Announcements

2023 MCBS Annotated Bibliography

March 28, 2024:  CMS released the MCBS 2023 Annotated Bibliography.  This bibliography can be found on the MCBS website: MCBS 2023 Annotated Bibliography.  Annually the MCBS posts a listing of peer reviewed journal articles and government publications which utilize the MCBS data in their analysis. Starting with calendar year 2020, the bibliographies include annotations for each source, which describe the research question, analysis, and findings.

MCBS 2021 Cost Supplement Microdata PUF

February 21, 2024:  CMS released the public use file (PUF) version of the annual MCBS Cost Supplement Limited Data Set with data for 2021. This file provides publicly available information for researchers interested in summarized expenditure and source of payment data, while giving the very highest of protection to the Medicare beneficiaries’ protected health information. This file includes data on all health care services, including those not covered by Medicare.  The Cost Supplement File Microdata PUF can be accessed here.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook

February 6, 2024:  CMS released the annual update to the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook with data for 2021. The MCBS Chartbook is designed to provide the public with a new interactive collection of charts and tables based on estimates from the MCBS and can be found here: 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Annual Chartbook and Slides.

The MCBS Chartbook is organized into 4 domains:

  • Domain 1: Medicare Population Overview. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries. 
  • Domain 2: Beneficiary Health and Well-Being. Self-reported health status and health behaviors of Medicare beneficiaries. 
  • Domain 3: Health Care Access and Satisfaction. Access to and satisfaction with health care services. 
  • Domain 4: Health Care Use and Expenditures. Health care use by Medicare beneficiaries across eleven service categories, including: dental services, hearing services, inpatient hospital services, long-term facility care, Medicare home health services, Medicare Hospice Services, outpatient hospital services, physician/supplier services, prescription drugs, skilled nursing facility care, and vision services. Health care expenditures and all sources of payment across service categories. 

Public Use File on Socio-demographic and Health Characteristics of Medicare Beneficiaries Living in the Community by Dual Eligibility Status in 2021

January 16, 2024: CMS released the public use file on Socio-demographic and Health Characteristics of Medicare Beneficiaries Living in the Community by Dual Eligibility Status in 2021. This public use file uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and contains estimates on socio-demographic characteristics, functional limitations, chronic conditions, mental health and oral health of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries by dual eligibility status. Also released today are two infographics: an infographic on Select Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Medicare Beneficiaries by Dual Eligibility Status and another on Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Limitations in Activities of Daily Living Among Medicare Beneficiaries by Dual Eligibility Status.

Highlights
  • Among dually eligible Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2021, 26 percent spoke a language other than English at home, compared with 9 percent among non-dually eligible Medicare beneficiaries.
  • In 2021, 40 percent of dually eligible Medicare beneficiaries living in the community had fair or poor health, compared with 15 percent of beneficiaries who were not dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Among dually eligible Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2021, 30 percent had at least one housing quality issue (pests, mold, etc.) compared with 20 percent of Medicare-only beneficiaries.
  • In 2021, dually eligible beneficiaries living in the community were twice as likely to live in a multi-generational household compared with Medicare-only beneficiaries.
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2021, 55 percent of dually eligible beneficiaries had 4 or more chronic conditions compared with 42 percent of Medicare-only beneficiaries.
  • Dually eligible beneficiaries living in the community were more than twice as likely to have difficulties performing several activities of daily living in 2021 than Medicare-only beneficiaries.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Cost Supplement File Variable Crosswalk 2015-2021

December 22, 2023: CMS released the MCBS Cost Supplement File Variable Crosswalk 2015-2021. This crosswalk is a reference guide to allow experienced MCBS data users to assess the feasibility of conducting longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional analyses on variables of interest across two or more MCBS Limited Data Set (LDS) data years. This variable crosswalk is designed to be a complementary tool to support analytic decisions and should be used in conjunction with the more detailed information available to data users in the MCBS codebooks, Data User’s Guides (DUG), and Methodology Reports. The main purpose of the crosswalk is to assist data users planning an analysis with MCBS Cost Supplement File LDS to determine whether the variable(s) of interest are present in each data year. The crosswalk can be accessed here.

2023 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Questionnaires

October 26, 2023: CMS released a zipped file of 2023 questionnaire specifications for both the Community and Facility survey instruments, broken out by survey topical section.  The file can be accessed here.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Frequently Asked Questions

October 26, 2023: CMS released the annually updated MCBS Frequently Asked Questions.  This document provides answers to common inquiries and points of interest for users of the MCBS data sets.  The document can be accessed here.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Methodology Report

October 26, 2023: CMS released the 2021 MCBS Methodology Report.  This report is designed to be a complementary tool to support analytic decisions and should be used in conjunction with the MCBS codebooks, Data User’s Guides (DUG). The document can be accessed here.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Survey File Variable Crosswalk 2015-2021

October 26, 2023: CMS released the Survey File Variable Crosswalk with data for 2015 - 2021. This crosswalk is a reference guide to allow experienced MCBS data users to assess the feasibility of conducting longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional analyses on variables of interest across two or more MCBS Limited Data Set (LDS) data years. This variable crosswalk is designed to be a complementary tool to support analytic decisions and should be used in conjunction with the more detailed information available to data users in the MCBS codebooks, Data User’s Guides (DUG), and Methodology Reports. The main purpose of the crosswalk is to assist data users planning an analysis with MCBS Survey File LDS to determine whether the variable(s) of interest are present in each data year. The crosswalk can be accessed here.

Early Public Use File on Internet Access and Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries in 2022

October 16, 2023:  CMS released a new early public use file on internet access and use among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2022. This file presents preliminary estimates on access to the internet, as well as frequency and type of internet use, by a variety of beneficiary characteristics including age, race/ethnicity, language spoken at home, and income. These preliminary estimates are produced prior to final data editing to provide early access to the most recent information from the MCBS. The public use file can be accessed at: 2022 MCBS Early PUF on Internet Access and Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Highlights
  • In 2022, 89 percent of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community had access to the internet. White non-Hispanic beneficiaries had the highest percentage with internet access (92 percent) compared with Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic beneficiaries (79 percent and 73 percent, respectively).
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2022, 62 percent ever used the internet to look up health information, 47 percent recently participated in video or voice calls over the internet, and 43 percent used the internet to communicate with a health care provider.
  • In 2022, 50 percent of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community used the internet to get information daily, and 8 percent did not use the internet at all.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Survey File Microdata PUF

October 16, 2023:  CMS released the public use file (PUF) version of the annual MCBS Survey File Limited Data Set with data for 2021. This file provides information to researchers without a Data Use Agreement on topics such as health conditions and access to and satisfaction with care, while giving the very highest degree of protection to Medicare beneficiaries’ protected health information. The Survey File Microdata PUF can be accessed here.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Cost Supplement LDS

October 16, 2023:  CMS released the annual MCBS Cost Supplement LDS with data for 2021 to researchers with a DUA. The MCBS Cost Supplement provides a comprehensive picture of health services received, amounts paid, and source of payment for all medical events, including those not covered by Medicare.  Documentation related to the 2021 MCBS Cost Supplement LDS File is also now available and can be found on the MCBS website here.

Public Use File on Use of Preventive Care Services Among Medicare Beneficiaries Living in the Community in 2020

September 27, 2023:  CMS released a new public use file on use of preventive care services among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2020. This file presents estimates on uptake of selected preventive services (such as annual wellness visits, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, select cancer screenings and select vaccinations) by a variety of beneficiary characteristics including race/ethnicity, income, chronic conditions, and education. The public use file can be accessed at: MCBS 2020 PUF on Use of Preventive Care Services Among Medicare Beneficiaries. CMS also released two infographics: an infographic that highlights key findings from the public use file and an infographic on vaccinations against the flu. These infographics can be accessed at: MCBS Vaccinations Against the Flu infographic and MCBS Use of Preventive Care Services infographic.

Highlights
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2020, 45 percent had an annual wellness visit.
  • In 2020, 94 percent of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community had a blood pressure screening and 86 percent had a cholesterol screening at least once.
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2020, 75 percent received a seasonal flu shot. The youngest beneficiaries (under 65 years old) were the least likely to get a flu shot compared with people aged 65 and older.
  • Dually eligible beneficiaries were significantly less likely to receive a seasonal flu shot: among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2020, 62 percent of dually eligible beneficiaries received a seasonal flu shot, compared with 77 percent of non-dually eligible beneficiaries.
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2020, 45 percent had an annual wellness visit.
  • In 2020, 94 percent of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community had a blood pressure screening and 86 percent had a cholesterol screening at least once.

MCBS 2021 Public Use File on Financial Well-Being of Medicare Beneficiaries

September 14, 2023:  CMS released the public use file on Financial Well-Being of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community with estimates for 2021. New this year is information on median incomes and median values of assets owned by Medicare enrollees. The file also presents information on asset ownership, food insecurity, and access to transportation by a variety of beneficiary characteristics including race/ethnicity, income, and primary language spoken at home.  The public use file uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and can be accessed here. 

Highlights
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2021, 73 percent owned a home, 50 percent had a retirement account, and 24 percent had earnings from work.
  • In 2021, median household income was $44,991.
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2021, 13 percent had trouble getting places. Younger Medicare beneficiaries (under 65 years) and older Medicare beneficiaries (aged 85 and over) were more likely to experience trouble getting places (26 percent and 23 percent, respectively) compared with beneficiaries in the 65 to 74 and 75 to 84 age groups (8 percent and 12 percent, respectively).
  • In 2021, 17 percent of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community were food insecure. Beneficiaries under age 65 were most likely to be food insecure (42 percent) compared with beneficiaries in other age groups (15 percent among 65 to 74 year olds, 11 percent among 75 to 84 year olds, and 10 percent among beneficiaries 85 years and over were food insecure in 2021)

Errata notes

September 7, 2023:  CMS released several updates to MCBS Chartbook. In the original Chartbooks, some estimates were generated using data from topical segments without the special non-response adjustment weights that are specific to each topical segment. The Chartbook for the following years now includes Errata Notes with corrected estimates for the affected tables:

Oral Health, Access to Dental Care and Dental Coverage Data Products

April 27, 2023:  CMS announced the availability of two new posters on oral health and dental coverage among Medicare beneficiaries.  These analyses use data from the 2019 and 2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Survey Files to understand Medicare beneficiaries’ experiences with oral health issues, preventive oral health behaviors, as well as dental coverage status and utilization of dental services.  The MCBS oral health and dental coverage posters are available here.

June 28, 2023:  CMS announced the availability of a new public use file – Oral Health and Access to Dental Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries Living in the Community in 2020.  This file presents estimates on a range of oral health indicators from chronic tooth pain and trouble eating solid foods to oral cancer screenings and trouble accessing dental care due to cost, segmented by socio-economic characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries. The public use file uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and can be accessed here.

2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Survey File LDS Research Files

June 22, 2023:  CMS announced the availability of the 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Survey File LDS research files.  Documentation related to the 2021 MCBS Survey File is also now available and can be found on the MCBS website here. 

The 2021 Survey File includes information on several new topics, including autoimmune disease, social isolation, dietary supplement use, unintentional weight loss, and housing insecurity.

Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Public Use File on Diabetes Prevalence and Self-Management Among Medicare Beneficiaries Living in the Community in 2020

June 22, 2023:  CMS announced the availability of a new public use file and infographic on diabetes prevalence and self-management among Medicare beneficiaries living in the community in 2020.  These files present estimates on diabetes prevalence, diabetes-related health issues, and diabetes knowledge and self-management by a variety of beneficiary characteristics including race/ethnicity, income, and primary language spoken at home.  The public use file uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and can be accessed here.

Access to Care among Medicare beneficiaries Aged 65 and Over Living with High-Impact Chronic Pain Data Brief

June 21, 2023:  CMS announced the availability of a new data brief on access to care among Medicare beneficiaries living with high-impact chronic pain. Using data from the 2018 – 2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Survey Files, the brief examines prevalence of high-impact chronic pain and access-to-care issues experienced by the population aged 65 and over living with high-impact chronic pain, segmented by socio-economic characteristics.  The MCBS access to care among Medicare beneficiaries living with high-impact chronic pain data brief is available here.

Public Use File on Characteristics of Medicare Beneficiaries Living Only in the Community by Low Income Subsidy Program Enrollment Status in 2021

June 12, 2023:  CMS announced the availability of a new public use file on socio-economic characteristics of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries by Low-Income Subsidy program enrollment status in 2021. The public use file uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and can be accessed here.

CMS has public education tools about the Low-Income Subsidy program, also known as Extra Help, to assist organizations with outreach to people who might qualify. We encourage interested groups and individuals to share information about this cost-saving program and encourage individuals to find out if they qualify for Extra Help.

To learn more, you can also view the Department of Health and Human Services’ fact sheet here.

MCBS 2021 Early Look Data Brief 

May 4, 2023:  CMS released the MCBS 2021 Early Look Data Brief.  The data brief uses data from the soon to be released 2021 MCBS Survey File and highlights demographic characteristics, self-reported health status, access to and satisfaction with care, and physical limitations of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community.  The data brief can be accessed at here.

MCBS 2020 Cost Supplement Microdata PUF

May 4, 2023:  CMS released the public use file (PUF) version of the annual MCBS Cost Supplement Limited Data Set with data for 2020. This file provides publicly available information for researchers interested in summarized expenditure and source of payment data, while giving the very highest of protection to the Medicare beneficiaries’ protected health information. This file includes data on all health care services, including those not covered by Medicare.  The Cost Supplement File Microdata PUF can be accessed here.

Data Brief on Vaccination against COVID-19 Among Medicare Beneficiaries Living in the Community

April 19, 2023:  CMS released a new data brief on the vaccination against COVID-19 among community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries from January of 200 to August of 2021. The data brief uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to examines uptake of the primary COVID-19 vaccination series during the vaccination campaign in 2021. The data brief can be accessed here.   

MCBS Advanced Tutorial on Pooled Cross-Sectional Analysis

March 28, 2023:  CMS released the MCBS Advanced Tutorial on Pooled Cross-Sectional Analysis.  This tutorial explores how the MCBS supports pooled cross-sectional analysis, considerations for developing a pooled cross-sectional analysis using MCBS data, and what types of weights should be used for pooled cross-sectional analysis and variance estimation using MCBS.  This tutorial can be found here.

Errata notes / Data User Note

March 15, 2023:  CMS released several updates to data user documentation and a data note on an issue with payment amounts in the Cost Supplement LDS through data year 2020.

2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook 

February 21, 2023: CMS announced the annual update to the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook with data for 2020. The MCBS Chartbook is designed to provide the public with a collection of charts and tables presenting estimates from the MCBS and can be found on the MCBS website: 2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Annual Chartbook and Slides.

The MCBS Chartbook is organized into 5 sections:

  • Section 1: Who is in the Medicare Population? Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries.
  • Section 2: How Healthy are Medicare Beneficiaries? Self-reported health status and health behaviors of Medicare beneficiaries.
  • Section 3: What is the Medicare Population’s Access to Care and How Satisfied Are Beneficiaries with Their Care? Access to and satisfaction with health care services.
  • Section 4: What Health Care Services Do Medicare Beneficiaries Receive and How Much Do These Services Cost? Health care use by Medicare beneficiaries across nine service categories, including: inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, physician/supplier services, dental services, prescription drugs, Medicare hospice, Medicare home health, skilled nursing facility, and long-term nursing home care. Health care expenditures and all sources of payment across service categories.

The 2020 MCBS Chartbook includes a special feature on beneficiaries’ telemedicine use and internet use.

2020-21 Updated Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) COVID-19 Supplement PUFs Re-release

February 21, 2023: CMS announced the availability of the updated Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) COVID-19 Supplement public use files (PUFs).  This re-release corrects an error in the age variable, which incorrectly categorized too many beneficiaries as “under 65 years old”.  All three of the MCBS COVID-19 Supplement PUFs and their supporting documentation are available to download at: MCBS Public Use Files (PUFs).

Public Use File on Usual Source of Care and Telemedicine Use by Medicare Beneficiaries in Spring 2021

February 14, 2023: CMS announced the availability of a new public use file on usual source of care and telemedicine use by community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries in Spring 2021. The public use file uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to show patterns in uptake of telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The public use file can be accessed here.

2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Cost Supplement File PUF

January 18, 2023: CMS announced the availability of the 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Cost Supplement File PUF.  Documentation related to this file is also now available and can be found on the MCBS website; MCBS Public Use Files (PUFs).

The 2019 MCBS Cost Supplement PUF is a publicly available file prepared from data collected in the MCBS in 2019.  The Cost Supplement represents Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare in 2019. The MCBS is a continuous, longitudinal survey of a representative national sample of the Medicare population. The Cost Supplement PUF contains data that links Medicare claims to survey-reported health-care events and provides summarized expenditure and source of payment data on all health care services, including those not covered by Medicare.

The 2019 MCBS Cost Supplement File PUF is available free to download at MCBS Cost Supplement PUF.

Want to learn more about the MCBS?

Please visit the following page for more information: Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). MCBS Limited Data Sets (LDS) are available to researchers with a data use agreement (DUA). Requests for the MCBS LDS files must be made through the CMS DUA tracking system known as the Enterprise Privacy Policy Engine (EPPE). Information on ordering MCBS files from CMS, including instructions for accessing and using EPPE to make a request, can be obtained through the CMS LDS website: Limited Data Set (LDS). MCBS Public Use Files (PUFs) are available to the public as free downloads and can be found through the CMS PUF website at MCBS Public Use Files (PUFs).

Page Last Modified:
03/29/2024 11:44 AM
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