Description
For all persons, OEEXPTOT captures the sum of direct payments made during the year for other medical equipment and services. This category includes expenditures for ambulance services, orthopedic items, hearing devices, prostheses, bathroom aids, medical equipment, disposable supplies, alterations/modifications, and other miscellaneous items or services that were obtained, purchased, or rented during the year. Diabetic supplies and insulin are not considered to be medical equipment, and are therefore not included in this variable. Respondents were asked only once (in Round 3) about their total annual expenditures on other medical equipment and services, and were not asked about their frequency of use of these services. For more information on how MEPS collects expenditure data, please refer to our user note on medical expenditures.
Related variables
Variables related to total annual health care expenditures by source of payment, total annual health care expenditures by type of medical service, and total annual health care charges are also available. Please refer to our user note on expenditures for a list of these variables.
