What is behind the 8 percent drop in uninsurance: changes in CPS health insurance measurement and the effect on state policy
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Issue brief (State Health Access Data Assistance Center, University of Minnesota)
- Contributor(s):
- State Health Access Data Assistance Center, University of Minnesota.
- Publication:
- [Minneapolis, Minn.] : State Health Access Data Assistance Center, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, [2002]
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Health Care Surveys -- methods Health Policy Insurance Coverage -- statistics & numerical data Censuses Child Child Health Services -- economics Data Collection Eligibility Determination Insurance, Health Medically Uninsured State Government State Health Plans -- economics Humans United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- In March 2000, the Census Bureau added a verification component to the Current Population Survey (CPS) health insurance module. For the first time, respondents were asked directly whether they were uninsured. The Census Bureau found that using the verification items results in a more accurate estimate of the rate of uninsurance. Without the verification question, the 1999 estimate of the number of uninsured was 42.6 million; with the verification question, the 1999 estimate of the uninsured population was 39.3 million, a decrease of 7.7 percent. The change is attributable to a modification in how coverage is measured and does not represent an actual reduction in the rate of uninsurance. This issue brief describes the change in the Census Bureau's approach to estimating the number of uninsured, and the effect of the change on state policy.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
- Extent:
- [4] leaves.
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101259646 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101259646