Table 1 Definitions of Variables

Variable

Definition

   Expenditures

Continuous variable: total household annual out-of-pocket medical expenditures

Independent Variable

   Demographic variables

(Economic Household Head, EHH)

Married

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH is currently married, otherwise = 0 including never married, widowed, separated and divorced.

Male

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH is male.

Employed

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH is employed.

Age

25–44

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH's age in this range.

45–64

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH's age in this range.

65 and above

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH's age in this range. (EHH's age under 25 is the default variable.)

Education

Junior high

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH finished Junior high school.

Senior (vocational) high

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH finished senior (or vocational) high school.

Junior college

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH finished Junior college.

College and above

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH finished college and above. (Primary school and below is the default variable.)

Family members

Dummy variable = 1 if the number of household members ≥ 4.

   NHI

Dummy variable = 1 if EHH is from the post-national health insurance cohort.

   Household income

Lower 20%~2nd quintile

Dummy variable = 1 if family income is lower 20%.

Middle 20%~3rd quintile

Dummy variable = 1 if family income is middle 20%.

Higher 20%~4th quintile

Dummy variable = 1 if family income is higher 20%.

Highest 20%~5th quintile

Dummy variable = 1 if family income is highest 20%. (Lowest 20%~1st quintile is the default variable)

   Regional variables

Center

Dummy variable = 1 if the household is located in: Taichung Hsien, Changhwa Hsien, Nantou Hsien, Yunlin Hsien, Taichung City.

South

Dummy variable = 1 if the household is located in: Chiayi Hsien, Tainan Hsien, Kaohsiung Hsien, Pingtung Hsien, Kaohsiung Municipality, Chiayi City, Tainan City.

East

Dummy variable = 1 if the household is located in: Taitung Hsien, Hwalien Hsien, Penghu Hsien.

North

Dummy variable = 1 if the household is located in: Taipei Hsien, Keelung City, Ilan Hsien, Taoyuan Hsien, Hsinchu Hsien, Miaoli Hsien, and Taipei Municipality. (North is the default variable)