Statistical Note #1 Changes in Out-of-Pocket Expenses by Insurance Category (1999 to 2006)

Abstract

This note uses data from the Household Component of the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS-HC) for 1999 and 2006 to examine trend growth in household out-of-pocket health expenditures. Tabulations are presented for three different categories of insurance coverage - households where the household head has full-year coverage, households where the household head has part-year coverage, and households where the household head has no coverage. Tabulations are presented for the general working-age U.S. civilian non-institutional population and for the sub-population of households with at least one member with an overnight hospital stay. The results reveal an increase in the number of households with large out-of-pocket expenses, which is especially pronounced for households with at least one member with an overnight hospital stay.