NCHS-CMS Medicare Feasibility Study Files

To maximize the use of the restricted-use linked NCHS-CMS Medicare files, NCHS has created publicly available NCHS-CMS Medicare Feasibility Study data files that can be downloaded directly from this website. The feasibility files provide a limited set of variables that can be used to determine the maximum available sample size for each linked file. These files are especially useful to researchers considering whether to initiate a RDC proposal to analyze the restricted-use linked NCHS-CMS Medicare files. Each feasibility file is NCHS survey and survey year specific. The following information is included on each feasibility study file: NCHS public id, survey respondent eligibility status for CMS Medicare linkage, final match status, and variables specifying on which CMS Medicare data files the successfully linked survey respondent has a record. It is important to note that the feasibility study files do not contain any specific information about CMS Medicare benefits. Consequently, data users will need to consider external sources to approximate the number of respondents with a specific condition.

A NCHS-CMS Medicare Feasibility Study file has been created for the following NCHS surveys:

• 1994-2005 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
• NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (NHEFS)
• Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)
• 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
• The Second Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA II)
• 2004 National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS)

Accessing the NCHS-CMS Medicare Feasibility Data

• Data Documentation [PDF - 71 KB]
• Important Information on Merging Restricted and Public Use NCHS Survey Data [PDF 27 KB]
• Public-use ASCII data files
• Sample SAS Program [TXT - 18 KB]
• Sample STATA Program [TXT - 14 KB]