Comparison of Person Characteristics and Reported Conditions for Adult Medicare Beneficiaries with High and Low Annual Prescription Medicine Expenditures, 2003. Statistical Brief No. 148

摘要

This Statistical Brief presents 2003 data for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized (community) population from the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC). The brief compares selected sociodemographic person characteristics and reported chronic conditions for adult Medicare beneficiaries in the top 10 percent (the 10 percent of the population with the highest prescription drug spending) with those in the lower 50 percent (the 50 percent of the population with the lowest prescription drug spending) of the prescribed medicine expenditure distribution. Only prescribed medicines purchases in an outpatient setting are included in the estimates provided in this brief. Insulin and diabetic supplies and equipment are included in MEPS prescribed medicines estimates. Over-the-counter medicines are excluded from these estimates as are prescription medicines administered in an inpatient setting or in a clinic or physicians office. All differences discussed in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level.