Statistical Brief #9 

Hospital Admission Rates – 1987 and 1998 

By Michelle Roberts, B.A. 

Introduction 

Hospitals are a major component of the American health care delivery system. While 

only a small proportion of the population enters a hospital each year (7.1 percent in 

1998), a hospital admission is a major medical event. This Statistical Brief compares the 

changes in the rate of hospital admission per 1000 persons in the U.S. civilian, 

noninstitutionalized population for the years 1987 and 1998. This representation of use is 

presented in relation to a variety of demographic characteristics in order to examine 

differentials across the years of the study. 

The estimates in this Statistical Brief are based on data from the 1987 National Medical 

Expenditure Survey (NMES) and the 1998 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household 

Component (MEPS-HC). Both of the surveys were based on a national probability 

sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. The 1987 

NMES data set contains a sample of 34,459 persons with a response rate of about 80 

percent while the 1998 MEPS HC data set contains a sample of 22,953 persons with a 

pooled annual response rate of 67.9 percent. Both surveys collected extensive 

information on health care utilization, health insurance, and income, as well as a variety 

of background social, demographic, and economic characteristics. Results presented in 

this Statistical Brief are statistically significant at the .05 level. 

Definitions 

Hospital Admissions 

Hospital admissions include all admissions for inpatient stays of one (1) night or more. 

Stays for newborn infants are included in the mother’s stay unless the newborn was 

discharged at least 24 hours after the mother’s discharge. 

1 
Health Insurance Coverage 

The health insurance coverage variables used in this Statistical Brief are hierarchical 

summary variables. Any private indicates persons having private insurance coverage 

(including CHAMPUS/VA) any time during the year. Public only denotes persons 

having only public insurance coverage all year, and uninsured indicates persons who 

were uninsured all year. 

Results 

During the period from 1987 to 1998, the rate of hospital admissions per 1000 of the U.S. 

non-institutionalized civilian population declined significantly from 114 per 1000 to 96 

per 1000, representing a 16% decrease. 

Regarding race and ethnic characteristics, Figure 1 shows that non-Hispanic blacks had 

the highest rate of hospital admission in 1987 (129 per 1000); however, by 1998 their 

rates had fallen 22% to equal that of non-Hispanic whites (100 per 1000). Hispanics and 

others’ admissions rates did not fall but remained stable during the eleven year period (80 

per 1000). 

In 1987 and 1998, women had significantly higher hospital admission rates than men. In 

1987, women were admitted to hospitals at a rate of 137 per 1000 while men were 

admitted at a rate 90 per 1000. Even though, in 1998, the rate for women dropped to 114 

per 1000, it remained higher than the rate for men at 76 per 1000. (Figure 2) 

With respect to health insurance coverage among people under the age of 65, those 

covered by any private insurance, over the course of the year, were nearly 1.65 more 

likely to be admitted to hospitals than those uninsured all year in 1987 (84 per 1000 

versus 51 per 1000). By 1998, this differential in admission rates by insurance coverage 

was less dramatic. Nevertheless, those covered only by public health insurance 

experienced the highest rates of hospital admissions in both 1987 (170 per 1000) and 

1998 (160 per 1000). (Figure 3) 

2 
The South was the only region that did not experience a significant decline in rates of 

hospital admissions. Both the West and the Midwest saw similar rates of decline with the 

West dropping from 100 to 75 per 1000 (a 25% decline) and the Midwest, from 118 to 90 

per 1000 (a 24% decline). (Figure 4). 

Briefly Stated 

• From 1987 to 1998, the hospital admissions rate declined significantly from 

114 per 1000 to 96 per 1000, representing a 16% decrease. 

• Among people under the age of 65, those covered by only public health 

insurance all year experienced the highest rates of hospital admissions in 

both 1987 and 1998. 

About MEPS 

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) collects nationally representative data on 

health care use, expenditures, sources of payment, and insurance coverage for the U.S. 

civilian noninstitutionalized population. MEPS is cosponsored by the Agency for 

Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Center for Health Statistics 

(NCHS). 

3 
4
5
6
7