CPS Center - State Health Access Data Assistance Center at the University of Minnesota

The U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS) is the most frequently used data source to understand state and local characteristics of health insurance coverage. As a ongoing national survey, its information is valuable to understanding trends in health insurance coverage rates.

SHADAC offers many tools to assist in you in using the data appropriately.

Some Key Points about the CPS

• The primary purpose of the CPS is to collect labor force data on the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over.
    
• Each year the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the CPS includes questions concerning health insurance coverage.
    
• The ASEC is the most widely used and cited national survey on the uninsured. It also provides information on source of health insurance (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, CHAMPUS, personal health insurance, and employer-provided group health insurance plans).

County-Level (Small Area) Estimates

The U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) program is a new experiment to provide model-based estimates of health insurance coverage for counties and states.  Visit SHADAC's SAHIE page for more information

CPS Information Links

• CPS home page
    
• CPS data file downloads at Ferrett FPT page
    
• U.S. Census Bureau Health Insurance Data page
    
• U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Health Insurance Estimation (SAHIE) page
    
• U.S. Census Bureau Newsroom
    
• CPS data files and documentation back to 1962 are available from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). They also provide file formats in SAS, SPSS and STATA. Included in the documentation are data dictionaries and the survey questionnaires.
    
• CBO Report "How Many People Lack Health Insurance and For How Long?" (May 2003)
    
• ICPSR:  The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research website provides access to CPS data files and documentation to member institutions.  To locate the Annual Demographic Supplements search for ‘Annual Demographic’ in the title. The documentation includes data dictionaries and the survey questionnaires.
    
• IPUMS:  The Integrated Public Use Microdata Series at the University of Minnesota provides samples of federal censuses spanning the years 1850 – 2000 and the annual American Community Survey from 2000 forward. Extensive documentation of data items has been developed and both data and documentation are available for free download.  IPUMS now includes international censuses.
   
• IPUMS-CPS:  IPUMS-CPS integrates data from the Current Population Survey from 1962 forward. This project has collected and preserved data and documentation, harmonized data to be compatible over time and with IPUMS-USA, and is available for free by Internet download.
   
• National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper:  "A Note on Longitudinally Matching Current Population Survey (CPS) Respondents."
    

Updates

Each year toward the end of August or September the Census Bureau releases CPS data for the previous year.  For the past few years SHADAC has hosted a conference call featuring Chuck Nelson, Assistant Division Chief for Income, Poverty and Health Statistics at the U.S. Census Bureau, to discuss the findings.  Participation in these calls is open to interested parties.  Please check our web site or call 612-624-4802 toward the end of August for updated timing.

CPS Annual Update Summaries

• Summary of the conference call with Chuck Nelson to discuss the 2006 release.
• Documentation:  Medicaid Under-reporting in the Current Population Survey and One Approach for a Partial Correction (updated October 15, 2007).
• Stata code for CPS Medicaid partial correction
   
• Summary of conference call with Chuck Nelson to discuss the 2005 report
• Comparison of 2004 uninsurance estimates, by state,  showing original vs. revised methodology (Word download)
• 3-year uninsurance rates among children, by state, using the revised methodology (Word download)
   
• Summary of conference call with Chuck Nelson to discuss the 2004 report
    
• Summary of conference call with Chuck Nelson to discuss the 2003 report
    
• Summary of conference call with Chuck Nelson to discuss the 2002 report

CPS Survey Design Documentation

• CPS ASEC Questionnaire, Health Insurance Questions, 2005
    
• CPS Sample Design Description
    
• CPS Sample Size by State, 2001-2005
    
• CPS Weighting:  A summary of weights in the ASEC

CPS Tables and Technical Papers by SHADAC

"Review of Experimental Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) Program" (2005)

Census Bureau Response to:  "Review of Experimental Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) Program" (2005)

States Grouped by Percent Uninsured:  A table ranking states by percent uninsured using 3-year averages (2000-2003)

1998 State Adjustment Ratio for the Current Population Survey’s 3-year (1998-2000) Estimate of Health Insurance Coverage

"Historical Changes in the CPS Health Insurance Coverage Items, 1989-2005 Survey Years." Updated March 2006.

CPS Weighting Error (2001):  "Concern Over the Census Bureau’s September’s Release of the 2001 Current Population Survey’s Estimate of the Number of Children Within Each State."

CPS Verification Question:  "State Policy Implications Q&A with the U.S. Census Bureau" (August 2001)

CPS Verification Question Impact:  “What is Behind the 8 Percent Drop in the Uninsurance Rate? The CPS Verification Question and Its Impact on States.” (August 2001)

CPS Verification Question:  “How the CPS Measures Health Insurance Status and New the Verification Question”

CPS Verification Question:  "An Overview of Approaches to Correct for the Effects of the Current Population Survey Health Insurance Verification Item When Constructing a Time Series."

CPS Verification Question: “Revisions to the Current Population Survey: Impact on State Policy”

Table: “State 1999 Uninsurance Rates With and Without Verification, and Expected State Uninsurance Rates With Verification.” (August 2001)