OBJECTIVES: With increasing longevity among the elderly, it is important to better understand the impact of chronic disease on general health status. The objective of this study was to quantify the health status burden of COPD for a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS: This study used data from the 2003 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), a continuous national sample of approximately 12,000 persons. Study patients were 65+ years old, eligible for Medicare Parts A and B, and community residents. The COPD cohort comprised patients with 1+ medical claim(s) with a COPD diagnosis (ICD-9-CM codes: 491.xx, 492.x, 496). The comparison cohort included non-COPD patients, with at least one medical claim, matched 1:1 based on age, sex, race, and education level. The study measures included self-rated general health status, self-reported medical conditions, impairment in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). RESULTS: A total of 1,219 patients were identified for the COPD cohort, all of whom were matched to comparison cohort patients (mean age ± SD: 76 ± 7; 50% female). COPD patients reported poorer general health (43% reported “fair” or “poor” health versus 22% among controls; P<.001) and more chronic medical conditions (mean of 4.2 versus 3.2 for controls; P<.001). COPD patients were also significantly (P<.001) more likely to report difficulties in performing one or more ADLs (46% versus 28%) or IADLs (42% versus 26%). For the COPD cohort, the most common ADL limitations were difficulty walking (42%) and transferring from a bed or chair (20%), while the most common IADL limitations were difficulty doing heavy housework (42%) and shopping (17%). CONCLUSION: In this community-residing Medicare population, COPD patients reported poorer health and had greater impairment in functioning than those without COPD. These results have implications for improving COPD management in the Medicare population.