National Medical Care Utilization and Expenditure Survey (NMCUES) Series B, Descriptive Report No. 19. Health Status of the Medicaid Population, 1980

摘要

The data for the report were derived from the two principal components of the 1980 National Medical Care Utilization and Expenditure Survey (NUCES): (1) a national probability sample of 6,600 households (17,900 persons) representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population; and (2) a State Medicaid Household Survey (SMHS) conducted of the noninstitutionalized Medicaid-eligible populations of New York, California, Michigan, and Texas. A sample was drawn from each State's Medicaid eligibility file to yield 1,000 Medicaid noninstitutionalized cases (3,400 persons) in each State. Data for both components were collected from February 1980 through April 1981 and consisted of 5 rounds of interviewing. Detailed information was collected about medical services use, expenditures, sources of payment, health insurance coverage, and socioeconomic characteristics of the sample persons. Four measures of health status were used: (1) self-perceived health status; (2) activity limitations; (3) functional limitations; and (4) number of restricted activity days. The principal findings of the study were: the Medicaid population is in poorer health than are persons not on Medicaid. Children are the healthiest and largest group within the Medicaid population, but 6 percent of Medicaid children were perceived to be in fair or poor health compared to only 3 percent of the children not receiving Medicaid.