U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Skip Header


Statistical Brief: Just What the Doctor Ordered: The Effect of Health Insurance Coverage on Doctor and Hospital Visits

Report Number SB/95-12

Over the course of 2 years, most of us see a doctor, usually several times.

How heavily do Americans use health care services? The two chief measures — visits to a doctor and nights spent as a hospital patient — give us a good idea.

According to the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 84 percent of Americans aged 16 to 64 visited a doctor at least once during a 24-month period between 1990 and 1992; 14 percent spent one or more nights as a patient in a hospital. All in all, these Americans made 1.1 billion doctor visits (or 7 per person) and spent 154 million nights (1 per person) in a hospital during the 2 years. (Visits to the dentist and doctor contacts in a hospital were not considered doctor visits.)

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
Is this page helpful?
Thumbs Up Image Yes Thumbs Down Image No
NO THANKS
255 characters maximum 255 characters maximum reached
Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?

Top

Back to Header