MEPS HC-074: 2003 Jobs File
May 2005
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 Insurance Component
4.0 Survey Management
C. Technical and Programming Information
1.0 General Information
2.0 Using MEPS Data for Trend and Longitudinal Analysis
3.0 Data File Information
3.1 Codebook Structure
3.2 Reserved Codes
3.3 Codebook Format
3.4 Variable Source and Naming Conventions
D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
Appendix 1: Sample SAS Program
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
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) provides
nationally representative estimates of health care use, expenditures, sources of
payment, and insurance coverage for the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized
population. MEPS is cosponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
MEPS is a family of three surveys. The Household Component
(HC) is the core survey and forms the basis for the Medical Provider Component
(MPC) and part of the Insurance Component (IC). Together these surveys yield
comprehensive data that provide national estimates of the level and distribution
of health care use and expenditures, support health services research, and can
be used to assess health care policy implications.
MEPS is the third in a series of national probability
surveys conducted by AHRQ on the financing and use of medical care in the United
States. The National Medical Care Expenditure Survey (NMCES, also known as
NMES-1) was conducted in 1977 and the National Medical Expenditure Survey
(NMES-2) in 1987. Since 1996, MEPS continues this series with design
enhancements and efficiencies that provide a more current data resource to
capture the changing dynamics of the health care delivery and insurance system.
The design efficiencies incorporated into MEPS are in
accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Survey
Integration Plan of June 1995, which focused on consolidating DHHS surveys,
achieving cost efficiencies, reducing respondent burden, and enhancing
analytical capacities. To advance these goals, MEPS includes linkage with the
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) - a survey conducted by NCHS from which
the sample for the MEPS HC is drawn - and enhanced longitudinal data collection
for core survey components. The MEPS HC augments NHIS by selecting a sample of
NHIS respondents, collecting additional data on their health care expenditures,
and linking these data with additional information collected from the
respondents' medical providers, employers, and insurance providers.
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Contents
1.0 Household Component
The MEPS HC, a nationally representative survey of the
U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, collects medical expenditure
data at both the person and household levels. The HC collects detailed data on
demographic characteristics, health conditions, health status, use of medical
care services, charges and payments, access to care, satisfaction with care,
health insurance coverage, income, and employment.
The HC uses an overlapping panel design in which data are
collected through a preliminary contact followed by a series of five rounds of
interviews over a 2 ½-year period. Using computer-assisted personal interviewing
(CAPI) technology, data on medical expenditures and use for two calendar years
are collected from each household. This series of data collection rounds is
launched each subsequent year on a new sample of households to provide
overlapping panels of survey data and, when combined with other ongoing panels,
will provide continuous and current estimates of health care expenditures.
The sampling frame for the MEPS HC is drawn from
respondents to NHIS. NHIS provides a nationally representative sample of the
U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, with oversampling of Hispanics
and blacks.
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2.0 Medical Provider Component
The MEPS MPC supplements and/or replaces information on
medical care events reported in the MEPS HC by contacting medical providers and
pharmacies identified by household respondents. The MPC sample includes all home
health agencies and pharmacies reported by HC respondents. Office-based
physicians, hospitals, and hospital physicians are also included in the MPC but
may be subsampled at various rates, depending on burden and resources, in
certain years.
Data are collected on medical and financial
characteristics of medical and pharmacy events reported by HC respondents. The
MPC is conducted through telephone interviews and record abstraction.
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3.0 Insurance Component
The MEPS IC collects data on health insurance plans
obtained through private and public-sector employers. Data obtained in the IC
include the number and types of private insurance plans offered, benefits
associated with these plans, premiums, contributions by employers and employees,
eligibility requirements, and employer characteristics.
Establishments participating in the MEPS IC are selected
through three sampling frames:
- A list of employers or other insurance providers
identified by MEPS HC respondents who report having private health insurance
at the Round 1 interview.
- A Bureau of the Census list frame of private sector
business establishments.
- The Census of Governments from the Bureau of the
Census.
To provide an integrated picture of health insurance, data
collected from the first sampling frame (employers and insurance providers
identified by MEPS HC respondents) are linked back to data provided by those
respondents. Data from the two Census Bureau sampling frames are used to produce
annual national and state estimates of the supply and cost of private health
insurance available to American workers and to evaluate policy issues pertaining
to health insurance. National estimates of employer contributions to group
insurance from the MEPS IC are used in the computation of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The MEPS IC is an annual survey. Data are collected from
the selected organizations through a prescreening telephone interview, a mailed
questionnaire, and a telephone follow-up for nonrespondents.
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4.0 Survey Management
MEPS data are collected under the authority of the Public
Health Service Act. They are edited and published in accordance with the
confidentiality provisions of this act and the Privacy Act. 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, microdata files and compendiums of tables. Data are released through
MEPSnet, an online interactive tool developed to give users the ability to
statistically analyze MEPS data in real time. Summary reports and compendiums of
tables are released as printed documents and electronic files. Microdata files
are released on electronic files.
Selected printed documents are available through the AHRQ
Publications Clearinghouse. Write or call:
AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse
Attn: (publication number)
P.O. Box 8547
Silver Spring, MD 20907
800-358-9295
410-381-3150 (callers outside the United
States only)
888-586-6340 (toll-free TDD service; hearing
impaired only)
Be sure to specify the AHRQ number of the document you are
requesting.
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
Section C of this document offers a brief overview of the
data provided in MEPS public use release HC-074, as well as the content and
structure of the codebook, reserved code values and variable naming conventions.
It is followed by Section D containing the Variable-Source Crosswalk, and
Appendix 1 containing sample SAS program code. A copy of the survey instrument
used to collect the information on this file is available on the MEPS web site:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov.
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Contents
1.0 General Information
In the Employment section, MEPS collects complete
job-related information in the round in which a job is first reported. While
they vary by job type (see Section 3.0), the data reported for a job in its
first survey round may include earnings by type (gross salary, tips, etc.),
start and stop dates, hours and weeks worked, establishment size and industry,
occupation, presence of retirement and other benefits, self-employment versus
other status, temporary or seasonal situations, and health insurance
availability. Minimal data updates are available for later rounds in which the
job continues.
Each Full Year Jobs file contains job records from two
MEPS panels. The Jobs file provided in this release, MEPS HC-074, contains
job-level information collected in Rounds 3 through 5 for the seventh panel and
Rounds 1 through 3 for the eighth panel of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
(i.e., the rounds for the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2003), as
illustrated below.
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Calendar
2002 through 2004
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
In order to obtain complete information for a job, users
must note the round in which the job is first reported. This is because MEPS
collects complete Jobs information in that round only, as noted above.
For the first year panel, in this case Panel 8, data from
Rounds 1, 2, and 3 are included in the Jobs file. Complete information for any
Panel 8 job is available, whether that job was first reported in Round 1, 2, or
3. This is the case for any first year panel (the panel that began its first
year of interviewing in the given year) in a Full-Year Jobs file.
For the second year panel (the panel that continued with
its second year of interviewing in the given year), in this case Panel 7, data
from Rounds 3, 4, and 5 are included in this file. If the Round 3, 4, or 5 job
continued from Round 1 or 2, users must look back to the Jobs file from the
previous year (2002) to obtain complete information for the job. Appendix 1
includes sample SAS code to assist users in obtaining this information. Users
should note that, because of differences in sample composition
between the current year and the previous year files (i.e. a person
was included in the previous year's delivery but not the current year or vice
versa), or because more accurate information was received in Round 4 or 5
comments following the delivery of the Rounds 1 - 3 Jobs records in the previous
year, there occasionally may not be a corresponding Round 1 or Round 2 job in
the previous year file.
This file is being released as a research file and has not
undergone the standard quality control procedures usually performed on MEPS data
files. The file includes a total of 56,860 records, with each record
representing a unique job for a person by round. This file presents information
about jobs starting on or before 12/31/2003 only. The 2004 MEPS Jobs file
release will present information on Panel 8 jobs starting in 2004.
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2.0 Using MEPS Data for Trend and
Longitudinal Analysis
MEPS began in 1996 and several annual data files have been
released. As more years of data are produced, MEPS will become increasingly
valuable for examining health care trends. 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 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 or MEPS survey methodology.
Looking at changes over longer periods of time can provide a more complete
picture of underlying trends. Analysts may wish to consider using techniques to
smooth or stabilize trends analyses of MEPS data such as pooling time periods
for comparison (e.g. 1996-97 versus 1998-99), 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 because performing numerous
statistical significance tests of trends increases the likelihood of
inappropriately concluding a change is statistically significant.
The records on this file can be linked to all other 2003
MEPS-HC public use data sets by the sample person identifier (DUPERSID).
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3.0 Data File Information
Jobs Records
Each record in the Jobs file represents
one job reported by a person in a round. The unique record identifier is the
variable JOBSIDX, which is comprised of a person identifier (DUID + PID), a
round identifier (RN), and a job number (JOBSN). A panel indicator (PANEL) is
included on the file to distinguish Round 3 jobs held by Panel 7 persons from
Round 3 jobs held by those in Panel 8.
All persons age 16 and older in the MEPS
are asked to report on jobs held. Depending on an individual's job history,
these reported jobs may be held:
- at the interview date,
- in the round but prior to the interview date, or
- prior to the round.
Only those persons reporting a job in a
round will have a record on the Jobs file for that round.
Initial Reporting Round
Most persons held only one job at the first interview date
- their "Current Main Job." Persons who held more than one job at the round's
interview date (a current job) were asked to identify the main job. This job was
classified as the "Current Main Job" and any other simultaneously held job was
classified as a "Current Miscellaneous Job." The MEPS also obtained some
information on any former job (Former Main Job or Former Miscellaneous Job) held
in the reference period but not at the interview date. For those persons neither
working at the interview date nor earlier in the reference period, limited
information on the last job the person held was collected. Additionally, for
those persons age 55 or older who indicated that they retired from a job, the
MEPS obtained some job-level information (Retirement Job).
The variable SUBTYPE indicates the type of job record -
current main (1), current miscellaneous (2), former main (3), former
miscellaneous (4), last job outside reference period (5), or retirement job (6).
When a job is initially reported, MEPS asks for detailed information about any
"Current Main Job" and "Current Miscellaneous Job" and basic information about
other job types. Refer to the questionnaire to see which information was asked
for each job type. It is important to note that the retirement job
classification in the variable SUBTYPE is independent of the retirement response
in the variable YLEFT, which relates to the question why a person left a
previous job.
Job Updates and Inapplicable (-1) Values
The MEPS used dependent interviewing in Rounds 3, 4, and 5
for Panel 7 and in Rounds 2 and 3 for Panel 8 (see section RJ in the employment
section of the questionnaire). In these rounds, the MEPS asked persons who held
current main and current miscellaneous jobs at the previous round interview date
whether they were still working at these jobs. For other job types (former,
last, or retirement) reported in the previous round, MEPS does not ask any
follow-up questions. These jobs, by definition, are no longer held by the person
and therefore are not included on the file except in the round they are first
reported.
With dependent interviewing, if a person still held a
Current Main Job from the previous round, the MEPS asked whether the job was
still the main job. Most persons reported that they still worked at the same job
and it was still their main job. If, in a subsequent interview, a job was no
longer held, it was designated as a former job for that follow-up round. It is
also possible, although unusual, for a job to change from main or miscellaneous
(or vice versa) in a round subsequent to the initial report.
If job status remained the same for a continuing job
(either main or miscellaneous), the MEPS asked only a subset of the employment
questions as a review. Because the MEPS asked only this subset of questions if
job status for a person did not change in later rounds, many job-level variables
on the subsequent round's job records are coded as inapplicable (-1); the
complete information is on the record for the job in the first round in which it
was reported. Thus, it is important to determine whether a job in a
subsequent round continues from the previous round when working with the job
records. In rounds where this applies, the variables STILLAT (for jobs that were
current main in the previous round) and STILLWRK (for jobs that were current
miscellaneous in the previous round) indicate whether a person still holds the
job at the subsequent round interview date. The variable SUBTYPE on the
subsequent round record indicates whether the job is main or miscellaneous in
that subsequent round. Note that if a Panel 7 job included in this 2003 file is
continued from a Round 1 or 2 job, much of the information will be contained in
the 2002 MEPS Jobs file (HC-063). Use that file to obtain the desired job
characteristics. Appendix 1 provides a sample SAS program showing how to do
this.
Any new job reported in a round following the initial
interview is collected the same way as in the first interview round.
Variables that relate only to the review of a job reported
in a previous round (Y_CHANGE, MAIN_JOB, OFFTAKEI, NOWTAKEI, WHY_LEFT, STILLAT,
STILLWRK, DIFFWAGE, WHY_DIFF, WORKSTAT) were not asked in Round 1, and these
variables are coded as inapplicable (-1) on a Jobs record for the round in which
the job is initially reported.
Exceptions to the Inapplicable (-1) Rule
Unlike the situation explained above for most variables on
the file, for certain variables a value other than inapplicable (-1) does not
necessarily mean that a job is newly reported. There are two distinct situations
in which this special treatment is used, due to internal processing needs.
In the first situation, questions related to the affected
variables are skipped over as inapplicable
(-1) during the interview in rounds subsequent to the one in which the job was
initially reported, but have their originally reported response carried forward
from round to round. This group includes the following 13 variables:
EMPLINS, HRSPRWK, HRS35WK, JOBTYPE, JSTRTY, JSTRTM, JSTRTD, MORELOC,
NUMEMPS, OFFRDINS, PROVDINS, TYPEEMPL, and UNIONNUM.
In the other situation, there are certain questions that
are asked during the review of a job in rounds following the round in which the
job was initially reported. If there is no change based on the review, the value
for the affected variable is copied forward from the previous round. If there is
a change, the variable is updated to reflect the new information. These five
variables are: JSTOPY, NOWTAKEI, OFFTAKEI, SUBTYPE and TOTLEMP.
Variables related to earnings (such as HRLYWAGE, GROSSPAY,
SALARIED) are treated similarly to the five variables just discussed. In the
review section, the MEPS attempted to obtain information regarding changes in
wages for the same job from round to round. If there were no wage changes
(indicated by the DIFFWAGE variable), then the most recent round's information
was carried forward. If changes were recorded, then the relevant variables were
updated. For every new job reported for a person, the MEPS attempted to obtain
current wage information.
Top-Coding
For reasons of confidentiality, earnings variables on the
file were top-coded. The earnings variables include HRLYWAGE, BONSAMT, COMMAMT,
TIPSAMT, DAYWAGE, WKLYAMT, GROSSPAY, MAKEAMT, and OTHRWAGE. A value of '-10' for
one of these variables on a record indicates that the variable had a positive
value and that the hourly rate for that earnings variable for the record was
greater than or equal to $97.50. To calculate the hourly rate for earnings types
not reported on an hourly basis, the number of hours per week worked and in some
cases the number of weeks worked were used in conjunction with the various
amounts. These hours and weeks are included on the file along with the reported
earnings amounts, but not the calculated hourly rates. (Earnings variables were
not reconciled with income data collected elsewhere in the MEPS.)
Also for confidentiality reasons, the establishment size
variables NUMEMPS (establishment size for jobs held by wage earners) and TOTLEMP
(establishment size for self-employed jobs) were top-coded as '-10' for
establishment sizes greater than or equal to 10,000 employees.
It is important to note that the establishment size
variable for the self-employed is TOTLEMP, while the establishment size for wage
earners can be found in NUMEMPS and ESTMATE1. The variable ESTMATE1 is derived
from a question that allowed wage earners who did not know the actual
establishment size (NUMEMPS) to choose from a number of size ranges.
Temporary and Seasonal Jobs
Two variables on the file pertain to the temporary and
seasonal nature of a person's main or miscellaneous job. The variable
TEMPJOB indicates whether a main or miscellaneous job is temporary (e.g., is a
current main job for a limited amount of time or until the completion of a
project). The variable SESNLJOB indicates either that a main or miscellaneous
job is available only during certain times of the year or that the individual is
working throughout the entire year at that job. Teachers and other school
personnel who work only during the school year are considered to work year
round. In the collection instrument, the questions related to temporary and
seasonal job characteristics are asked both when a current job is initially
reported as well as during a review of that job. If a respondent reports during
a review of a job that the job has ended, the questions are still asked. These
questions are not asked of newly reported former miscellaneous jobs, last
job outside of reference period, and retirement jobs.
Health Insurance Data
Questions about employment-related health insurance are
asked both when any type of job is newly reported and when any continuing job is
reviewed. For main jobs, either newly reported or changing from miscellaneous,
the variable that indicates whether insurance is held through that establishment
is EMPLINS. For all non-main jobs, the variable JOBHASHI indicates whether
insurance is held through that establishment.
For a newly reported job, depending on whether
employment-related insurance is held or not, there may be follow-up information
gathered which is contained in the following variables:
- OFFRDINS which notes if insurance was not
held whether it was offered;
- DIFFPLNS which notes if a choice of plans is
available where insurance is either offered or held;
- ANYINS which notes if insurance coverage is
available to any other employees at the establishment in cases
where the jobholder does not hold and is not offered coverage; and
- ELIGINSR which notes why the jobholder is not
eligible for coverage in cases where other employees at the
establishment are offered coverage.
For a continuing job, when no insurance was held in the
round in which the job was first reported but insurance was offered, OFFTAKEI is
asked to determine if it is now held in this round. If not, there is no
follow-up regarding insurance coverage through that job. When insurance was not
previously held nor offered, the follow-up questions in the RJ section relate to
the following variables:
- NOWTAKEI indicates if insurance is now held
through the establishment. If not, the jobholder is asked if health
insurance was offered (ESTBTHRU).
- If insurance was not offered, follow-up questions
are asked regarding insurance availability to any employees and why the
jobholder is not eligible for that coverage as noted in the variables
INSESTB and NELIGINS.
- If insurance was held for a portion of the
previous round or the respondent disavows coverage in the Health
Insurance section that was previously indicated in the Employment
section of the interview, only NOWTAKEI is asked in subsequent rounds.
Skip Patterns
Due to many skip patterns, it is recommended that users of
the Jobs file become familiar with the Employment section in the MEPS
questionnaire. To aid users, a crosswalk between variables and MEPS
questionnaire numbers is provided in this release. The following examples of
variables involved in skip patterns are presented to be illustrative; these
examples do not represent the full range of variables affected by questionnaire
skip patterns.
In one example of a skip pattern, the MEPS did not obtain
job-related benefits such as vacation, sick leave and pension information for
self-employed jobs, so those variables are coded as inapplicable (-1) for those
types of jobs. Nor did the MEPS attempt to obtain wage, salary, and information
regarding whether the job was in the private sector, federal or local government
(TYPEEMPL) for the self-employed. So again, due to the skip pattern, TYPEEMPL is
coded as inapplicable (-1) for self-employed jobs.
Conversely, the questions relating to business
organization type (BUSINC, PROPRIET) were asked only of the self-employed, so
the skip pattern results in those variables being coded inapplicable (-1) for
jobs performed by wage earners.
Industry and Occupation Coding
Industry and occupation codes were assigned by
professional coders at the Census Bureau based on verbatim descriptions provided
by respondents during the survey interview. The codes are determined at a
detailed 4-digit level and then collapsed into broader groups on the file to
ensure the confidentiality of the records. INDCODEX contains industry
information and OCCCODEX contains occupation information.
As of the Full Year 2002 MEPS deliveries, the Census
Bureau began using an updated coding scheme for both industry and occupation.
Therefore, the industry and occupation variables for pre-2002 files are not
comparable to those for 2002 and later files. See the 2002 Jobs File (HC-063)
for crosswalks of the 2003 (new) and 1990 (old) detailed-to-condensed Census
industry and occupation codes.
This 2003 Jobs file does not include any weights necessary
to extrapolate this data to the U.S. population. To make person-level estimates,
link to any of the 2003 MEPS files and use the person-level weight for the
appropriate panel. The link should be made through the variable DUPERSID. Note
that not all persons in the MEPS have positive weights and job records; only
those persons who have either a positive person-level or family-level weight in
the 2003 Full-Year Person-Level file are included in the 2003 Jobs file.
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3.1 Codebook Structure
For each variable on the 2003 Jobs file, an unweighted
frequency is provided in both a pdf (H74cb.pdf)and asp (H74cb.asp)
codebook file.
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3.2 Reserved Codes
The following reserved code values are
used:
VALUE |
DEFINITION |
-1 INAPPLICABLE |
Question was not asked due to skip pattern |
-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 TOP-CODED
VALUE |
Variable was top-coded for
confidentiality, as described above |
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3.3 Codebook Format
This codebook describes an ASCII data set (with related
SAS and SPSS programming statements), although the data are also provided in a
SAS transport file. The following codebook items are provided for each variable:
Identifier |
Description |
Name |
Variable name (maximum of 8 characters) |
Description |
Variable descriptor (maximum of 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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3.4 Variable Source and Naming
Conventions
In general, variable names reflect the content of the
variable, with an 8-character limitation. Variables contained on this file were
derived from the questionnaire itself or from the CAPI. The source of each
variable is identified in Section D. Variable-Source Crosswalk. Sources for each
variable are indicated in one of two ways:
- Variables derived from CAPI or assigned in
sampling are so indicated as "CAPI Derived" or "Assigned in
Sampling," respectively;
- Variables that come from one or more specific
questions have those questionnaire sections and/or question numbers
listed in the "Source" column.
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D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
FOR MEPS PUBLIC USE RELEASE HC-074
SURVEY ADMINISTRATION VARIABLES - PUBLIC
USE
VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
JOBSIDX |
JOBS ID Number |
CAPI Derived |
DUPERSID |
Sample Person ID (DUID + PID) |
Assigned in Sampling |
DUID |
Dwelling Unit ID |
Assigned in Sampling |
PID |
Person Number |
Assigned in Sampling |
RN |
Round |
CAPI Derived |
JOBSN |
JOBS Number |
CAPI Derived |
PANEL |
Panel to which Jobholder Belongs |
Assigned in Sampling |
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EMPLOYMENT VARIABLES - PUBLIC USE
VARIABLE |
DESCRIPTION |
SOURCE |
JOBTYPE |
Self-Employed or Work for Someone Else |
EM05, EM11, EM18, EM27, EM40, EM53, EM70, EM82 |
JSTRTM |
Job Start Date - Month |
EM10OV1-2, EM16OV1-2, EM25OV1-2, EM34OV1-2, EM47OV1-2, EM60OV1-2 |
JSTRTD |
Job Start Date - Day |
EM10OV1, EM16OV1, EM25OV1, EM34OV1, EM47OV1, EM60OV1 |
JSTRTY |
Job Start Date - Year |
EM10, EM16, EM25, EM34, EM47, EM60 |
JSTOPM |
Job Stop Date - Month |
EM35OV1-2, EM48OV1-2, EM61OV1-2, EM66OV1-2, EM89OV1-2, RJ09 |
JSTOPD |
Job Stop Date - Day |
EMJ35OV1, EM48OV1, EM61OV1, EM66OV1, EM89OV1, RJ09 |
JSTOPY |
Job Stop Date - Year |
EM35, EM48, EM61, EM66, EM89, RJ09 |
RETIRJOB |
Person Retired from This Job |
EM80 |
SUBTYPE |
Job Sub Type |
EM and RJ Sections |
MAIN_JOB |
Still Main Job or Business |
RJ01A |
DIFFWAGE |
Any Change in Wage Amount |
RJ02 |
WHY_DIFF |
Why Wages Changed |
RJ03 |
WORKSTAT |
Full or Part Time |
RJ04 |
Y_CHANGE |
Why Change in Full/Part Time Status |
RJ05 |
STILLWRK |
Still Work at Establishment/Miscellaneous Job |
RJ06 |
OFFTAKEI |
Offered Insurance and Now Take |
RJ07 |
NOWTAKEI |
Now Offered and Take Insurance |
RJ08, RJ08A |
ELIGINSR |
Reason Not Eligible For Insurance |
EM115B |
ANYINS |
Is Insurance Offered To Any Employees? |
EM115A |
WHY_LEFT |
Reason Why Not at Job Now |
RJ10 |
NUMEMPS |
Establishment Size-Non-Self-Employed Job |
EM91 |
ESTMATE1 |
Categorical Approximate Establishment Size |
EM92 |
MORELOC |
More Than One Location |
EM93 |
BUSINC |
Business Incorporated |
EM94 |
PROPRIET |
Proprietorship or Partnership |
EM95 |
TYPEEMPL |
Employee Type |
EM96 |
YLEFT |
No Job Reason |
EM101 |
YNOBUSN |
Why No Business |
EM102 |
RECALL |
Recall Within 30 Days |
EM103 |
HRSPRWK |
Number of Hours Worked Per Week |
EM104, EM111 |
HRS35WK |
Work at least 35 Hours Per Week |
EM105 |
APXHRDAY |
Approximate # of Hours Worked Per Day |
EM106 |
SICKPAY |
Does Person Have Paid Sick Leave |
EM107 |
PAYDRVST |
Is There Paid Sick Leave for Dr's Visits |
EM108 |
PAYVACTN |
Does Person Get Paid Vacation |
EM109 |
RETIRPLN |
Does Person Have Pension/Retirement Plan |
EM110 |
WKLYAMT |
Usual Weekly Gross Income |
EM112 |
EMPLINS |
Have Health Insurance through This Job |
EM113 |
OFFRDINS |
Offered Insurance But Chose Not to Take |
EM114 |
DIFFPLNS |
Choice of Different Health Insurance Plans |
EM115 |
INUNION |
Belong to Labor Union at Job |
EM116 |
PROVDINS |
Who Provides Health Insurance |
EM117 |
HHMEMBER |
Any Other HH Member Work at This Business |
EM122 |
NUMFMEMB |
How Many HH Members Work There |
EM123 |
TOTLEMP |
Establishment Size-Self-Employed Job |
EM124, RJ08B |
SALARIED |
Is Person Salaried, Paid by the Hour, etc. |
EW01 |
HOWPAID |
How Is Person Paid |
EW02 |
DAYWAGE |
Person's Daily Wage Rate |
EW03 |
HRSPRDY |
Number of Hours Person Worked in One Day |
EW04 |
MAKEAMT |
How Much Money Does Person Make |
EW05 |
PERUNIT |
Period for which Person Is Paid |
EW05OV1 |
MORE10 |
Person Makes More or Less than $10/Hour |
EW08, EW14, EW20 |
MORE15 |
Person Makes More or Less than $15/Hour |
EW09, EW15, EW21 |
MOREMINM |
Person Makes More or Less than Minimum Wage |
EW10, EW16, EW22 |
OVRTIMHR |
Overtime Pay Rate Per Hour |
EW06 |
GROSSPAY |
Person's Salary Before Taxes (Gross) |
EW11 |
GROSSPER |
Period in which Gross Salary Was Earned |
EW11OV1 |
SALRYWKS |
Number of Weeks Per Year on which Salary is Based |
EW12 |
OTHRTYPE |
Type of Overtime Pay |
EW19 |
EARNTIPS |
Does Person Earn Tips |
EW23_01 |
EARNBONS |
Does Person Earn Bonuses |
EW23_02 |
EARNCOMM |
Does Person Earn Commission |
EW23_03 |
OTHRWAGE |
Overtime Pay Rate Per Hour |
EW19OV1 |
TIPSUNIT |
Period on which Tip Earnings are Based |
EW24AOV1 |
TIPSAMT |
How Much Are Person's Tips |
EW24A |
BONSUNIT |
Period on which Bonuses are Based |
EW24BOV1 |
BONSAMT |
How Much Are Person's Bonuses |
EW24B |
COMMUNIT |
Period on which Commissions Are Based |
EW24COV1 |
COMMAMT |
How Much Are Person's Commissions |
EW24C |
HRLYWAGE |
How Much Person Makes Per Hour |
EW07, EW13, EW18 |
JOBHASHI |
Does Person Have Health Insurance at This Job |
EM17, EM26, EM39, EM52, EM69, EM81 |
STILLAT |
Still Work at Establishment/Main Job |
RJ01 |
ESTBTHRU |
Offered Insurance, Did Not Take (Review) |
RJ08AA |
SESNLJOB |
Is Job Seasonal? |
EM105D, EM111D; RJ01AAA, RJ06AA |
TEMPJOB |
Is Job Temporary? |
EM105C, EM111C; RJ01AA, RJ06A |
INSESTB |
Insur Offered Any Employees (Review)? |
RJ08AAA |
NELIGINS |
Reason Not Eligible For Insur (Review) |
RJ08AAAA |
HRSALBAS |
Hours on which Salary Is Based |
EW17 |
INDCODEX |
Condensed Industry Code |
EM98 |
OCCCODEX |
Condensed Occupation Code |
EM99, EM100 |
Appendix 1: Sample SAS Program
(open in a separate file)
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