Research Article
Rural-Urban Differences in Health Care Expenditures: Empirical Data from US Households
Table 2
Weighted description of personal characteristics by residence, MEPS 2010.
| Weighted percentage | Urban ( = 19,561) | Rural ( = 3,211) | value |
| Predisposing | | | | Age | | | | 18–44 | 49.0 | 43.0 | 0.0003 | 45–64 | 34.8 | 36.7 | 65 and older | 16.2 | 20.3 | Gender (% of women) | 51.5 | 51.9 | 0.6206 | Race/ethnicity | | | | Others | 7.3 | 3.3 | <0.0001 | Hispanic | 15.4 | 6.4 | Non-Hispanic black | 12.2 | 7.6 | Non-Hispanic white | 65.1 | 82.6 | Education level | | | | Lower than high school | 16.5 | 22.8 | <0.0001 | Equal to high school | 53.3 | 58.0 | Higher than high school | 30.2 | 19.2 | Enabling | | | | Poverty | | | | Poor or near poor | 16.5 | 20.4 | <0.0001 | Low income | 13.0 | 15.3 | Middle income | 29.5 | 34.5 | High income | 41.0 | 29.8 | Health insurance status | | | | Any private insurance | 68.0 | 63.9 | 0.0039 | Only public insurance | 16.6 | 21.0 | Uninsured | 15.4 | 15.1 | Care needs | | | | Perceived physical health status | | | | Very good or excellent | 59.1 | 53.2 | 0.0001 | Good | 27.0 | 29.1 | Poor or fair | 13.9 | 17.7 | Perceived mental health status | | | | Very good or excellent | 70.0 | 65.0 | 0.0023 | Good | 22.9 | 26.6 | Poor or fair | 7.1 | 8.3 | Any limitation on functions (% of having any limitation) | 25.3 | 33.3 | <0.0001 | Number of chronic diseases | | | | No chronic disease | 35.7 | 30.3 | <0.0001 | 1 chronic disease | 21.9 | 19.3 | 2 and more chronic diseases | 42.4 | 50.4 |
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