I’m wondering if there will be a foregone care due to cost variable made available in the 2019 IPUMS-NHIS, similar to the YBARCARE variable in prior years? “MEDNG12M_A” in the raw NHIS file seems conceptually similar to YBARCARE (though the survey question did change slightly). Would this variable be made available in the 2019 file, either as YBARCARE or a new, non-harmonized foregone care due to cost variable?
This variable has been harmonized by IPUMS as NOTCARCOST. The sources tab notes that MEDNG12M is the original NHIS variable. If you merge the variables please note that there is a slight difference between the two: YBARCARE asks if the person did not get needed medical care because they couldn’t afford it, whereas NOTCARCOST asks if the person did not get needed medical care because of the cost. The NHIS team will be looking into whether this difference is meaningful and if the variables should be merged. You should also make sure to use the correct corresponding weights (SAMPWEIGHT for the 2019 sample) when running your analysis.