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 15 - MEPS Medical Utilization and Expenditures of the Uninsured: Workers Calendar Year 2003 - Uninsured All Year
Characteristic	Population (Millions)	Distribution of Population	Uninsured (Millions)	Distribution of Uninsured	Percent Uninsured by Category
TOTAL POPULATION	117.3	100.0%	27.1	100.0%	23.1%
TOTAL HEALTH CARE SPENDING
None	18.4	15.7%	9.2	33.9%	49.9%
$1-100	6.9	5.8%	2.6	9.5%	37.6%
$100-250	11.1	9.5%	3.0	10.9%	26.7%
$250-500	13.2	11.3%	2.7	10.0%	20.4%
$500-1000	17.3	14.7%	3.5	12.9%	20.3%
$1000-2500	22.7	19.4%	3.0	11.2%	13.3%
$2,500-$5,000	14.1	12.0%	1.5	5.7%	11.0%
More than $5,000	13.7	11.7%	1.6	5.9%	11.6%

SELF/OUT OF POCKET SPENDING
None	22.9	19.5%	10.2	37.5%	44.4%
$1-100	22.2	18.9%	4.8	17.6%	21.6%
$100-250	19.5	16.6%	3.6	13.2%	18.4%
$250-500	18.4	15.7%	3.1	11.3%	16.7%
$500-1000	17.8	15.2%	2.6	9.6%	14.6%
$1000-2500	12.8	11.0%	2.1	7.6%	16.1%
More than $2500	3.7	3.2%	0.8	3.1%	22.7%

HOSPITAL SPENDING*
None	110.9	94.5%	26.0	96.0%	23.4%
$1-2,500	1.2	1.0%	0.3	1.2%	28.1%
$2,500-5,000	1.6	1.4%	0.3	1.1%	18.2%
$5,000-10,000	1.7	1.5%	0.3	1.1%	17.2%
$10,000-50,000	1.7	1.5%	0.1	0.5%	8.1%

AMBULATORY VISITS
None	33.9	28.9%	13.3	49.2%	39.3%
1-2	30.9	26.3%	6.6	24.2%	21.2%
3-5	22.1	18.9%	3.4	12.5%	15.3%
6 or more	30.4	25.9%	3.8	14.1%	12.6%

ER/ED VISITS
None	103.1	87.9%	23.5	86.6%	22.8%
1	11.7	10.0%	2.9	10.5%	24.4%
2 or more	2.5	2.1%	0.8	2.8%	30.9%

HOSPITAL DISCHARGES
None	110.8	94.5%	25.9	95.6%	23.4%
1	5.6	4.8%	1.1	3.9%	18.8%
2 or more	0.9	0.8%	0.1	0.5%	14.2%

* Annual hospital expenditures are below $50,000 for virtually all (99.8 percent or more) of the total population and the population of uninsured persons.

These estimates are based on ERIU tabulations of 2003 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 7 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 8, which cover calendar year 2003 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 2002 and Round 1 for those who entered the survey in 2003).

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)