Americans seem to be suffering from more restrictions on activities – but the condition of the kinds of people that disability insurers and long-term care insurers typically cover may be stabilizing.
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published new activity limit figures in a table based on the latest National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
The CDC included the table in its new Health, United States, 2012 health data almanac.
Long-term care insurance (LTCI) companies often use information about limits on activities of daily living (ADLs), such as walking and dressing, to decide whether the people they insure are eligible for LTCI benefits.
The CDC put Medicare enrollee ADL data in the 2012 health almanac, but they also included data based on a broader question about "complex activity limitations." The definition of complex activity limitations includes ADLs and also includes restrictions in an individual's ability to work, maintain a household or participate in a community activities.
The NHIS 2011 interview sample included about 46,000 people who live outside institutions.
