Recent MEPS Data Products and Publications

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AHRQ is pleased to announce the recent release of the following data products and publications:

MEPS Data:

MEPS HC-116: 2008 Jobs File
Release Date: May 2010

This public use data file contains jobs-level data from the 2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC). Released as an ASCII file with SAS and SPSS programming statements and in SAS transport format, this public use file provides information collected on a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States during the calendar year 2008. The file contains job-level information collected in Rounds 3-5 for the eleventh Panel and Rounds 1-3 for the twelfth Panel of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (i.e., the rounds for the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2008); it includes variables pertaining to household-reported jobs, including wages, hours, industry, and occupation. The data is on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-116

 

MEPS HC-115: 2008 Full Year Population Characteristics Data File
Release Date: May 2010

Released as an ASCII file (with related SAS and SPSS programming statements) and a SAS transport dataset, this public use file provides information collected on a nationally representative sample of the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States for calendar year 2008. 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 (i.e., the rounds for the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2008) and contains variables pertaining to survey administration, demographics, employment, health status, 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 HC-115 file is on the MEPS Web site at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-115

 

1996-2008 MEPS Link Files to NHIS
Release Date: May 2010

All thirteen (1996-2008) MEPS/NHIS Link Files are included on one CD-ROM. The MEPS/NHIS Link Files CD is available by request only. The 2008 MEPS/NHIS Link File contains a cross-walk that will allow data users to merge the MEPS 2008 Full-Year Population Characteristics public use data file, HC-115, with the NHIS 2006/2007 person-level public use data files. In this linkage file, a record exists for each person in the HC-115 file. Sample persons in NHIS that do not link to any MEPS sample persons are not represented in the linkage file. Sample persons in the HC-115 file who do not link with the 2006 NHIS or 2007 NHIS respondent person sample have a value of 9999 for the NHIS link id. The HC-115 file covers calendar year 2008 and contains data from Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of the MEPS Panel 12 (which uses the 2006 NHIS as its sampling frame) combined with data from Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of the MEPS Panel 13 (which uses the 2007 NHIS as its sampling frame). The 1996-2007 MEPS/NHIS Link Files are constructed similarly. Confidentiality forms must be filled out and submitted to AHRQ before this file can be obtained. See HC-NHIS Link File ordering instructions for more information on how to obtain this file.

 

MEPS Tabular Data:

State-Level Medical Expenditure Tables for 2007 
Release Date: April 2010 

The State-Level Medical Expenditure Tables are on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/quick_tables_results.jsp?component=1&subcomponent=0&year=2007&tableSeries=8&searchText=&searchMethod=1&Action=Search

 

MEPS Publications:

Statistical Brief #282: Percentage of Persons Unable to Get or Delayed in Getting Needed Medical Care, Dental Care, or Prescription Medicines: United States, 2007
Release Date: April 2010   

In 2007, approximately 1 in 10 persons in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population (approximately 30 million persons) were unable to get or delayed in getting needed medical care, dental care, or prescription medicines in the last 12 months. In 2007, an estimated 5.5 percent of the population were unable to get or delayed in getting needed dental care which was higher than the 4.7 percent of persons who were unable to get or delayed in getting needed medical care and the 3.1 percent of persons who were unable to get or delayed in getting needed prescription medicines. The data is on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical%20Brief&opt=2&id=949

 

Statistical Brief #281: Health Insurance Status of Low Income, Non-Elderly Persons by Demographic Characteristics, 2007
Release Date: March 2010   

In 2007, there were 77.8 million persons under age 65 living in families with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold. More than one-quarter (25.9 percent) of persons living in these non-elderly low income families were uninsured for the entire year, less than one-third (32.5 percent) had any private insurance coverage during the year, and 41.6 percent had public only coverage. The data is on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical%20Brief&opt=2&id=948

 

Statistical Brief #280: Expenditures for the Top Five Therapeutic Classes of Outpatient Prescription Drugs, Medicare Beneficiaries, Age 65 and Older, 2007
Release Date: February 2010   

This Statistical Brief provides a summary of the top five therapeutic classes of outpatient prescription drugs when ordered by total expense for Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older. In 2007, the top five therapeutic classes of prescribed drugs purchased by Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older (ranked by total expense) were metabolic agents, cardiovascular agents, central nervous system agents, gastrointestinal agents, and hormones. The data is on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical%20Brief&opt=2&id=947

 

Statistical Brief #279: Expenditures for the Top Five Therapeutic Classes of Outpatient Prescription Drugs, Adults Age 18 and Older, U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2007
Release Date: February 2010   

This Statistical Brief provides a summary of the top five therapeutic classes of outpatient prescription drugs for adults age 18 and older when ranked by total expense, as reported by households in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population in calendar year 2007. Only prescribed medicines purchases in an outpatient setting are included in the estimates. Insulin and diabetic supplies and equipment are also included in MEPS prescribed medicines estimates. The data is on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical%20Brief&opt=2&id=946

 

Statistical Brief #278: The Concentration and Persistence in the Level of Health Expenditures over Time: Estimates for the U.S. Population, 2006-2007
Release Date: March 2010   

In 2007, health care expenses among the U.S. community population totaled $1.13 trillion. Medical care expenses, however, are highly concentrated among a relatively small proportion of individuals in the community population. In 2006, the top 1 percent of the U.S. population accounted for 21.1 percent of the total health care expenditures, and in 2007, the top 1 percent accounted for 22.8 percent of the total expenditures. The data is on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical%20Brief&opt=2&id=945

 

Statistical Brief #277: Trends in Outpatient Prescription Gastrointestinal Agents Purchases and Expenditures for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 1997 and 2007
Release Date: January 2010   

The estimates are for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population and are derived from the 1997 and 2007 Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC). For outpatient prescription gastrointestinal agents, the Brief compares 1997 and 2007 total expenditures, total number of purchases, and average annual expenditure per person with a purchase and average expenditure per purchase. When comparing 1997 and 2007, MEPS estimates showed an increase in total expenditures of 170 percent rising from $7.0 billion in 1997 to $18.9 billion in 2007 for prescription gastrointestinal agents. The data is on the MEPS Web site at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical%20Brief&opt=2&id=943

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