Economic Research Initiative on the Uninsured


Facts to Consider



Counting the Uninsured by Reference Period
All Year Ever in Year Point in Time
By Data Source
CPS MEPS SIPP
By Population
Total Non-Elderly Adults Children Workers Immigrants
By Additional Characteristics
Income Education Level Family Composition
Comparison Tables
CPS-SIPP CPS-MEPS
Medical Utilization and Expenditures Tables

Notes on Data Sources and Variables
CPS MEPS SIPP
Data Dictionary

Table 14 - MEPS Medical Utilization and Expenditures of the Uninsured: Adults Calendar Year 2001 - Uninsured Point in Time
Characteristic	Population (Millions)	Distribution of Population	Uninsured (Millions)	Distribution of Uninsured	Percent Uninsured by Category
TOTAL POPULATION	169.8	100%	35.4	100%	20.8%
TOTAL HEALTH CARE SPENDING
None	27.8	16.4%	12.6	35.7%	45.4%
$1-100	11.2	6.6%	3.7	10.6%	33.2%
$100-250	15.9	9.4%	3.7	10.4%	23.2%
$250-500	20.0	11.8%	4.0	11.2%	19.9%
$500-1000	24.2	14.3%	4.0	11.4%	16.7%
$1000-2500	32.2	18.9%	3.8	10.7%	11.8%
$2,500-$5,000	18.5	10.9%	1.9	5.3%	10.0%
More than $5,000	20.0	11.8%	1.7	4.7%	8.3%

SELF/OUT OF POCKET SPENDING
None	33.8	19.9%	13.7	38.7%	40.5%
$1-100	34.6	20.4%	5.6	15.8%	16.1%
$100-250	28.2	16.6%	4.6	13.1%	16.5%
$250-500	27.9	16.4%	4.2	11.9%	15.1%
$500-1000	22.8	13.4%	3.3	9.4%	14.5%
$1000-2500	17.0	10.0%	2.9	8.1%	16.8%
More than $2500	5.5	3.2%	1.1	3.0%	19.4%

HOSPITAL SPENDING*
None	157.6	92.8%	33.8	95.6%	21.5%
$1-2,500	2.3	1.3%	0.5	1.3%	20.7%
$2,500-5,000	3.2	1.9%	0.4	1.2%	12.9%
$5,000-10,000	3.8	2.2%	0.3	1.0%	9.2%
$10,000-50,000	2.7	1.6%	0.3	0.8%	10.9%

AMBULATORY VISITS
None	49.5	29.2%	17.7	50.0%	35.7%
1-2	44.7	26.3%	8.8	25.0%	19.7%
3-5	30.7	18.1%	4.2	11.8%	13.6%
6 or more	44.9	26.4%	4.7	13.2%	10.4%

ER/ED VISITS
None	146.9	86.5%	30.5	86.2%	20.8%
1	17.4	10.3%	3.5	9.9%	20.0%
2 or more	5.5	3.2%	1.4	3.9%	25.4%

HOSPITAL DISCHARGES
None	157.4	92.7%	33.6	95.1%	21.4%
1	10.0	5.9%	1.4	4.0%	14.2%
2 or more	2.5	1.5%	0.3	0.9%	13.1%

* Annual hospital expenditures are below $50,000 for virtually all (99.7 percent or more) of the total population and the population of uninsured persons.

These estimates are based on ERIU tabulations of 2001 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The MEPS employs an overlapping panel design and collects data on two calendar years for each respondent. The tabulations reported here are based on responses to interview Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 5 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 6, which cover calendar year 2001 for both panels. Coverage status is obtained at the initial interview. At each subsequent interview, respondents are asked about whether their coverage has changed since the last interview and, if so, how and when. Respondents report whether they were covered by any public or private source of health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, TRICARE/CHAMPUS, other public coverage, employment-based private, other private health insurance). Respondents are considered uninsured if they respond “no” to all of the coverage options; they are not asked directly if they are uninsured. A person may gain or lose coverage during a year and these data permit estimates of the number lacking coverage at a particular point in time, at some time during the year, and throughout the entire year. We label those who are without health insurance for the entire year as “all-year uninsured,” and those without health insurance for at least one month and up to twelve months as “ever uninsured.” The “point-in-time uninsured” estimates include those without coverage in the first round of the calendar year (Round 3 for those who entered the survey in 2000, and Round 1 for those who entered the survey in 2001).

For further discussion of issues related to counting the uninsured see "Counting and Characterizing the Uninsured," (Adobe PDF) by Pamela Farley Short, and ERIU Research Highlight 1: A Revolving Door: How Individuals Move In and Out of Health Insurance Coverage (Adobe PDF)

Notes on MEPS Data Source and Variables (PDF)