The question on Health Insurance Coverage was added to the ACS questionnaire in 2008.
Who is asked?
The question is asked of all respondents.
What does it mean?
Respondents were considered insured if they answered “yes” at least once to 15a to 15f. - Those who report “other” coverage (15h) are assigned one of seven health coverage types (15a-15g) based on their write-in response.
Respondents are considered uninsured if they answered:
- “no” to 15a to 15h; or
- “yes” only to 15g
- – Those whose only coverage was from Indian Health Services (15g) are considered uninsured because this coverage is not always comprehensive.
Respondents are classified as having either private coverage or public coverage.
- Responses 15a, 15b, and 15e are classified as private insurance. Private health insurance is:
- a plan is provided through an employer or union;
- a plan purchased by an individual from a private company; or
- TRICARE or other military health care.
- Responses 15c, 15d, and 15f are classified as public insurance. Public health coverage includes:
- the federal programs Medicare, Medicaid, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA);
- the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP); and
- individual state health plans.
Respondents may be covered by more than one health insurance type at the same time.
Why is the question asked?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as other federal agencies, use the data from this question to more accurately distribute resources and better understand state and local health insurance needs.
More information can be found in the Subject Definitions document or on the Health Insurance Webpage.
