Table 2. Sociodemographic and Health Characteristics of Medicare- and Medicaid-Eligible, Noninstitutionalized Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditionsa in the United States, by Disability and Age, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), 2005–2010b .
| Characteristic | Physical Disability Only,c N = 1,950,346 |
Physical Disability and Cognitive Limitation,d N = 605,887 |
Other Disabilities,e N = 842,707 |
Total, N = 3,398,940 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–64, N = 590,967, % (95 CI) | ≥65, N = 1,359,379, % (95 CI) | 18–64, N = 243,236, % (95 CI) | ≥65, N = 362,651, % (95 CI) | 18–64, N = 228,488, % (95 CI) | ≥65, N = 614,219, % (95 CI) | 18–64, N = 1,062,692, % (95 CI) | ≥65, N = 2,336,248, % (95 CI) | |
| Chronic condition | ||||||||
| Arthritis | 82.0 (77.6–85.7) | 84.0 (81.1–86.5) | 78.8 (72.6–83.9) | 79.2 (73.2–84.1) | 59.2 (49.6–68.2) | 66.4 (61.5–70.9) | 76.4 (73.0–79.5) | 78.6 (76.0–81.0) |
| Asthma | 35.2 (28.9–42.0) | 21.8 (18.8–25.3) | 44.6 (36.3–53.2) | 18.8 (13.5–25.6) | 29.6 (22.1–38.4) | 14.6 (11.6–18.3) | 36.1 (31.5–41.0) | 19.5 (17.2–22.0) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 42.2 (36.2–48.4) | 52.8 (49.0–56.6) | 40.7 (33.4–48.3) | 63.5 (57.0–69.5) | 37.1 (29.6–45.2) | 41.1 (36.0–46.4) | 40.8 (36.5–45.2) | 51.4 (48.3–54.5) |
| Diabetes | 45.3 (39.5–51.1) | 41.6 (37.8–45.6) | 44.9 (36.2–54.0) | 35.8 (29.0–43.3) | 39.1 (31.1–47.7) | 38.4 (33.1–43.9) | 43.9 (39.5–48.3) | 39.9 (36.8–43.0) |
| Emphysema | 17.2 (12.7–23.0) | 12.5 (10.0–15.4) | 11.1 (7.4–16.4) | 14.5 (9.1–22.3) | 9.7 (6.0–15.4) | 11.3 (7.9–15.9) | 14.2 (11.3–17.8) | 12.5 (10.5–14.8) |
| Hypertension | 84.8 (80.0–88.7) | 89.8 (87.4–91.7) | 77.4 (70.2–83.2) | 89.9 (82.7–91.6) | 79.7 (71.7–85.9) | 88.7 (85.0–91.7) | 82.0 (77.9–85.5) | 89.2 (87.3–90.8) |
| Stroke | 18.8 (14.1–24.6) | 20.5 (17.8–23.5) | 29.3 (22.6–37.2) | 36.2 (29.4–43.7) | 11.9 (8.3–16.9) | 12.0 (8.2–17.1) | 19.7 (16.3–23.6) | 20.7 (18.5–23.2) |
| Have a usual source of medical care | ||||||||
| No | 5.9 (3.7–9.2) | 4.8 (3.5–6.4) | 2.4 (1.5–4.0) | 5.7 (2.9–11.1) | 10.7 (5.9–18.6) | 7.3 (5.0–10.7) | 6.1 (4.3–8.6) | 5.6 (4.4–7.0) |
| Yes | 94.1 (90.8–96.3) | 95.2 (93.6–96.5) | 97.6 (96.0–98.5) | 94.3 (88.9–97.1) | 89.3 (81.4–94.1) | 92.7 (89.3–95.0) | 93.9 (91.4–95.7) | 94.4 (93.0–95.6) |
| Age, y | ||||||||
| 18–34 | 4.5 (2.3–8.5) | NA | 3.1 (1.0–9.3) | NA | 12.8 (7.5–20.9) | NA | 6.0 (4.0–8.8) | NA |
| 35–54 | 47.5 (41.4–53.7) | 55.1 (47.2–62.7) | 60.8 (52.5–68.5) | 52.1 (47.8–56.4) | ||||
| 55–64 | 48.0 (42.2–53.8) | 41.8 (34.2–49.8) | 26.4 (19.8–34.3) | 41.9 (37.7–46.3) | ||||
| 65–84 | NA | 81.3 (79.1–84.1) | NA | 72.3 (63.5–79.6) | NA | 94.2 (92.1–95.8) | NA | 83.3 (80.7–85.5) |
| ≥85 | 18.7 (15.9–21.9) | 27.7 (20.4–36.5) | 5.8 (4.2–7.9) | 16.7 (14.5–19.3) | ||||
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 61.7 (55.3–67.8) | 46.3 (41.9–50.9) | 56.0 (47.7–64.0) | 43.9 (36.2–51.9) | 57.4 (48.6–65.8) | 41.0 (35.4–46.7) | 59.5 (54.6–64.3) | 44.6 (40.7–48.5) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 21.8 (17.7–26.5) | 24.2 (21.3–27.2) | 27.6 (21.0–35.3) | 21.6 (16.6–27.7) | 27.6 (21.1–35.3) | 17.0 (13.7–20.8) | 24.4 (20.8–28.4) | 21.9 (19.5–24.5) |
| Other non-Hispanic | 6.1 (3.0–12.0) | 9.8 (7.4–12.5) | 5.0 (2.5–9.9) | 12.8 (8.6–18.6) | 5.9 (2.5–13.4) | 14.0 (10.2–18.9) | 5.8 (3.5–9.4) | 11.3 (9.1–13.8) |
| Hispanic | 10.3 (7.3–14.4) | 19.9 (16.4–23.8) | 11.4 (7.8–16.2) | 21.7 (16.0–28.8) | 9.1 (5.4–14.9) | 28.1 (23.2–33.5) | 10.3 (8.0–13.1) | 22.3 (19.1–25.8) |
| Sex | ||||||||
| Male | 38.4 (32.6–44.6) | 27.7 (24.3–31.3) | 36.3 (28.8–44.6) | 18.9 (13.3–26.3) | 53.5 (45.2–61.7) | 38.1 (32.8–43.8) | 41.2 (36.6–45.8) | 29.1 (26.3–32.0) |
| Female | 61.6 (55.4–67.4) | 72.3 (68.7–75.7) | 63.7 (55.4–71.2) | 81.1 (73.7–86.7) | 46.5 (38.3–54.8) | 61.9 (56.2–67.2) | 58.8 (54.2–63.4) | 70.9 (68.0–73.7) |
| Education | ||||||||
| Less than high school diploma | 30.3 (25.3–35.7) | 60.2 (56.1–64.2) | 31.8 (24.6–40.0) | 62.1 (53.4–70.2) | 33.9 (26.3–42.5) | 62.0 (56.5–67.2) | 31.4 (27.6–35.5) | 61.0 (57.6–64.3) |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 56.1 (50.6–61.5) | 31.1 (27.7–34.7) | 54.2 (46.3–61.9) | 26.4 (19.7–34.3) | 59.7 (50.9–67.9) | 26.4 (21.4–32.2) | 56.4 (52.2–60.6) | 29.1 (26.2–32.2) |
| More than high school diploma | 13.6 (10.4–17.6) | 8.7 (6.2–12.1) | 14.0 (9.5–20.2) | 11.5 (6.4–19.8) | 6.4 (2.7–14.4) | 11.6 (8.3–15.8) | 12.2 (9.6–15.3) | 9.9 (7.4–13.0) |
| Married | ||||||||
| No | 73.0 (67.8–77.6) | 73.7 (68.9–78.0) | 77.6 (68.5–84.6) | 76.4 (68.7–82.7) | 71.8 (62.4–79.6) | 62.3 (56.5–67.8) | 73.8 (69.7–77.5) | 71.1 (67.1–74.9) |
| Yes | 27.0 (22.4–32.2) | 26.3 (22.0–31.1) | 22.4 (15.4–31.5) | 23.6 (17.3–31.3) | 28.2 (20.4–37.6) | 37.7 (32.2–43.5) | 26.2 (22.5–30.3) | 28.9 (25.1–32.9) |
| Incomef | ||||||||
| Poor | 50.2 (44.7–55.8) | 37.8 (34.2–41.6) | 57.8 (49.0–66.1) | 29.4 (23.6–35.9) | 39.5 (32.1–47.5) | 31.1 (26.5–36.1) | 49.7 (45.3–54.1) | 34.7 (31.7–37.9) |
| Not Poor | 49.8 (44.2–55.3) | 62.2 (58.4–65.8) | 42.2 (33.9–51.0) | 70.6 (64.1–76.4) | 60.4 (52.5–67.9) | 68.9 (63.9–73.5) | 50.3 (45.9–54.7) | 65.3 (62.1–68.3) |
| Body mass indexg | ||||||||
| Underweight | 2.1 (1.3–3.3) | 3.4 (2.4–4.9) | 0 | 3.1 (1.5–6.3) | 1.1 (0.3–3.4) | 1.9 (0.8–4.2) | 1.4 (0.9–2.1) | 3.0 (2.2–4.0) |
| Normal weight | 17.2 (12.2–23.6) | 24.0 (21.0–27.2) | 23.4 (17.0–31.4) | 34.9 (29.0–41.3) | 15.8 (10.5–23.3) | 29.7 (25.1–34.7) | 18.3 (14.7–22.6) | 27.2 (24.9–29.6) |
| Overweight | 21.2 (17.0–26.1) | 27.8 (25.0–30.9) | 17.3 (12.2–23.9) | 28.2 (22.1–35.2) | 25.7 (18.8–34.1) | 40.9 (35.8–46.1) | 21.3 (17.7–25.3) | 31.3 (29.1–33.6) |
| Obese | 59.5 (53.6–65.2) | 44.8 (41.0–48.7) | 59.3 (51.3–66.8) | 33.8 (27.7–40.4) | 57.4 (48.2–66.1) | 27.6 (23.0–32.6) | 59.0 (54.4–63.5) | 38.5 (35.7–41.4) |
| Health status | ||||||||
| Excellent | 1.8 (0.8–4.3) | 3.9 (2.3–6.4) | 0.2 (0.0–1.5) | 1.7 (0.8–3.6) | 4.3 (1.7–10.4) | 7.4 (5.1–10.7) | 2.0 (1.1–3.6) | 4.5 (3.2–6.1) |
| Very good | 6.1 (4.0–9.1) | 12.1 (9.8–14.8) | 4.2 (2.3–7.3) | 8.0 (5.0–12.7) | 7.4 (4.3–12.3) | 23.7 (19.7–28.2) | 5.9 (4.4–7.9) | 14.5 (12.6–16.7) |
| Good | 22.4 (18.3–27.0) | 29.7 (26.6–32.9) | 17.5 (12.0–24.9) | 19.7 (15.3–24.9) | 42.4 (34.9–50.2) | 39.3 (34.6–44.3) | 25.6 (22.4–29.0) | 30.7 (28.3–33.1) |
| Fair | 37.7 (33.6–42.0) | 36.5 (33.5–39.6) | 39.3 (32.7–46.3) | 35.8 (29.2–43.0) | 35.1 (28.4–42.5) | 25.6 (21.8–29.8) | 37.5 (34.7–40.4) | 33.5 (31.3–35.8) |
| Poor | 32.0 (27.2–37.2) | 17.9 (15.1–21.0) | 38.8 (31.6–46.6) | 34.8 (28.2–42.0) | 10.9 (6.6–17.4) | 4.0 (2.4–6.6) | 29.0 (25.3–33.0) | 16.8 (14.8–19.1) |
| Urban residenceh | ||||||||
| Non-MSA | 24.6 (18.9–31.3) | 19.9 (16.5–23.8) | 23.9 (16.9–32.6) | 21.3 (15.3–28.8) | 20.1 (14.5–27.2) | 16.3 (12.1–21.5) | 23.5 (18.9–28.7) | 19.2 (16.0–22.8) |
| MSA | 75.4 (68.7–81.1) | 80.1 (76.2–83.5) | 76.1 (67.4–83.1) | 78.7 (71.2–84.7) | 79.9 (72.8–85.5) | 83.7 (78.5–87.9) | 76.5 (71.3–81.1) | 80.8 (77.2–84.0) |
| US region | ||||||||
| Northeast | 18.0 (13.3–23.8) | 21.0 (16.8–25.8) | 18.1 (12.0–26.5) | 18.9 (12.7–27.1) | 11.9 (7.2–19.1) | 25.5 (20.6–31.1) | 16.7 (13.1–21.0) | 21.8 (18.5–25.5) |
| Midwest | 31.9 (26.0–38.5) | 19.8 (16.5–23.6) | 21.8 (15.8–29.4) | 10.3 (6.8–15.3) | 28.7 (21.1–37.7) | 14.9 (11.0–19.8) | 28.9 (24.8–33.4) | 17.0 (14.6–19.7) |
| South | 31.5 (26.1–37.4) | 36.6 (32.1–41.4) | 22.7 (17.0–29.6) | 38.2 (30.5–46.6) | 41.8 (32.7–51.4) | 32.5 (27.4–38.1) | 31.7 (27.7–36.0) | 35.8 (31.9–39.9) |
| West | 18.6 (13.3–25.5) | 22.6 (18.8–26.9) | 37.3 (30.0–45.4) | 32.6 (25.5–40.6) | 17.6 (11.0–26.8) | 27.2 (22.0–33.0) | 22.7 (18.7–27.2) | 25.3 (21.6–29.5) |
Abbreviation: NA, not applicable.
Defined as 2 or more of the 7 identified by using MEPS in this analysis (heart attack, coronary heart disease, angina, angina pectoris, other heart disease [these 5 grouped as “cardiovascular”], stroke, emphysema, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and asthma). For chronic conditions, the full year consolidated files for MEPS include only questions related to these conditions.
All point estimates are weighted.
Includes those with functional limitations or those who use assistive devices. This means anyone who reported having long-term walking limitations, long-term need for assistive device, or long-term need for assistance with activities of daily living but did not report cognitive limitation.
Includes those who reported having both a cognitive limitation and a physical disability. Cognitive limitations included those who reported confusion or memory loss, having problems making decisions, or requiring supervision for their own safety.
Includes anyone who reported cognitive limitations alone or other types of disabilities such as those that were related to mental health.
Income is computed (by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) as family income as a percentage of the poverty line (http://meps.ahrq.gov/survey_comp/hc_technical_notes.shtml, accessed August 5, 2013). People were considered to have “poor” income if they reported an income that fell into the category of “poor/negative.”
Body mass index (BMI) categories from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm, accessed December 26, 2012). These are calculated using the following formula: [weight in pounds ÷ (height in inches × height in inches)] × 703. Underweight was defined as BMI of less than 18.5; normal weight was BMI of 18.5 or higher and less than 25; overweight was BMI of 25 or higher and less than 30; obese was BMI of 30 or higher.
Metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) have at least 1 urbanized area of 50,000 or more population plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/bulletins/fy2009/09-01.pdf, accessed December 26, 2012).