Description

For sample adults and sample children with 2 private health insurance plans (HIPRIVATEE) whose second plan is paid for by self or family (HIP2SELF), HIP2COST indicates the amount spent for health insurance premiums for the second plan, including payroll deductions. Prior to 2019, HIP2COST was asked of all persons with at least 2 private health insurance plans (HIPRIVATEE) whose second plan was paid for by self or a family member living in the household ("2" for HIP2SELF).

Respondents provided the amount in dollars spent on premiums (as a continuous measure) and the time period (month, week, etc).

Prior to 2019, premium costs are top coded at $20,000 dollars (code "20000"). Beginning in 2019, premium costs are top coded at $40,000 dollars (code "40000").

For 1999 to 2001, interviewers asked respondents for the amount paid on premiums in the past 12 months (e.g., "During the PAST 12 MONTHS, how much did {you/your family} spend for health insurance premiums for {plan name}?"). For 2002 forward, respondents were asked how much they (or their family} currently spend for health insurance premiums for each plan and could then specify the time period for the expenditure (e.g., once a week, a month or yearly). For 2002, responses were recoded to indicate annual expenditure.

In general, the definition and measurement of private health insurance for 1999-forward remained consistent. Single service plans or plans which paid only for accidents were not considered private insurance. Users are strongly encouraged to refer to HIPRIVATEE for more information on the change in measurement of private insurance over time.

Related variables

Please use the IHIS drop down menu and search functions for other related variables.

Data Editing and Recoding
For 1997 forward, during the course of data editing, the NCHS discovered errors in the responses to questions about insurance coverage. 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 responses for HIP2COST reflect editing by NCHS to ensure that respondents do have private insurance. A full description of the editing process and changes in definition is provided under the variable descriptions for private insurance in HIPRIVATEE.

Comparability

This variable is mostly comparable over time, though there were slight differences in the recall period, as mentioned in the variable description. For 1999 to 2001, the question inquired about the amount paid on premiums in the past 12 months (e.g., "During the PAST 12 MONTHS, how much did {you/your family} spend for health insurance premiums for {plan name}?"). For 2002 forward, respondents could specify the amount and the time period, for example, $100 each month.

Users may also want to note that the survey explicitly indicated that universe for this variable is respondents who indicated that they or someone in the family pays for the insurance plan ("2" in HIP2SELF). For 2004 forward, this referred to the respondent or family member living in the household, whereas the term "living in the household" was not explicitly used for HIP2SELF in 1997-2003.

This variable is not directly comparable with HI2FAMPPAY (amount spent by family on premium last month) available for 1992 to 1996. In addition to changes in the universe and definition of private insurance for 1992 to 1996, the responses for HI2FAMPPAY were not edited by the NCHS to verify accuracy of coverage of private insurance.

Starting in 2021, response top-codes were changed from “$20,000 or more” to “$40,000 or more”.

Comparability may be affected by the 2019 questionnaire redesign. The NHIS questionnaire was substantially redesigned in 2019 to introduce a different data collection structure and new content. For more information on changes in terminology, universes, and data collection methods beginning in 2019, please see the user note.

Universe

Availability

• 1999-2024

Weights

• 1999-2018 : PERWEIGHT
• 2019-2024 : SAMPWEIGHT