Description
For all persons eligible for the Access to Care section (ACCESSELIG) whose usual source of care provider (USUALPL) is a hospital (USCMEDTYP), WHYUSCHOSP reports the main reason why the person uses the hospital as their primary source of care.
WHYUSCHOSP is collected as part of the Access to Care section, which gathers information on usual source of care for all family members, characteristics of usual source of care health providers, and barriers family members have faced in obtaining needed health care. Please see ACCESSELIG for more information on the Access to Care section.
IPUMS MEPS reports the universe for each variable based on a thorough review of the original MEPS documentation. Investigating the data may reveal cases that do not meet the stated universe. Users are encouraged to validate universes for their analyses.
Related Variables
From 1996-2001, the Access to Care section collected information about why a respondent used a hospital as their usual source of care. Those respondents who reported a main reason for using a hospital as their usual source of care in WHYUSCHOSP are subsequently asked whether the respondent used the hospital as their usual source of care for any other reasons. The following variables capture the other reasons reported by respondents:
- USHOSYBEST: Best care for health condition
- USHOSYCONV: Convenience
- USHOSYCOST: Can't afford to go elsewhere
- USHOSYDROFF: Doctor has outpatient office
- USHOSYINS: Reason related to insurance
- USHOSYNONE: No other reason
- USHOSYPREF: Prefers/Likes this source
- USHOSYTIME: Only care available when have time
- USHOSYDK: Don't know where else to go
- USHOSYOTH: Other reason
Codes and Frequencies
Comparability
Users should note that the Access to Care variables are not designed to yield full-year estimates in 1997, as the section is only administered in Round 2 instead of Rounds 2 and 4. The 1997 AHRQ documentation advises that "The 1997 Access to Care variables cannot be used to make full-year estimates, but can be useful in such analyses as trend analyses, or for enhancing subgroup analyses. These variables may be of particular interest because of the 1997 oversample of populations (such as poverty, children with activity limitations, adults with functional limitations, high medical expenditure cases, and the elderly) where access issues are particularly relevant" (C-16). Because WHYUSCHOSP is only collected in Round 2 in 1997 instead of Rounds 2 and 4, WHYUSCHOSP cannot be used to make a full-year estimate in 1997. Otherwise, this variable is comparable over time.
Universe
- 1996-2001: All persons eligible for the Access to Care section (ACCESSELIG) whose usual source of care provider (USUALPL) is a hospital (USCMEDTYP).
Availability
- 1996-2001
Weights
- 1996-2001 : PERWEIGHT
