ABSTRACT
Medicare files contain information on more than 95% of the aged individuals in the United States. This information includes the individual’s Social Security account number; name and address; state, county, and zip code of the individual’s residence; age; sex; and race. Detailed information on the health services paid for by Medicare is in the files. This includes information on diagnosis, hospital admissions and discharges, and provider identity. Medicare files have been described as a tremendous potential resource for health research, including epidemiologic studies. Opening access to these files was, therefore, regarded as being of major importance to health researchers.
