Codes and Frequencies
Description
For persons who, in the previous month did not have health insurance coverage through Medicare, private insurance (which included single service plans), military health care, the Indian Health Service, or Medicaid (in the past 12 months) or any other public assistance for health care, HINOROLD indicates the person did not have insurance because the person was too old for coverage under the family plan. Respondents were handed a card which listed reasons or could specify "other" and were asked to pick all that applied.
Persons may have had coverage through "some other plan" as indicated by this response category on the card. Individuals may also have received health care through Aid to Families with Dependent Children or received Supplemental Security Income and such recipients were automatically covered by Medicaid. In other words, the individual was not necessarily uninsured.
Persons with single service insurance plans are not included in the universe (they were not asked reasons for no insurance). Individuals with such plans were considered to be covered by insurance.
Comparability
Apart from changes in the universe, this variable is comparable over time. Note that those with single service insurance plans are not included in the universe (they were not asked reasons for no insurance). Individuals with such plans were considered to be covered by insurance.
Users should not compare this variable with variables for reasons for no insurance for 1997 forward. For example, HINOROLD is not directly comparable with variables for 1997 forward, such as HISTOP4), which indicates the respondent was not eligible due to age or because he or she left school. In 1997, the universe includes only those without insurance for less than 3 years and for 1997 forward, persons with single service plans were included in the universe for questions on reasons for no insurance.
In addition, from 1997 forward, the NCHS began editing the insurance coverage variables to ensure accuracy (See variable description for HINOTCOVE, for example). During the course of data editing, the NCHS discovered many errors in the responses to questions about insurance coverage. Often, respondents misclassified the type of insurance they had. This might be shown, for example, by a mismatch between the verbatim name of an insurance plan and the type of insurance coverage the person selected from the categories on the card. The variables for 1997 forward reflect editing that ensured the individual lacked any insurance coverage.
Universe
- 1993: Persons in quarters 3 or 4 not covered by Medicaid, Medicare, other public assistance, Indian Health insurance, CHAMPUS/CHAMP-VA, other military health care, or any private health insurance plan.
- 1994-1996: Persons not covered by Medicaid, Medicare, other public assistance, Indian Health insurance, CHAMPUS/CHAMP-VA, other military health care, or any private health insurance plan.
Availability
- 1993-1996
Weights
- 1994-1996 : PERWEIGHT
- 1993 : SAMPWEIGHT
