Description

HCOVPUB is a variable constructed by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota. It indicates whether respondents were covered by any public insurance during the previous year (SCHIP, Medicaid, Medicare, military insurance, or another state-sponsored program). The Indian Health Service (INHCOVLY) is not considered a public program because it is not comprehensive insurance coverage.

Analyses of HCOVPUB must use the weight variable HINSWT.

A schematic diagram of the summary health insurance variables follows:

Comparability

This variable is available for the 1988-onward period and is generally comparable across all years.

In 2001, the CPS introduced an item (VERIFY) to verify that respondents who claimed no insurance coverage on any of the survey items were in fact uninsured. SHADAC used this information to impute the verification question for 1988-2000 cases; those who likely would have reported some type of public insurance coverage had they been asked the verification question have been coded as having public insurance in HCOVPUB.

In 1998, the Census Bureau, in consultation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, changed the way that individuals with only Indian Health Services were classified. A question about IHS was introduced in 1996. In 1996 and 1997, those with IHS and no other type of coverage were considered insured. After that time, those same individuals would be considered uninsured. To correct for the break in the time series, those cases having only IHS in 1996 and 1997, and no other type of coverage, are switched to be considered uninsured in HCOVANY.

Comparability with IPUMS-USA

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables