Description

For persons in families with at least one private insurance plan, HI1SURG indicates if the first plan mentioned paid for surgical bills.

Data Collection Process

Details about the characteristics of insurance plans (such as HI1SURG) reflect plans for any family member in the household. In order to determine if the person (rather than someone else in the family) was covered by this plan, analysts should use the variable HI1PCOV (Health Insurance Plan 1: Person's Coverage Status), which indicates whether the person was covered by the plan.

Information was collected on up to five plans per family (six plans in 1983).

Private insurance for 1980 to 1989 was indicated by report of coverage by a health insurance plan that pays for any part of a hospital, doctor, or surgeon's bill (or dentist's bill for 1989 and 1986). Single service plans were not considered a form of health insurance, however; while interviewers explicitly told respondents not to include plans which pay only for accidents, respondents were not told to exclude other single service plans, and plans which paid extra cash for hospitalizations were considered a form of health insurance.

Comparability

Apart from changes in the survey quarters in which this question was asked, and question wording to exclude single service coverage for 1989, HI1SURG is comparable over time. (Using the prescribed IHIS weights eliminates comparability issues related to survey design.) In 1989, interviewers stated, "Do not include plans that pay for only one type of service, such as nursing home care or accidents." Thus, the survey in 1989 includes more explicit instructions on the exclusion of single service plans. The 1989 Field Representative's Manual noted that such plans were a new and relatively rare form of insurance at the time.

Universe

Availability

• 1980, 1982-1984, 1986, 1989

Weights

• 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1989 : PERWEIGHT
• 1983 : SAMPWEIGHT