NCHStats

Recently published data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that 1 in 5 persons was in a family having problems paying medical bills, and 1 in 10 persons was in a family with medical bills that they were unable to pay at all.  NHIS defines “family” as an individual or a group of two or more related persons living together in the same housing unit. The family perspective is important to consider when examining financial risk because significant expenses for one family member may adversely affect the whole family. Health insurance coverage is one way for a family to mitigate financial risk associated with health care costs, although health insurance status may differ among family members.

A new report explores selected family demographic characteristics and their association with financial burdens of medical care (problems paying medical bills, paying medical bills over time, and having medical bills that cannot be paid) based on data from the 2012 NHIS.

Key Findings from the Report:

• In 2012, more than one in four families experienced financial burdens of medical care.
• Families with incomes at or below 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) were more likely to experience financial burdens of medical care than families with incomes above 250% of the FPL.
• Families with children aged 0–17 years were more likely than families without children to experience financial burdens of medical care.
• The presence of a family member who was uninsured increased the likelihood that a family would experience a financial burden of medical care.

Welcome to Statcast.
Quarterly highlights from the National Center for Health Statistics
This edition covers October through December of 2013
In October, a new release have data showed that nearly 35 percent of American adults were obese in 2012
Up slightly from 30 percent a decade before
New data also showed 13 percent of American adults had high cholesterol in 2012
A continued decline from the 1970s
NCHS also released the latest estimates on hypertension in the US approximately thirty percent of adults had hypertension in 2012
Virtually the same percent as a decade before
An October 4th Quickstat by Charlotte Schoenborn looked at the percentage a young adults who have never smoked cigarettes
Over the past 14 years the percentage of young adults who have never smoked cigarettes increased from 65 percent to 76 percent
Young women were more likely to have never smoked then young man
In December 2013, NCHS released its half-year estimates on the number and percent of Americans without health insurance
During the first six months of 2013 over 45 million people or 14.6 percent of the population did not have health insurance and 18 percent reported they did not have insurance for at least part of the past year
These percentages are virtually the same as a decade before
Suicides are more common during the holidays or winter months?
Answer. Fiction. Suicides actually occur more frequently during the late spring and summer months
The past 12 years available data show that during May to August there were an average up almost ninety four suicides per day
Compared to almost eighty-six per day in November through February
This has been another edition of statcast. Quarterly highlights from the National Center for Health Statistics.

A new report from NCHS presents nationally representative estimates and trends for infertility service use among women aged 15–44 and 25–44 in the United States in 1982–2010. While greater detail on types of infertility service is shown for women, basic data on types of infertility service use, as reported by men aged 25–44, are also presented.

Key Findings from the Report:

• 12% of women aged 15–44 in 2006–2010 (7.3 million women), or their husbands or partners, had ever used infertility services.

• Among women aged 25–44, 17% (6.9 million) had ever used any infertility service, a significant decrease from 20% in 1995.

• In all survey years, ever-use of medical help to get pregnant was highest among older and nulliparous women, non-Hispanic white women, women with current fertility problems, and women with higher levels of education and household income.

• The most commonly used infertility services among women aged 25–44 in 2006–2010 were advice, testing, medical help to prevent miscarriage, and ovulation drugs. Ever-use of infertility services was reported.