease Diag (>17) |
PE11 |
| STRKDX |
Stroke Diagnosis (>17) |
PE13 |
| EMPHDX |
Emphysema Diagnosis (>17) |
PE15 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| CAKIDNEY |
Cancer Diagnosed - Kidney (>17) |
PE22 |
| CALEUKEM |
Cancer Diagnosed - Leukemia (>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 |
| CAOVARY |
Cancer Diagnosed - Ovary (>17) |
PE22 |
| CAPROSTA |
Cancer Diagnosed - Prostate (>17) |
PE22 |
| CASKINNM |
Cancer Diagnosed – Skin-Nonmelano (>17) |
PE22 |
| CASKINDK |
Cancer Diagnosed – Skin-Dk Kind (>17) |
PE22 |
| CATHYROD |
Cancer Diagnosed - Thyroid (>17) |
PE22 |
| CAUTERUS |
Cancer Diagnosed - Uterus (>17) |
PE22 |
| DIABDX |
Diabetes Diagnosis (>17) |
PE26 |
| 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 |
| ASTHDX |
Asthma Diagnosis |
PE32 |
| 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 |
Return To Table Of Contents
HEALTH STATUS VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| IADLHP31 |
IADL Screener – RD 3/1 |
HE 2-4 |
| IADLHP42 |
IADL Screener – RD 4/2 |
HE 2-4 |
| IADLHP53 |
IADL Screener – RD 5/3 |
HE 2-4 |
| IADL3M31 |
IADL Help 3+ Months – RD 3/1 |
HE 3A |
| IADL3M42 |
IADL Help 3+ Months – RD 4/2 |
HE 3A |
| IADL3M53 |
IADL Help 3+ Months – RD 5/3 |
HE 3A |
| ADLHLP31 |
ADL Screener – RD 3/1 |
HE 5-6 |
| ADLHLP42 |
ADL Screener – RD 4/2 |
HE 5-6 |
| ADLHLP53 |
ADL Screener – RD 5/3 |
HE 5-6 |
| ADL3MO31 |
ADL Help 3+ Months – RD 3/1 |
HE 6A |
| ADL3MO42 |
ADL Help 3+ Months – RD 4/2 |
HE 6A |
| ADL3MO53 |
ADL Help 3+ Months – RD 5/3 |
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 9-18 |
| WLKLIM53 |
Limitation in Physical Functioning – RD 5/3 |
HE 9-18 |
| 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 |
| WLK3MO53 |
Phys Functioning Help 3+ Months – RD 5/3 |
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 |
| WRGLAS42 |
Wears Glasses or Contacts – RD 4/2 |
HE 26-27 |
| SEEDIF42 |
Diffclty Seeing w/Glasses/Cntcts–RD 4/2 |
HE 28-29 |
| BLIND42 |
Person Is Blind – RD 4/2 |
HE 30 |
| READNW42 |
Can Read Newsprnt w/Glasses/Cntcts-RD4/2 |
HE 31 |
| RECPEP42 |
Can Recgnze People w/Glasses/Cntcts-R4/2 |
HE 32 |
| VISION42 |
Vision Impairment (Summary) – RD 4/2 |
Constructed |
| HEARAD42 |
Person Wears Hearing Aid – RD 4/2 |
HE 33-34 |
| HEARDI42 |
Any Difficlty Hearing w/Hearing Aid–RD4/2
|
HE 35-36 |
| DEAF42 |
Person Is Deaf – RD 4/2 |
HE 37 |
| HEARMO42 |
Can Hear Most Conversation – RD 4/2 |
HE 38 |
| HEARSM42 |
Can Hear Some Conversation – RD 4/2 |
HE 39 |
| HEARNG42 |
Hearing Impairment (Summary) – RD 4/2 |
Constructed |
| ANYLIM08 |
Any Limitation in P12R3,4,5/P13R1,2,3 |
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 |
| BPMONT53 |
# Mos Snce Lst Blood Pres Chk (>17) – RD 5/3 |
PC11OV/AP15OV |
| 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 |
| STOOL53 |
Bld Stool Tst Kit/Crds Home (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP23 |
| WHENST53 |
Whn Lst Bld Stool Tst Hme Kit (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP24 |
| BOWEL53 |
Sigmoidoscopy/Colonoscopy (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP25 |
| WHNBWL53 |
Lst Sigmoidoscop/Colonoscop (>17) – RD 5/3 |
AP26 |
| PHYACT53 |
Mod/Vig Phys Activ 3X 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 |
| ADHECR42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Rating of Health care |
SAQ Q12 |
| ADSMOK42 |
SAQ: Currently Smoke |
SAQ Q13 |
| ADNSMK42 |
SAQ 12Mos: Dr Advised to Quit Smoking |
SAQ Q14 |
| ADDRBP42 |
SAQ 2 Yrs: Dr Checked Blood Pressure |
SAQ Q15 |
| ADSPEC42 |
SAQ 12 Mos: Needed to See Specialist |
SAQ Q16 |
| ADSPRF42 |
SAQ 12Mos: How Esy Getting Spec Referral |
SAQ Q17 |
| ADGENH42 |
SAQ: Health in General SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q18 |
| ADDAYA42 |
SAQ: Hlth Limits Mod Activities SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q19 |
| ADCLIM42 |
SAQ: Hlth Limits Climbing Stairs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q20 |
| ADPALS42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Accmp Less B/C Phy Prbs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q21 |
| ADPWLM42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Work Limt B/C Phy Probs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q22 |
| ADMALS42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Accmp Less B/C Mnt Prbs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q23 |
| ADMWLM42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Work Limt B/C Mnt Probs SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q24 |
| ADPAIN42 |
SAQ 4Wks:Pain Limits Normal Work SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q25 |
| ADCAPE42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Felt Calm/Peaceful SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q26 |
| ADNRGY42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Had a Lot of Energy SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q27 |
| ADDOWN42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Felt Downhearted/Depr SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q28 |
| ADSOCA42 |
SAQ 4Wks: Hlth Stopped Soc Activ SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q29 |
| PCS42 |
SAQ:Phy Component Summry SF-12V2 Imputed |
SAQ Q18 – Q29 |
| MCS42 |
SAQ:Mnt Component Summry SF-12V2 Imputed |
SAQ Q18 – Q29 |
| SFFLAG42 |
SAQ: PCS/MCS Imputation Flag SF-12V2 |
SAQ Q18 – Q29 |
| ADNERV42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often Felt Nervous |
SAQ Q30 |
| ADHOPE42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often Felt Hopeless |
SAQ Q31 |
| ADREST42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often Felt Restless |
SAQ Q32 |
| ADSAD42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often Felt Sad |
SAQ Q33 |
| ADEFRT42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Oftn Everythng an Effort |
SAQ Q34 |
| ADWRTH42 |
SAQ 30 Days: How Often Felt Worthless |
SAQ Q35 |
| K6SUM42 |
SAQ 30 Days: Overall Rating of Feelings |
SAQ Q30 – Q35 |
| ADINTR42 |
SAQ 2 Wks: Little Interest in Things |
SAQ Q36 |
| ADDPRS42 |
SAQ 2 Wks: Felt Down/Depressed/Hopeless |
SAQ Q37 |
| PHQ242 |
SAQ 2 Wks: Overall Rating of Feelings |
SAQ Q36 – Q37 |
| ADINSA42 |
SAQ: Do Not Need Health Insurance |
SAQ Q36 |
| ADINSB42 |
SAQ: Health Insurance Not Worth Cost |
SAQ Q37 |
| ADRISK42 |
SAQ: More Likely to Take Risks |
SAQ Q38 |
| ADOVER42 |
SAQ: Can Overcome Ills Without Med Help |
SAQ Q39 |
| ADCMPM42 |
SAQ: Date Completed - Month |
Constructed |
| ADCMPD42 |
SAQ: Date Completed - Day |
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 A1c – 2008 |
DCS Q2 |
| DSFT0953 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked During 2009 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFT0853 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked During 2008 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFT0753 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked During 2007 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFB0753 |
DCS: Had Feet Checked Before 2007 |
DCS Q3 |
| DSFTNV53 |
DCS: Never Had Feet Checked |
DCS Q3 |
| DSEY0953 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam in 2009 |
DCS Q4 |
| DSEY0853 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam in 2008 |
DCS Q4 |
| DSEY0753 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam in 2007 |
DCS Q4 |
| DSEB0753 |
DCS: Dilated Eye Exam Before 2007 |
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 from Care 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 |
| DSCH0953 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked in 2009 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCH0853 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked in 2008 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCH0753 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked in 2007 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCB0753 |
DCS: Blood Cholesterol Checked Before 2007 |
DCS Q5 |
| DSCHNV53 |
DCS: Never Had Blood Cholesterol Checked |
DCS Q5 |
| DSFL0953 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination in 2009 |
DCS Q6 |
| DSFL0853 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination in 2008 |
DCS Q6 |
| DSFL0753 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination in 2007 |
DCS Q6 |
| DSVB0753 |
DCS: Got Flu Vaccination Before 2007 |
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 |
| WKINBD31 |
# Days Missed Work Stayed in Bed (RD31) |
DD04 DD04A |
| WKINBD42 |
# Days Missed Work Stayed in Bed (RD42) |
DD04 |
| WKINBD53 |
# Days Missed Work Stayed in Bed (RD53) |
DD04 DD04A |
| 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 |
| SCLNBD31 |
# Days Missed School Stayd in Bed (RD31) |
DD07 DD07A |
| SCLNBD42 |
# Days Missed School Stayd in Bed (RD42) |
DD07 |
| SCLNBD53 |
# Days Missed School Stayd in Bed (RD53) |
DD07 DD07A |
| DDBDYS31 |
# Oth Day Person Spent in Bed Since Start(RD31) |
DD08 DD08A |
| DDBDYS42 |
# Oth Day Person Spent in Bed Since Start(RD42) |
DD08 |
| DDBDYS53 |
# Oth Day Person Spent in Bed Since Start(RD53) |
DD08 DD08A |
| 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 |
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 |
| USLIVE42 |
AC04 # Yrs Person Lived in US-R4/2 |
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 12/31/08 |
EM 1-4, 51; RJ 1, 6; Constructed |
| HRWG31X |
Hourly Wage RD 3/1 CMJ (Imp) |
EW 5, 7, 11-13, 17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| HRWG42X |
Hourly Wage RD 4/2 CMJ (Imp) |
EW 5, 7, 11-13, 17-18, 24; EM 104, 111 |
| HRWG53X |
Hourly Wage RD 5/3 CMJ (Imp) |
EW 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) |
Constructed |
| NHRWG42 |
Updated Hrly Wage RD 4/2 CMJ (Edited) |
Constructed |
| NHRWG53 |
Updated Hrly Wage RD 5/3 CMJ (Edited) |
Constructed |
| 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; RJ 01AA, 06A |
| TEMPJB42 |
Is CMJ a Temporary Job RD 4/2 |
EM 105C, 111C; RJ 01AA, 06A |
| TEMPJB53 |
Is CMJ a Temporary Job RD 5/3 |
EM 105C, 111C; RJ 01AA, 06A |
| SSNLJB31 |
Is CMJ a Seasonal Job RD 3/1 |
EM 105D, 111D; RJ 01AAA, 06AA |
| SSNLJB42 |
Is CMJ a Seasonal Job RD 4/2 |
EM 105D, 111D; RJ 01AAA, 06AA |
| SSNLJB53 |
Is CMJ a Seasonal Job RD 5/3 |
EM 105D, 111D; RJ 01AAA, 06AA |
| 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 |
| YNOINS31 |
Why Not Eligible Health Ins RD 3/1 CMJ |
EM115B, RJ08AAAA |
| YNOINS42 |
Why Not Eligible Health Ins RD 4/2 CMJ |
EM115B, RJ08AAAA |
| YNOINS53 |
Why Not Eligible Health Ins RD 5/3 CMJ |
EM115B, RJ08AAAA |
Return To Table Of Contents
HEALTH INSURANCE VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
MONTHLY HEALTH INSURANCECOVERGE INDICATORS
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| TRImm08X |
Covered by TRICARE/CHAMPVA in mm 08 (Ed), where mm = JA-DE |
HX12, 13, PR19-22, HQ Section |
| MCRmm08 |
Covered by Medicare in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX05-07, 27, 29, 29OV |
| MCRmm08X |
Covered by Medicare in mm 08 (Ed), where mm = JA-DE |
HX05-07, 27, 29, 29OV, see Section 2.5.9.1 for additional edit specifications |
| MCDmm08 |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX10-11, PR07-10 and HQ Section |
| MCDmm08X |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP in mm 08 (Ed), where mm = JA-DE |
MCDmm08, HX14-16, 18-19, 41-43, 45, PR11-14, 23-32, 39-42 |
| OPAmm08 |
Cov by Other Public A Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX14-15, 41-45, PR 23-32 and HQ Section |
| OPBmm08 |
Cov by Other Public B Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX14-15, 41-43, PR23-30 and HQ Section |
| STAmm08 |
Covered by Other State Prog in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX16-19, PR35-38 and HQ Section |
| PUBmm08X |
Covr by Any Public Ins in mm 08 (Ed), where mm = JA-DE |
TRImm08X, MCRmm08X, MCDmm08X, OPAmm08, OPBmm08 |
| PEGmm08 |
Covered by Empl Union Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX2-4, 21-24, 48; HP, OE, HQ, EM, RJ Sections |
| PDKmm08 |
Covr by Priv Ins (Source Unknwn) mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE, and HQ Sections |
| PNGmm08 |
Covered by Nongroup Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE, and HQ Sections |
| POGmm08 |
Covered by Other Group Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE, and HQ Sections |
| PRSmm08 |
Covered by Self-Emp-1 Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX3, 4, 48, HQ, OE, RJ and EM sections |
| POUmm08 |
Covered by Holder Outside of RU in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HX21-24, 48, HP, OE, and HQ Sections |
| PRImm08 |
Covered by Private Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
POGmm08, PDKmm08, PEGmm08, PRSmm08, POUmm08, PNGmm08 |
| HPEmm08 |
Holder of Empl Union Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
PEGmm08, HP9, 11 |
| HPDmm08 |
Holder of Priv Ins (Source Unknwn) mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
PDKmm08; HP11 |
| HPNmm08 |
Holder of Nongroup Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
PNGmm08; HP11 |
| HPOmm08 |
Holder of Other Group Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
POGmm08; HP11 |
| HPSmm08 |
Holder of Self-Emp-1 Ins in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
PRSmm08; HP9 |
| HPRmm08 |
Holder of Private Insurance in mm 08, where mm = JA-DE |
HPEmm08, HPSmm08, HPOmm08, HPNmm08, HPDmm08 |
| INSmm08X |
Covr by Hosp/Med Ins in mm 08 (Ed), where mm = JA-DE |
PUBmm08X, PRImm08 |
Return To Table Of Contents
SUMMARY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE INDICATORS
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| PRVEV08 |
Ever Have Private Insurance during 08 |
Constructed |
| TRIEV08 |
Ever Have TRICARE/CHAMPVA during 08 |
Constructed |
| MCREV08 |
Ever Have Medicare during 08 (ED) |
Constructed |
| MCDEV08 |
Ever Have Medicaid/SCHIP during 08 (ED) |
Constructed |
| OPAEV08 |
Ever Have Other Public A Ins during 08 |
Constructed |
| OPBEV08 |
Ever Have Other Public B Ins during 08 |
Constructed |
| UNINS08 |
Uninsured All of 08 |
Constructed |
| INSCOV08 |
Health Insurance Coverage Indicator 08 |
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 |
| TRIST08X |
Covered by TRICARE Standard – 12/31/08 |
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 |
| TRIPR08X |
Covered by TRICARE Prime – 12/31/08 |
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 |
| TRIEX08X |
Covered by TRICARE Extra – 12/31/08 |
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 |
| TRILI08X |
Covered by TRICARE for Life – 12/31/08 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRICH31X |
Covered by TRICARE CHAMPVA – R3/1 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRICH42X |
Covered by TRICARE CHAMPVA – R4/2 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| TRICH08X |
Covered by TRICARE CHAMPVA – 12/31/08 |
HX12, 12A, 13, PR19, 19A, 20-22, HQ Section |
| MCRPD31 |
Cov By Medicare Pmed Benefit – R3/1 |
HX05-07, HX30A, PR01A, HQ Section |
| MCRPD42 |
Cov By Medicare Pmed Benefit – R4/2 |
HX05-07, HX30A, PR01A, HQ Section |
| MCRPD08 |
Cov By Medicare Pmed Benefit – 12/31/08 |
HX05-07, HX30A, PR01A, 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 |
| MCRPD08X |
Cov By Mcare Pmed Benefit–12/31/08(ED) |
MCARE08X, MCAID08X, MCRPD08 |
| 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 |
| MCRPHO08 |
Covered By Medicare Managed Care – 12/31/08 |
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 |
| MCDHMO08 |
Covred By Medicaid or SCHIP HMO – 12/31/08 |
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 |
| MCDMC08 |
Cov By Mcaid/SCHIP Gtkeepr Plan-12/31/08 |
MCDHMO03, 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 |
| PRVHMO08 |
Covered by Private HMO –12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRVMNC08 |
Covered by Priv Gatekeeper Plan-12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRVDRL08 |
Cov by Priv Plan w/Doctor List-12/31/08 |
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 |
| PHMONP08 |
Cov by HMO-Pays Non-Plan Drs-12/31/08 |
PRVHMO08, 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 |
| PMNCNP08 |
Cov by Gatekp-Pays Non-Plan Drs-12/31/08 |
PRVMNC08, 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 |
| PRDRNP08 |
Cov by Dr List-Pays Non-Plan Dr-12/31/08 |
PRVDRL08, MC04, MC01-03, HX2-4, 21-24,48; HP,
OE, HQ, EM, and RJ Sections |
Return To Table Of Contents
DURATION OF HEALTH INSURANCE VARIABLES
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| PREVCOVR |
Per Cov by Ins in Prev 2 Yrs–Panl 13 Only |
HX64 |
| COVRMM |
Month Most Recently Covered–Panel 13 Only |
HX65 |
| COVRYY |
Year Most Recently Covered–Panel 13 Only |
HX65 |
| WASESTB |
Was Prev Ins by Empl or Union–Pnl 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASMCARE |
Was Prev Ins by Medicare–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASMCAID |
Was Prev Ins by Mcaid/SCHIP–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASCHAMP |
Was Prev Ins TRICARE/Champva–Panl 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASVA |
Was Prev Ins VA/Militar Care–Panl 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASPRIV |
Was Prev Ins Grp/Assoc/Ins Co–Pnl 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASOTGOV |
Was Prev Ins by Oth Gov Prg–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASAFDC |
Was Prev Ins by Public AFDC–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSSI |
Was Prev Ins by SSI Program–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT1 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat Prog 1–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT2 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat Prog 2–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT3 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat Prog 3–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASSTAT4 |
Was Prev Ins by Stat Prog 4–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| WASOTHER |
Was Prev Ins by Oth Source–Panel 13 Only |
HX66, HX78 |
| NOINSBEF |
Evr Wout Hlth Insr Prev Yr–Panel 13 Only |
HX70 |
| NOINSTM |
# Wks/Mon Wout Hlth Ins Prv Yr–Pnl 13 Onl |
HX71 |
| NOINUNIT |
Unit Of Time Wout Hlth Ins–Panel 13 Only |
HX71OV |
| MORECOVR |
Cov by Mor Compr Pl Prev 2 Yr–Pnl 13 Only |
HX76 |
| INSENDMM |
Month Most Recently Covd–Panel 13 Only |
HX77 |
| INSENDYY |
Year Most Recently Covd–Panel 13 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 |
| TRICR08X |
Cov by TRICR/CHAMV - 12/31/08 (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 |
| TRIAT08X |
Any Time Cov TRICARE/CHAMPVA - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| MCAID08 |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP - 12/31/08 |
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 Medicaid/SCHIP 12-31/R3 Int Dt (Ed)
|
Constructed |
| MCAID08X |
Cov by Medicaid or SCHIP - 12/31/08 (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 |
| MCARE08 |
Cov by Medicare - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| MCARE08X |
Cov by Medicare - 12/31/08 (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 |
| MCDAT08X |
Any Time Cov Medicaid or SCHIP-12/31/08 |
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 |
| OTPAAT08 |
Any Cov Ot Gov Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-12/31/08 |
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 |
| OTPBAT08 |
Any Cv Ot Gv Nt Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-12/31/08 |
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 |
| OTPUBA08 |
Cov/Pay Oth Gov Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-12/31/08 |
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 |
| OTPUBB08 |
Cov Oth Gov Not Mcaid/SCHIP HMO-12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRIDK08 |
Cov by Priv Ins (Dk Plan) - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRIEU08 |
Cov by Empl/Union Grp Ins - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRING08 |
Cov by Non-Group Ins - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRIOG08 |
Cov by Other Group Ins - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRIS08 |
Cov by Self-Emp-1 Ins - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PRIV08 |
Cov by Priv Hlth Ins - 12/31/08 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT31 |
Any Time Cov Private Ins - R3/1 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT42 |
Any Time Cov Private Ins - R4/2 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT53 |
Any Time Cov Private Ins - R5/3 |
Constructed |
| PRIVAT08 |
Any Time Cov Private Ins - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PROUT08 |
Cov by Someone Out Of Ru - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| PUB08X |
Cov by Public Ins - 12/31/08 (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 |
| PUBAT08X |
Any Time Cov by Public - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| INS08X |
Insured - 12/31/08 (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 |
| INSAT08X |
Insured Any Time in R5/R3 until 12/31/08 |
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 |
| STAPR08 |
Cov by State-Spec Prog - 12/31/08 |
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 |
| STPRAT08 |
Any Time Cov by State Ins - 12/31/08 |
Constructed |
| EVRUNINS |
Ever Uninsured in 08 Using PRIV/PUBX |
Constructed |
| EVRUNAT |
Ever Uninsured in 08 Using PRIVAT/PUBATX |
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 08 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| DNTINS08 |
Dental Ins - R5/R3 until 12/31/08 |
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 08 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
| PMDINS08 |
Pmed Ins - R5/R3 until 12/31/08 |
HX48, OE10, OE24, OE37 |
Return To Table Of Contents
THIRD PARTY PAYER VARIABLES – PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
LABEL |
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 |
| PMEDOP31 |
Out-of-Pocket Payment For Last PMED-R3/1 |
CP01C/CP01COV1 |
| PMEDOP42 |
Out-of-Pocket Payment For Last PMED-R4/2 |
CP01C/CP01COV1 |
| PMEDOP53 |
Out-of-Pocket Payment For Last PMED-R5/3 |
CP01C/CP01COV1 |
Return To Table Of Contents
EXPERIENCES WITH PUBLIC PLAN VARIABLES – PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| GDCPBM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Prb Get Pers Doc-R4/2 |
SP24 |
| APRTRM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Need Apprv 4 Trt-R4/2 |
SP25 |
| APRDLM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Dly Wait 4 Apprv-R4/2 |
SP26 |
| LKINFM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Look 4 Plan Info-R4/2 |
SP27 |
| PBINFM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Prob Findng Info-R4/2 |
SP28 |
| CSTSVM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Call Custmr Serv-R4/2 |
SP29 |
| PBSVCM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Prb w Cusrvc Hlp-R4/2 |
SP30 |
| PPRWKM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Comp Plan Pprwrk -R4/2 |
SP31 |
| PBPWKM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP/O Pub: Prb W Pln Pprwrk -R4/2 |
SP32 |
| RTPLNM42 |
Mcaid/SCHIP O Pub: Rate Exp W Plan -R4/2 |
SP33 |
| GDCPBT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Prob Getting Pers Doc-R4/2 |
SP35 |
| APRTRT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Need Apprvl 4 Treatmnt-R4/2 |
SP36 |
| APRDLT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Delay Waiting 4 Apprvl-R4/2 |
SP37 |
| LKINFT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Info on How Plan Works-R4/2 |
SP38 |
| PBINFT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Problem Finding Info-R4/2 |
SP39 |
| CSTSVT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Call Customer Service-R4/2 |
SP40 |
| PBSVCT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Prob Get Help Fr Cst Srvc-R4/2 |
SP41 |
| PPRWKT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Fill Out Paperwrk 4 Pln-R4/2 |
SP42 |
| PBPWKT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Prob w Plan Paperwork-R4/2 |
SP43 |
| RTPLNT42 |
TRICR/CHAMV: Rate Experience w Plan-R4/2 |
SP44 |
Return To Table Of Contents
PERSON-LEVEL UTILIZATION VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| OBTOTV08 |
# Office-Based Provider Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| OBDRV08 |
# Office-Based Physician Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| OBOTHV08 |
# Office-Based Non-Physician Vsts 2008 |
Constructed |
| OBCHIR08 |
# Office-Based Chiropractor Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| OBNURS08 |
# Off-Based Nurse/Practitioner Vsts 2008 |
Constructed |
| OBOPTO08 |
# Office-Based Optometrist Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| OBASST08 |
# Office-Based Physician Ass’t Vsts 2008 |
Constructed |
| OBTHER08 |
# Office-Based PT/OT Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| OPTOTV08 |
# Outpatient Dept Provider Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| OPDRV08 |
# Outpatient Dept Physician Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| OPOTHV08 |
# Outpatient Dept Non-DR Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| ERTOT08 |
# Emergency Room Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| IPZERO08 |
# Zero-Night Hospital Stays 2008 |
Constructed |
| IPDIS08 |
# Hospital Discharges 2008 |
Constructed |
| IPNGT08 |
# Nights in Hosp for Discharges 2008 |
Constructed |
| DVTOT08 |
# Dental Care Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| DVGEN08 |
# General Dentist Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| DVORTH08 |
# Orthodontist Visits 2008 |
Constructed |
| HHTOTD08 |
# Home Health Provider Days 2008 |
Constructed |
| HHAGD08 |
# Agency Home Health Provider Days 2008 |
Constructed |
| HHINDD08 |
# Non-Agency Home Hlth Providr Days 2008 |
Constructed |
| HHINFD08 |
# Informal Home Hlth Provider Days 2008 |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
WEIGHTS VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
| VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
| PERWT08P |
Use File Person Weight |
Constructed |
| SAQWT08P |
Use File SAQ Weight |
Constructed |
| DIABW08P |
Use File Diabetes Care Supplement Weight |
Constructed |
| VARSTR |
Variance Estimation Stratum - 2008 |
Constructed |
| VARPSU |
Variance Estimation PSU - 2008 |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
|
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