National Medical Expenditure Survey, 1987

About this book

This report is one in a series describing the survey instruments and data collection procedures of the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES). It describes the operational design and instruments used in two NMES Household Component surveys: the Household Survey (HHS) of approximately 14,000 households of the United States; and the Survey of American Indians and Alaska Natives (SAIAN) of approximately 2,000 households representing the population eligible for medical services from the Indian Health Service (IHS) and living on or near reservations. Information collected about participants for all of calendar year 1987, including use of and expenses for health services, health insurance coverage, health status, and employment and income. The goal of the Household Survey was to provide national estimates of use and expenditures for health services and of health insurance coverage. The goal of the SAIAN was to provide estimates of service use by persons eligible for IHS care that could be compared with the national estimates from the Household Survey. Data from both the Household Survey and SAIAN are being supplemented by information from the Medical Provider Survey and the Health Insurance Plans Survey.