What's New - April 2003
Site of the Month: Export Statistics Express Express
Our site of the month for April is the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration's "Export Statistics Express." This site gives you a quick and easy way of viewing profiles of your state's export trade, you can view the global distribution of your state's exports, view the state-by-state composition of US exports to any particular country and also look at the range of products exported to particular countries.
The data output from this site are particularly sharp: you get a customizable color coded map (showing either the countries that receive US exports, or the states that export them), as well as a data table listing results for particular states and countries. You can download data and maps. See the site at: http://ese.export.gov/ITA2002/Intro_NEW.htm
One caveat--and it's an important one. The data reported are from the Department of Commerce's Exporter Location series, which allocates exports according to the physical location of exporters--i.e., it typically traces the export initiative to the point of sale. Often, this is the port from which the product was shipped, and not the location where it was manufactured (or in the case of natural resources, harvested or mined). Before you use these (or any export) statistics, you should study the explanation of the source and limitations of this data. As the Commerce Department site warns: "The bottom line is that proper use of U.S. sub-national export data requires an understanding of the strengths and limitations of each series and the purposes for which they are intended."
New Links Added
April is our medical statistics extravaganza. Medical care accounts for nearly a sixth of the nation's gross domestic product, and probably a similar fraction of the nation's state and local data. Here's a sampling of what we've added to EconData in recent months.
AARP Research Center
Annual review of over 100 dimensions of health and health care, by state. 1999 review available for download.
http://research.aarp.org/health/d17094_states99.html
Profiles of Long-Term Care Systems
Bi-annual data report on long-term care systems for each state under
headings of demographics, recipients, providers, and expenditures.
1998 report available for download.
Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, HHS
From Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, estimates of workers' access to job-related health insurance, the cost of that insurance, and the choice of plans available to workers, by firm size, by state, 1996-latest year.
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/Data_Pub/IC_Tables.htm
State Differences in Job-Related Health Insurance,
1998
Analysis of state differences in workers' access to job-related health
insurance, the cost of that insurance, and the choice of plans
available to workers, by state, 1998.
State Ambulatory Surgery Databases
More than 100 clinical and non-clinical variables (including hospital
ID and patient zip code), 1997-latest year.
State Inpatient Databases
More than 100 clinical and non-clinical variables (including hospital
ID and patient zip code), 1995-latest year.
Health Care Cost and Utilization
Query-based access to state inpatient hospital data, 1997-latest year.
Data include diagnoses, procedures, length of stay, total charges,
discharge status, patient characteristics, primary payer, and hospital
characteristics. Ambulatory surgery to be added.
American Health Care Association
Data on nursing facility industry, by state.
http://www.ahca.org/research/research.htm
Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
HMO market share and enrollment, by state, 1997-99.
http://www.managedcaredigest.com/edigests/hm2000/hm2000c01s07g01.html
Integrated Health Systems
Data on integrated health system and non-system facilities, for 21
metro areas.
http://www.managedcaredigest.com/edigests/is2002/2002toc.asp
Medicaid Managed Care Penetration
Medicaid recipient enrollment in managed care, for ten leading states,
1998-99.
Managed Care Digest
Regular reports on the managed care industry, with a few tables by
state and large metro area. Topics include HMOs, integrated health
systems, managed Medicare and Medicaid.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Periodic reports on health care policies and health insurance, with data for states.
http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/health.htm
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS
Nursing Homes
Query-based access to listing of nursing homes, with results of
inspections, including quality measures, deficiencies, and staff hours
per resident.
Express Scripts, Inc.
Prescription utilization rate per member for eight types of drugs, by state, 2000. (June 2001).
http://www.express-scripts.com/other/news_views/outcomes2001/regional.
Health Cost Index Report, Milliman USA
Quarterly report with one-year percent change in health insurance costs, by Census region, April 1995-latest issue available. (Issues available on line for free, with one-year delay. Recent issues available for fee.)
http://www.op.net/~pkreilly/backiss.html
Health Resources and Services Administration
Look-up of areas designated as being medically underserved areas or with medically underserved populations. Census tract listings available.
http://bphc.hrsa.gov/databases/newmua/
InterStudy Publications
Detailed profiles of HMO and PPO activity in counties, metro areas, and states. Data include enrollment, penetration, reimbursement, inpatient beds, and individual HMO/PPO profiles. $$
http://www.interstudypublications.com/
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
State tables on Medicaid enrollment and expenditures, as well as health insurance coverage, 1990-latest year.
http://www.kff.org/docs/state/medicaiddata/
National Committee for Quality Assurance
Query-based access to ratings for individual managed care plans (HMOs and PPOs), by state and zipcode. Ratings available for commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid plans. Rating topics include access and service, provider qualifications, and health outcomes.
http://hprc.ncqa.org/index.asp
UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Profiles of health insurance status and access to care for families with incomes below 250 percent of poverty, for 85 metro areas. (August 2000)
http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/data.html
Tax Time
April 15 will be rolling around in two weeks, and will bring with it considerable media attention on federal taxes (as well as the usual last minute rush of filing). There are a number of very useful resources on federal, state and local tax payments by state and locality. Here are some links that you may find useful.
The Tax Foundation reports detailed data on federal tax collections and expenditures, by state. http://www.taxfoundation.ORG/pr-fedtaxspendingratio.html
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities looks at the state income tax burden on the lowest income families. http://www.cbpp.org/2-26-02sfp.htm
The Metropolitan Area Research Corporation develops maps showing
the tax capacity per household, for local political subdivisions in the 25 largest metro areas.
http://www.metroresearch.org/projects/national_report.asp
The Brookings Institution and the Progressive Policy Institute have
prepared an analysis of the extent to which low income families rely
on commercial tax preparers when they file for the federal earned income tax credit
(EITC). They are critical of the high interest rates many
commercial preparers charge for EITC refund loans. You'll find
data for 1999, for the 100 largest metro areas, disaggregated by central cities and suburbs (.pdf). (May 2002)
http://www.ppionline.org/documents/Price_of_Paying_Taxes.pdf