TABLE 1.
Demographic and health characteristics of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries, 2004-2006a
| 2004 N=14,500 |
2005 N=14,701 |
2006 N=14,732 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | % (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | |||
| Sex | ||||||
| Female | 55.8 | (55.0, 56.6) | 55.8 | (54.9, 56.6) | 55.2 | (54.2, 56.1) |
| Ageb | ||||||
| Under 55 | 7.9 | (7.4, 8.5) | 7.8 | (7.3, 8.2) | 8.0 | (7.4, 8.6) |
| 55–64 | 7.0 | (6.4, 7.6) | 7.3 | (6.7, 8.0) | 7.5 | (6.9, 8.2) |
| 65–74 | 42.7 | (41.9, 43.6) | 42.5 | (41.6, 43.3) | 42.5 | (41.7, 43.4) |
| 75–84 | 32.2 | (31.3, 33.1) | 32.4 | (31.6, 33.2) | 31.6 | (30.9, 32.2) |
| 85 and over | 10.2 | (9.7, 10.6) | 10.1 | (9.7, 10.5) | 10.4 | (10.0, 10.9) |
| Income, $ | ||||||
| Less than $25,000 | 58.9 | (57.1, 60.6) | 57.5 | (55.8, 59.1) | 55.1 | (53.4, 56.8) |
| Race | ||||||
| African American | 9.7 | (8.1, 11.5) | 9.4 | (7.9, 11.2) | 9.4 | (7.9, 11.2) |
| White | 83.9 | (82.0, 85.6) | 84.3 | (82.4, 86.0) | 84.0 | (82.4, 85.6) |
| Other | 6.4 | (5.7, 7.3) | 6.4 | (5.6, 7.2) | 6.5 | (5.8, 7.4) |
| Hispanic or Latino | ||||||
| Hispanic | 7.8 | (6.7, 9.1) | 7.7 | (6.6, 8.9) | 7.8 | (6.7, 9.1) |
| Education | ||||||
| Above high school | 41.0 | (39.2, 42.9) | 42.1 | (40.2, 44.1) | 42.6 | (40.7, 44.5) |
| High school diploma | 30.4 | (29.1, 31.8) | 30.4 | (29.0, 31.9) | 30.9 | (29.7, 32.1) |
| No high school | 28.6 | (27.2, 30.0) | 27.5 | (26.0, 29.0) | 26.6 | (25.2, 28.0) |
| Number of morbiditiesc | ||||||
| 0–1 | 28.1 | (27.0, 29.1) | 26.5 | (25.5, 27.5) | 25.9 | (24.9, 27.0) |
| 2–3 | 47.9 | (46.9, 48.9) | 47.0 | (46.1, 47.9) | 48.1 | (47.1, 49.1) |
| 4+ | 24.0 | (23.2, 24.9) | 26.5 | (25.6, 27.5) | 26.0 | (25.0, 27.0) |
| Number of limitations in | ||||||
| 0 | 70.7 | (69.3, 72.0) | 70.0 | (68.9, 71.2) | 69.9 | (68.3, 71.6) |
| 1–2 | 20.6 | (19.6, 21.7) | 21.0 | (20.0, 22.1) | 20.4 | (19.2, 21.6) |
| 3+ | 8.7 | (7.9, 9.6) | 8.9 | (8.3, 9.7) | 9.7 | (8.9, 10.6) |
| Self-reported health status | ||||||
| Excellent, very good, or good | 73.0 | (72.0, 74.1) | 73.2 | (72.1, 74.3) | 73.3 | (72.2, 74.5) |
| Fair or poor | 27.0 | (25.9, 28.1) | 26.8 | (25.7, 27.9) | 26.7 | (25.6, 27.8) |
Abbreviation: ADLs, activities of daily living
a
Percentage bases excluded those with missing values. Drug coverage type was missing for 3.5% of respondents; other characteristics missing for no more than 2%. Percentages calculated with national survey weights.
b
Respondents aged less than 65 years were defined as disabled.
c
Morbidity categories included cardiac disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, arthritis, psychiatric disorder or depression, dementia, and other neurological conditions.
d
Limitations in ADLs indicate reduced functional status.