Codes and Frequencies
Description
For all persons in families with at least one private insurance plan, HI1PCOV indicates if the person was covered under the first private plan.
Data Collection Process
Respondents were first asked if anyone in the family has 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 HI2PCOV 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 menu and search functions for other related variables.
Universe
- 1980: Persons covered by private health insurance which pays any part of a hospital, doctor's or surgeon's bill, or whose coverage was unknown.
- 1982 1984: All persons that were covered by a private health insurance plan which pays any part of a hospital, doctor's or surgeon's bill.
- 1983: All persons in quarters 3 or 4 that were covered by a private health insurance plan which pays any part of a hospital, doctor's or surgeon's bill.
- 1986;1989: All persons that were covered by a private health insurance plan which pays any part of a hospital, doctor, dentist, or surgeon's bill.
- 1992: Persons who were covered by a private health insurance plan (excluding single service plans)
- 1993: Persons in quarters 3 and 4 who were covered by a private health insurance plan (including single service plans)
- 1994-1996: Persons who were covered by a private health insurance plan (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