Description
For all events, EVEXPIMPSTATUS indicates the imputation status for event record expenditures. The categories are mutually exclusive and indicate if the event contains complete Household Component or Medical Provider Component data, was fully or partially imputed, or was imputed in the capitated imputation process (for outpatient and office-based events only). For more information on how MEPS collects expenditure data, please refer to our user note on medical expenditures.
Event expenditure data were imputed prior to 1999, but there is not a variable indicating the imputation status in those years.
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.
Expenditure Imputation Process
Event expenditure data are derived from the Household Component (HC) and Medical Provider Component (MPC) of the MEPS. In constructing the expenditure data, AHRQ first used MPC data, if available, then HC data, if available. If complete data for the MPC and HC were not available, the expenditures were imputed. Cases where the HC and/or MPC provided some expenditure data were partially imputed and cases with no HC or MPC data were fully imputed. For outpatient and office-based events that were paid on a per-month per-person basis, the capitated imputation procedure was used if the MPC data was not complete.
Events were not eligible for imputation if they had zero expenditures. An event can have zero expenditures for several reasons including (1) free care was provided, (2) bad debt was incurred, (3) care was covered under a flat fee arrangement, (4) follow-up visits were provided without a separate charge (e.g., after a surgical procedure), or (5) the event was paid through government or privately funded research or clinical trials.
EVEXPIMPSTATUS is on the event record (see RECTYPE for more details on the different record types in IPUMS MEPS). Variables offered on the event record through IPUMS MEPS are derived from the dental visits, other medical expenses, hospital inpatient stays, emergency room visits, outpatient visits, office-based medical provider visits, and home health event files provided by AHRQ. Please see our overview of the event, medical conditions, and prescribed medicines variables, including how those variables are offered through IPUMS MEPS, and general considerations to keep in mind when conducting analyses using these variables.
Codes and Frequencies
Universe
- 1999-2022: All events.
Availability
- 1999-2022
Weights
- 1999-2022 : PERWEIGHT
