The Characteristics of Persons Reporting State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Coverage in the March 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS)

• Activity Number: 178
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section*
• Author(s): Charles Nelson*+ and Robert Mills
• Affiliation(s): U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Census Bureau
• Keywords: health insurance ; Current Population Survey ; State Children's Health Insurance Program

Abstract

In March 2001, questions were added to the Current Population Survey battery of health insurance questions. The questions dealt specifically with coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Prior to 2001, this coverage was reported in a question on "other" types of health insurance coverage. The Census Bureau's estimates of health insurance coverage from the March 2001 CPS, released last September, included coverage reported in response to these questions, and the edited variables based on these questions included on the CPS microdata file also released last September. However, because of the confusion many respondents have about their source of public health insurance coverage, and because the questions were not asked of all households in the CPS with children, it is not clear whether the variables on the CPS public use file are reliable as SCHIP coverage indicators. The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of persons who reported SCHIP coverage in the March 2001 CPS, and to compare the CPS estimates of SCHIP coverage with administrative figures, in order to evaluate the reliability of the CPS variables as SCHIP coverage indicators.