Potential Enhancements to Data on Health Insurance, Health Services, and Medicare in the Health and Retirement Study
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John Z Ayanian
Abstract
As a nationally representative cohort of middle-aged and elderly adults with longitudinal data spanning nearly two decades, the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is an important resource for researchers studying the dynamics of health insurance coverage in the United States and the relation of insurance coverage to the use of health services and to health outcomes. We assessed the strengths and limitations of currently available HRS data for such research, focusing on survey items in these domains and Medicare claims data that have been linked to HRS survey data. The process for researchers to obtain Medicare claims has greatly improved in recent years. The additions of biomarkers (e.g. blood pressure and serum cholesterol) and objective measures of physical functioning for HRS participants have also been notable improvements. We propose changes to the HRS to enhance its value for health services research, particularly regarding the effects of health care reform as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is implemented over the next decade.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Introduction to the Health and Retirement Study: An Evaluation and Scientific Ideas for the Future
- Economic Measurement in the Health and Retirement Study
- Potential Enhancements to Data on Health Insurance, Health Services, and Medicare in the Health and Retirement Study
- Medical Expenditure Measures in the Health and Retirement Study
- The State and Future of Blood-Based Biomarkers in the Health and Retirement Study
- Genome-Phenome Linkages in Human Population Surveys, with Special Emphasis on the Health and Retirement Survey
- A Rationale for Including a Brief Assessment of Hedonic Well-being in Large-scale Surveys
- Time Use and Well-being, and Large Survey Studies
- Personality Measurement and Assessment in Large Panel Surveys
- Family Data and Research in the Health and Retirement Study
- Social Connectedness in Health, Morbidity and Mortality, and Health Care - The Contributions, Limits and Further Potential of Health and Retirement Study
- Which Questions in the Health and Retirement Study are Used by Researchers? Evidence from Academic Journals, 2006-2009
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Introduction to the Health and Retirement Study: An Evaluation and Scientific Ideas for the Future
- Economic Measurement in the Health and Retirement Study
- Potential Enhancements to Data on Health Insurance, Health Services, and Medicare in the Health and Retirement Study
- Medical Expenditure Measures in the Health and Retirement Study
- The State and Future of Blood-Based Biomarkers in the Health and Retirement Study
- Genome-Phenome Linkages in Human Population Surveys, with Special Emphasis on the Health and Retirement Survey
- A Rationale for Including a Brief Assessment of Hedonic Well-being in Large-scale Surveys
- Time Use and Well-being, and Large Survey Studies
- Personality Measurement and Assessment in Large Panel Surveys
- Family Data and Research in the Health and Retirement Study
- Social Connectedness in Health, Morbidity and Mortality, and Health Care - The Contributions, Limits and Further Potential of Health and Retirement Study
- Which Questions in the Health and Retirement Study are Used by Researchers? Evidence from Academic Journals, 2006-2009
