MCBS Data Available
The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data contain survey responses and CMS administrative data for individuals participating in the MCBS. MCBS is a multipurpose survey of a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries, conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through a contract with Westat. It is a comprehensive source of information on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, health status and functioning, health care use and expenditures, and health insurance coverage of the entire Medicare population including the aged, disabled, and institutionalized Medicare beneficiaries.
Data Available:
- Access to Care module available 1991 - 2006 most current available
- Cost and Use module available 1992 - 2005 most current available
Data files are supplied on CD-ROM in ASCII text format and as SAS datasets. In addition to the data files, the CD contains documentation, codebooks, and survey questionnaires associated with the calendar year module. The survey data are provided in a relational database format, and the administrative Medicare claims are provided in a research format.
Each module costs $480 per year. The associated Medicare claims for calendar year are included with the module at no extra charge.
Further information about the survey and module content may be viewed here: www.cms.hhs.gov/mcbs. To request this data, researchers need to submit to CMS a data request packet.
Last Modified August 5, 2008