Table 4.

Least-squares regression of sample characteristics on individual health problem severity of 147 Medicaid enrollees with severe mental illness^a

Variable	Standardized β	SE	t	p
Gender, male	−.093	.17	−.356	.72
Ethnic or racial minority group	−.029	.212	−.356	.72
High socioeconomic statusb	−.003	.189	−.04	.97
Diagnosis of schizophrenia	−.123	.177	−1.449	.15
Homeless during projectc	−.173	.277	−1.927	.06
Age	.24	.008	−3.023	.01
Treatment for obesityd	.171	.279	2.094	.04
Treatment for substance use disordere	.234	.222	2.459	.01

^aFull model of least-squares regression: F=3.87, df=8,146, p=.001; R²=.183; adjusted R²=.136. Each individual was assigned the average annual treatment cost for his or her most severe health problem within each of 14 health conditions based on actual costs for a multistate sample of Medicaid recipients; each person’s costs were summed across condition categories. Individual severity scores were standardized.

^bCoded as “high” if the participant had a postsecondary education or held a white-collar or managerial job for at least five years

^cCoded as “yes” if the participant was homeless at any time between 1996 and 2000

^dCoded as “yes” if the participant had at least one Medicaid claim for treatment for obesity during the four-year study period

^eCoded as “yes” if the participant had any Medicaid claims for substance abuse that lasted more than five days during the four-year study period