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Fact Sheet: Health Insurance Coverage 2011 

Few issues unite Americans as much as the desire to have good health insurance coverage 

for themselves and their families. 

The nation looks for solutions in coping with the rising costs of health care. The U.S. 

Census Bureau provides key information to measure the extent of health insurance 

coverage in America. In this fact sheet, we explore the various Census Bureau sources of 

data on health insurance coverage.

Current Population Survey (CPS) 

Key fact: Survey produces health insurance coverage estimates for the nation and 

for population subgroups. 

 Respondents are asked whether they had any coverage during the previous year. 

 Estimates are provided for the nation and states based on a sample of 

approximately 100,000 addresses in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement 

of the CPS. Coverage data are shown by type of health insurance (direct-purchase 

private, employment-based, Medicare, etc.) 

 Data at the national level are shown for various demographic characteristics, 

including family status, race and Hispanic origin, age, metropolitan residence, 

income and work experience. 

 National-level information for some groups, including American Indians and 

Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, based on 

multiyear averages. 

 Data on coverage back to 1987. Currently, the data are released each year, with 

data for 2011 available in September 2012. 

 Out-of-pocket cost for health services and health insurance premiums for 

respondents is released. 

 

American Community Survey (ACS) 

Key fact: A nationwide survey designed to provide communities with reliable and 

timely demographic, social, economic and housing data every year. 

 

 The ACS added a question on health insurance in 2008. 

 Respondents are asked whether they are currently covered by a health insurance 

plan. 
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 Single-year data currently available for areas and groups of 65,000 or more, 

including counties, cities and all congressional districts, as well as for the nation 

and states, and for areas and groups of 20,000 or more, based on three-year 

estimates. Eventually, the ACS will provide data for the nation’s smallest areas, 

such as census tracts and block groups. 

 Provides data on types of coverage, such as through an employer, Medicare or 

Medicaid. Tabulated data products in the ACS include information on whether 

coverage is public or private. 

 Largest survey: more than 3 million addresses annually. 

 Data are cross-tabulated by a variety of demographic characteristics. 

Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) 

Key fact: Currently the only Census Bureau source of health insurance data for 

every county. 

 Data products are model-based and combine data from the American Community 

Survey (ACS), demographic population estimates, aggregated federal tax returns, 

participation records for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 

County Business Patterns, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program 

(CHIP) participation records and the 2000 Census. 

 Data are provided by age, sex, income category and (for states only) race and 

Hispanic origin. The data pertain to those under age 65. 

 Produces annual estimates of health insurance coverage for states and each of the 

nation’s counties. A limited set of estimates was first published in 2005 for 

calendar year 2000; a broader set of estimates was published for 2005 and 2006. 

The data sets for 2008 and 2009 were published in October 2011 and the 2010 

estimates were released in August. 

 These health insurance coverage estimates are now based on ACS data in place of 

Current Population Survey data. Due to the increased information available from 

the ACS, coverage estimates for additional income categories of particular 

interest to health care reform issues are included. 

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 

Key fact: This longitudinal survey shows how long people are covered by health 

insurance or how long they go without it over a period of time. 

 Data identify patterns of changes in health insurance coverage status over time 

and how they vary across demographic and economic groups. The most recent 
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published estimates on longitudinal health insurance coverage were the 1996-

1999 period.

 Provides data on the types of coverage, such as through an employer, Medicare or 

Medicaid.

 Data were first collected in 1984 and are released on a periodic basis.

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 

Key fact: Data collected by Census Bureau but published by the National Center for 

Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 Data are now available for 2011. 

 Three national-level measures are provided: uninsured at the time of the 

interview, uninsured at least part of the year prior to the interview, and uninsured 

for more than a year at the time of the interview. 

 National-level information shown by a variety of demographic characteristics, 

including poverty status, race and Hispanic origin, age and sex. 

 State-level estimates of persons uninsured at the time of the interview are 

provided, as are estimates of those with public or private coverage for more than 

30 states with the largest populations. However, state-level estimates are feasible 

for additional states. 

 Health insurance estimates are available periodically from 1959 and annually 

since 1989. 

 Enables policymakers to examine health insurance in relation to health status, 

health behaviors and health care utilization. 

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)

Key fact: Data collected by Census Bureau and other agencies but published by the 

Department of Health and Human Services. 

 A set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers 

(doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.) and employers across the United States. 

 Collects data on the specific health services that Americans use, how frequently 

they use them, the cost of these services and how they are paid for, as well as data 

on the cost, scope and breadth of health insurance held by and available to U.S. 

workers. 
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 Began in 1996. 

Health Industries 

The Census Bureau also provides data on health care providers and health insurance 

industries from a variety of surveys and programs that collect data on businesses. Such 

industries are found in two different sectors of the economy. One is Finance and 

Insurance, which comprises establishments primarily engaged in financial transactions or 

in facilitating them. Much of this information would pertain to the direct life, health, and 

medical insurance carriers industry. 

The other sector is Health Care and Social Assistance. Industries in this sector are 

arranged in a continuum starting with those providing medical care exclusively and 

finishing with those providing only social assistance. It includes scores of relevant 

industries, such as hospitals, HMO medical centers, home health care services and blood 

and organ banks. You can find data on these industries by using the following sources: 

 County Business Patterns

 Nonemployer Statistics

 Economic Census

 Statistics of U.S. Businesses

 Service Annual Survey

 Quarterly Services Survey

 Quarterly Workforce Indicators