AHCRP provides evidence-based information on health care outcomes; quality; and cost, use, and access. Categories include associations, databases, government, journals and publications.

A single point of access to a wide variety of public health reports and data systems, both local and external, categorized here by topic.

Nonpartisan policy center conducts both nationally representative household surveys and nationally representative physician surveys from the late 1990s and early 2000s relating to care access, quality, and coverage.

Formerly the Health Care Financing Administration, the CMMS measures spending for health care in the U.S. by type of service deliveres (hospital care, physician services, nursing home care, etc.) and source of funding for those services (private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, out-of-pocket, etc.). Expenditure estimates for 1960-1998 are currently available in data files or in published articles listed.

Large, monthly survey of households conducted for over 50 years by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Known for its annual March supplement which is a source for annual earnings, work experience, migration, cash and non-cash income, pension and health insurance coverage. Also, the May supplement includes earnings, multiple job holding, and premium pay.

Presents the most recent monitoring data from the CDC for Healthy People 2010.

Data on children from a grant-funded research program focusing on increasing child wellbeing through addressing racial and ethnic inequities.

Research federal legislation and budgets for food and drug oversight and program.

"A tool for identifying, tracking, analyzing, and comparing statistics on hospitals at the national, regional, and state level." Use this web site to search for and compare data on hospital stays, morbidity, hospital procedure, charges, and other data collected at the state level and reported to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which developed and maintains this site.

Longitudinal panel study that surveys 22,000 Americans aged 50+ every 2 years.

A tool from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services for discovering publicly available health data.

Monitoring data for 10-year national health objectives

Lengthy list of policy-related data resources from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) are nationally representative longitudinal data collections that examine retirement and the aging of society.

From the University of Minnesota Population Center, harmonized annual data and documentation from the 1960s to the present from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

Multicohort longitudinal study of persons 70+ measuring health, functional status, living arrangements, and health care utilization.

The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey collects information on health status and use from a nationally representative sample of Medicare users.

Annually surveys a nationally representative number of households and individuals, and their providers, on health status, use of services, satisfaction, and more. Also surveys employers on health plans offered.

National immunization data from the CDC.

A division of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the NCHS is the principle health statistics agency of the U.S. Government. This agency's web site offers access to macro- and microdata, including such surveys and collection systems as the National Health Care Survey, National Health Interview Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Immunization Survey, and the National Vital Statistics System.

Look to the website of the federal government's National Institutes of Health for data on clinical trials and government funding of medical research.

The website for the pharmaceutical industry association contains data (from the industry) about trends in R&D budgets and marketing.

Household data especially strong on income and participation in government programs (e.g., social security, welfare, etc.). Tricky to use and access: datasets are large and non-response rates are high. Nevertheless, you can find employment, education and training, program participation, assets and liabilities, migration, fertility, work schedules, child care, pension, property, and time spent out of work.

Collects data on health insurance coverage and related indicators.