Description

For persons without health insurance coverage for less than 3 years, HISTOP5A indicates if a reason for not having coverage is the person's employer stopped offering coverage. Respondents were handed a card listing possible reasons for no insurance and were asked to specify up to five reasons or could specify some other reason. Individuals with single service were considered to be uninsured, and included in the universe for this variable.

This variable is not comparable with variables from before 1997. See the comparability tab for more details.

For related variables, please use the IPUMS NHIS search function and drop-down menus.

Comparability

Changes in the universe reduce comparability over time. For 1997, the universe includes only those without insurance for less than 3 years and the response categories are slightly different from all other years. Users should not compare HISTOP5A with variables on reasons for no insurance from before 1997. Users who want to compare variables before and after 1997 should see the recoded variable HINOEMPR, which has been recoded by the IHIS staff to improve comparability over time.

This variable is not comparable with variables from before 1997 indicating no insurance coverage due to unemployment and users should not compare this variable with the pre-1997 variables. From 1997 forward, the NCHS edited the responses for insurance coverage based on plan name to improve the accuracy in insurance coverage status. In addition, prior to 1997, respondents who indicated no insurance due to cost may have been covered through other public programs (see the variable description for HINOREMP, available for 1976, 1980, 1982-1984, 1986, 1989, 1993-1996).

Universe

Availability

• 1997, 2010-2018

Weights

• 1997, 2010-2018 : PERWEIGHT