EXHIBIT 3.

Medicare Beneficiaries’ Primary Diagnosis At First Encounter Covered By Part B, 1993–2005

	Time after enrollment for first encounter
Diagnosis/reason for visit	Years 1–2 (n = 3,984)	Years 3–4 (n = 349)	Years 5–14 (n = 201)
Acute bronchitis/bronchiolitis	1.0%	0.3%	2.0%
Cardiac dysrhythmia	0.9	1.7	2.0*
Cataract	3.8	6.9***	6.5*
Chronic airway obstruction	0.7	0.6	2.0**
Coronary atherosclerosis	1.8	0.3**	2.0
Diabetes melitus	4.5	2.6*	3.0
Hyperlipidemiaa	4.1	2.6	1.0**
General symptoms	1.5	1.4	2.5
Glaucoma	1.8	1.1	2.0
Heart failure	0.3	0.0	2.0***
Hypertension	10.4	12.3	4.5***
Nonallopathic lesions, not classified	1.7	2.0	0.0
Osteoarthrosis/allied disorders	1.9	2.3	1.0
Respiratory and chest symptoms	2.4	3.7	6.0***
Vaccination	4.6	3.7	5.5
Total	41.4	41.5	42.0

SOURCE Authors’ analysis of Health and Retirement Study data with linked Medicare claims files.

NOTES We used t tests to compare years 3–4 and years 5–14 with years 1–2. Not all diagnoses met the 2 percent threshold for inclusion in the table.

^aA disorder of lipid metabolism.

^*p < 0.10

^**p < 0.05

^***p < 0.01