Codes and Frequencies
Description
For all persons in families with at least four private insurance plans, HI4PCOV indicates whether the person was covered under the fourth private plan.
Data Collection Process
Respondents were first asked if anyone in the family had a private insurance plan, then asked about the coverage details of this plan, and then asked to indicate who was covered under this plan. (Proxy reporting was allowed, so one person might provide this information for all family members.) Information was collected on up to 5 plans for 1980 to 1989 and four plans for 1992 to 1996. Users may want to see the variables HI1PCOV through HI5PCOV.
Definition of Private Insurance
Users are strongly encouraged to review the user notes Insurance Data Collection and Private Insurance Definitions.
For 1980 to 1996, plans which paid extra cash for hospital stays were considered to be private health insurance and respondents were told exclude plans which pay only for accidents but were not explicitly told to exclude other types of single service plans. For 1989 to 1992, respondents were explicitly told to exclude single service plans, as these were not considered to be health insurance. For 1993 to 1996, single service plans were considered to be a form of private health insurance.
Please use the IPUMS NHIS drop-down menus and search function for other related variables.
Universe
- 1980: Persons covered by 4 private health insurance plans that pay any part of a hospital, doctor's or surgeon's bill, or whose coverage was unknown (excluding Medicare or single service plans).
- 1982 1984: Persons covered by 4 private health insurance plans that pay any part of a hospital, doctor's or surgeon's bill, or whose coverage was unknown (excluding Medicare or single service plans).
- 1983: Persons in quarters 3 or 4 covered by 4 private health insurance plans that pay any part of a hospital, doctor's or surgeon's bill (excluding Medicare or single service plans)
- 1986; 1989: Persons covered by 4 private health insurance plans that pay any part of a hospital, doctor, dentist, or surgeon's bill (excluding Medicare or single service plans)
- 1992: Persons covered by 4 private health insurance plans that pay (excluding Medicare and single service plans)
- 1993: Persons in quarters 3 and 4 covered by 4 private health insurance plans (including single service plans)
- 1994=1996: Persons covered by 4 private health insurance plans (including single service plans).
Availability
- 1980, 1982-1984, 1986, 1989, 1992-1996
Weights
- 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1994-1996 : PERWEIGHT
- 1983, 1993 : SAMPWEIGHT
