Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108H EALT H 30 FIG. 1-8 Health service use, By race/ethnicity: 2002 (Percent using service between 2000 and 2002) illustrates HRS respondents’ use of five major services during 2000 to 2002 and shows that more than 40 percent of people age 85 and older and 34 percent of those ages 75 to 84 made Hospital Nursing Home No Doctor Visits Outpatient Surgery Dental Care Home Health MEN 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% White/Other Black Hispanic Hospital Nursing Home No Doctor Visits Outpatient Surgery Dental Care Home Health WOMEN 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% hospital visits. The use of hospitals and nursing homes rose with age, as did the consumption of home health services. More than 10 percent of HRS respondents ages 75 to 84 and 20 percent of respondents age 85 and older made some use of home health services during the 2-year period. In contrast, there was a marked decline in the use of dental care by age, probably driven at least in part by the fact that Medicare generally does not cover dental services. Figure 1-8 contrasts health service use in 2002 for men and women of all ages, by race and ethnicity. Gender patterns did not differ greatly, although Black and Hispanic women were some- what more likely than Hispanic men to make at least one hospital visit. Minority men and women were much less likely than Whites to visit a dentist or have outpatient surgery. Hispanic respondents were less likely than others to have visited a doctor at least once in a 2-year period; this dif- ference corresponds to the lower level of health insurance coverage among Hispanics. Health policy and cost-containment discussions are currently considering the efficacy of screen- ing mammograms and Pap tests in older women. According to the HRS, usage rates for both of these tests increased for all age groups between 1995 and 2000. However, there are sharp differ- ences in the rate of these tests taken with age. In 1992 through 2000, between 70 percent and 80 percent of women ages 50 to 64 reported receiv- ing mammograms at least once every 2 years, with the proportion declining to about 40 percent among those ages 85 to 90. During the same time period, Pap test rates were about 75 percent for women ages 50 to 64 and about 25 percent for women ages 85 to 90, respectively. Nonsmokers and women who perceived their health as good or excellent were the most likely to be screened, while smokers, sedentary individuals, and those who felt that their health was poor or fair were less likely to undergo screening.