National Medical Expenditure Survey: Health Insurance, Use of Health Services,and Health Care Expenditures. Research Findings 12

摘要

The report is from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) whichpresents preliminary national estimates of total personal health care use, expenditures, and out-of-pocket payments for health services for the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. The focus of the report is on the relationship between insurance coverage and the use of health services, total expenditures, total out-of-pocket payments, and the proportion of medical care expenditures paid out of pocket. This relationship is examined separately for persons of different ages, for persons at different family income relative to poverty, and for persons reporting their health status as either fair/poor or excellent/good. NMES data indicate that 85.3 percent of all Americans used at least some health services in 1987 and that users of services averaged $1,865 in total health care expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments averaged $452; the proportion paid per person was 0.505, or half of expenditures incurred.