Alternative definitions of disability: relationship to health-care expenditures.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between different definitions of disability and health-care expenditures in the working aged population in the United States using the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES). Five different definitions of disability were identified and the health-care expenditures for each group were compared using descriptive analyses. Results reveal that estimates of the prevalence of disability vary dramatically by the definition of disability. A more than three-fold difference in average total health-care expenditures is observed using different specifications of disability. These results suggest that estimates of health-care expenditures should be interpreted cautiously, since the definition influences the magnitude of estimates. Researchers and policy-makers should consider the standardization of the term 'disability'.
Tepper
S
S
National Rehabilitation Hospital Research Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
Sutton
J
J
Beatty
P
P
DeJong
G
G
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology