An Analysis of Utilization and Access From the NHIS: 1984-92

While the aged as a group have better access to health care since the inception of Medicare, there are subsets of the population that are still vulnerable to large out-of-pocket expenses. The focus of this analysis is on those segments of the Medicare population which are particularly vulnerable to access problems due to their personal characteristics. In particular, using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), this article will focus on the simultaneous influence of personal characteristics, such as insurance status, income, health status, and race on the use of physician services by the elderly population.