Table 1.
Sample characteristics
| Variable | Full sample | EITC‐eligible | Not EITC‐eligible | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | Other months | February | Other months | |||||||
| Mean/% | SE | Mean/% | SE | Mean/% | SE | Mean/% | SE | Mean/% | SE | |
| Age (y) | 37.7 | 0.01 | 35.2 | 0.06 | 35.2 | 0.02 | 38.9 | 0.04 | 38.9 | 0.01 |
| Male | 46.7 | 41.5 | 41.5 | 49.1 | 49.1 | |||||
| White | 58.4 | 52.7 | 52.7 | 61.1 | 61.1 | |||||
| Black | 11.2 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 10.1 | 10.1 | |||||
| Hispanic | 27.6 | 38.9 | 38.9 | 22.4 | 22.4 | |||||
| Asian | 2.7 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 | |||||
| Number of children in family | 0.9 | 0.00 | 1.4 | 0.01 | 1.4 | 0.00 | 0.7 | 0.00 | 0.7 | 0.00 |
| Numbers of adults in family | 1.7 | 0.00 | 1.8 | 0.00 | 1.8 | 0.00 | 1.7 | 0.00 | 1.7 | 0.00 |
| Medicaid coverage | 10.2 | 17 | 16.8 | 7.2 | 7.2 | |||||
| Private insurance coverage | 59.9 | 39.1 | 39.3 | 69.6 | 69.3 | |||||
| Uninsured | 30.1 | 44.4 | 44.5 | 23.3 | 23.6 | |||||
| Family income, year 1 (US$) | 36 781 | 22.3 | 22 761 | 97.6 | 22 757 | 29.4 | 43 187 | 94.1 | 43 188 | 28.4 |
| Any EITC receipt | 31.4 | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| EITC receipt (US$) | 0.55 | 0.00 | 1739 | 8.9 | 1739 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Monthly OOP health expenditures (US$) | ||||||||||
| Total spending | 22.5 | 0.22 | 19.0 | 2.59 | 16.1 | 0.36 | 25.1 | 0.78 | 25.3 | 0.28 |
| Total office‐based visits | 8.9 | 0.09 | 6.1 | 0.34 | 5.9 | 0.13 | 11.0 | 0.45 | 10.2 | 0.12 |
| Office‐based general checkup | 1.2 | 0.02 | 0.80 | 0.05 | 0.87 | 0.03 | 1.3 | 0.06 | 1.4 | 0.03 |
| Office‐based mental health | 0.5 | 0.01 | 0.3 | 0.04 | 0.2 | 0.02 | 0.6 | 0.05 | 0.6 | 0.02 |
| Office‐based follow‐up | 0.6 | 0.02 | 0.4 | 0.07 | 0.4 | 0.03 | 0.8 | 0.10 | 0.7 | 0.03 |
| Office‐based diagnosis/treatment | 3.9 | 0.05 | 3.1 | 0.28 | 2.7 | 0.10 | 5.0 | 0.30 | 4.4 | 0.06 |
| Dental care | 7.6 | 0.10 | 4.9 | 0.44 | 4.8 | 0.14 | 8.9 | 0.43 | 8.9 | 0.13 |
| Emergency department services | 1.6 | 0.05 | 2.4 | 0.35 | 2.1 | 0.13 | 1.5 | 0.22 | 1.4 | 0.05 |
| Inpatient hospital services | 2.6 | 0.15 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 0.25 | 2.1 | 0.30 | 2.7 | 0.18 |
| Outpatient hospital services | 1.8 | 0.06 | 1.6 | 0.42 | 1.1 | 0.08 | 1.7 | 0.16 | 2.1 | 0.09 |
| Monthly OOP health expenditures (any) | ||||||||||
| Total spending | 14.2 | 10.6 | 9.7 | 16.9 | 16.2 | |||||
| Total office‐based visits | 11.2 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 13.6 | 12.8 | |||||
| Office‐based general checkup | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | |||||
| Office‐based mental health | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | |||||
| Office‐based follow‐up | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.5 | |||||
| Office‐based diagnosis/treatment | 6.1 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 7.8 | 7.0 | |||||
| Dental care | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 3.3 | |||||
| Emergency department services | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | |||||
| Inpatient hospital services | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | |||||
| Outpatient hospital services | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | |||||
| Number of individuals | 1 282 080 | 33 517 | 368 530 | 73 359 | 806 674 | |||||
Sample includes adults surveyed in the 1997‐2012 waves of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Abbreviations: EITC, earned income tax credit; OOP, out‐of‐pocket.