Codes and Frequencies
Description
For all persons in families with at least four private health insurance plans, for which the fourth plan mentioned paid for only one type of service (HI4VARSS = "2"), HI4SSTYP indicates the type of service the plan covered, such as dental, vision, or prescriptions.
For 1993 to 1996, single service plans were considered a form of private insurance. "One Service Plans" were defined as plans designed to provide health coverage for a specific type of service, frequently obtained to supplement a comprehensive plan that may not provide that type of coverage.
Details about the characteristics of insurance plans (such as HI4SSTYP) 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 HI4PCOV (Health Insurance Plan 4: Person's Coverage Status), which indicates whether the person was covered by the plan.
Information was collected on up to four plans per family.
Users may also want to see the variablesHI1SSTYP through HI4SSTYP. Likewise, the variables HI1PCOV through HI4PCOV indicate coverage status for each plan.
Please use the IPUMS NHIS drop-down menus and search function for other related variables.
Comparability
HI4SSTYP is comparable over time. However, this variable is not directly comparable with the variables for 1997 forward that indicate the type of service provided by single service plans (e.g., SSACCID, SSCAN, SSEYE, and SSDENT). The variables for 1997 forward have been edited to verify coverage through a single service plan.
From 1997 forward, the NCHS began editing responses for what kind of insurance individuals had based on the plan name they provided. For example, there may be a mismatch between the plan name and the actual type of plan (e.g., Medicaid, private insurance, or single service). From 1997 forward, the NCHS reassigned individuals to correct response categories. The responses for HI4SSTYP did not undergo editing for accuracy of single service plan coverage and thus are not directly comparable with later values.
Universe
- 1993: Persons in quarters 3 or 4 whose 4th health insurance plan only pays for ONE TYPE of service or care.
- 1994-1996: Persons whose 4thhealth insurance plan only pays for ONE TYPE of service or care.
Availability
- 1993-1996
Weights
- 1994-1996 : PERWEIGHT
- 1993 : SAMPWEIGHT
