Issue Brief No. 64
Supplementary Table 1

Reported and Predicted Percentages of Medicare Beneficiaries 65 and Older Not Purchasing at Least One Prescription Drug in 2001 Because of Cost

 
Reported
Predicted Value Using Basic Modela
Predicted Value Using Full Modelb
White
6.8%
7.1%
7.4%
African American
16.4***
12.3**
10.9*
Disparityc
-9.6
-5.2
-3.5
Percent reduction in disparityd
NA
46
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Note: Medicare beneficiaries limited to noninstitutionalized population (e.g., excludes those in nursing homes) age 65 and older. Both racial categories exclude persons of Latino ethnicity.

Black/white comparison is statistically significant: ***p<.001, **p<.01, *p<.05.

a Basic model includes race/ethnic category, income, supplemental insurance type and chronic condition status.
b Full model includes gender, age, family size and status, education, employer type, smoking status, health as measured by the SF-12 and cost of living index, in addition to the variables included in the basic model. See list in Web Table 2 for details.
c Disparity refers to the difference between the estimates for blacks and whites.
d Percent reduction in disparity compared to "reported" estimate.
Source: HSC Community Tracking Survey Household Survey, 2000-01