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Table 4: CPS - MEPS Comparison Table Children (Under age 19) Calendar Year 2001
	CPS		MEPS Point in Time		MEPS All Year		MEPS Ever During Year
Characteristic	Number (Millions)	Uninsured Rate	Number (Millions)	Uninsured Rate	Number (Millions)	Uninsured Rate	Number (Millions)	Uninsured Rate
TOTAL	9.2	12.1%	11.9	14.9%	7.6	9.4%	18.1	22.6%
GENDER
Male	4.7	12.0%	6.3	15.4%	4.2	10.2%	9.3	22.7%
Female	4.5	12.1%	5.6	14.3%	3.4	8.6%	8.8	22.4%

AGE
CHILDREN Under age 19	9.2	12.1%	11.9	14.9%	7.6	9.4%	18.1	22.6%

Under age 6	2.5	10.7%	3.1	11.6%	2.3	8.4%	5.9	21.7%
Age 6 to 11	2.8	11.3%	3.7	15.0%	1.9	8.0%	5.2	21.3%
Age 12 to 18	4.0	13.9%	5.1	17.9%	3.3	11.6%	7.0	24.4%

RACE
White*	6.8	11.4%	9.7	15.5%	6.4	10.2%	14.6	23.2%
Black*	1.8	14.3%	1.6	12.4%	0.9	7.0%	2.6	20.5%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.4	12.1%	0.4	12.0%	0.2	4.9%	0.6	17.2%
American Indian	0.3	22.3%	0.2	19.5%	0.1	8.7%	0.3	26.2%

HISPANIC ORIGIN
Hispanic	3.4	24.9%	4.1	28.7%	2.8	19.5%	5.5	38.6%
Not Hispanic	5.9	9.3%	7.9	11.9%	4.8	7.3%	12.6	19.1%

FAMILY WORK STATUS
2 or more full time	2.2	10.8%	2.1	9.6%	1.6	7.5%	3.7	17.0%
Only 1 full time	4.1	11.0%	5.6	14.4%	3.5	8.9%	8.2	20.9%
Only part time	0.8	13.6%	1.5	20.1%	0.8	10.9%	2.3	31.6%
Only self employed	0.6	15.2%	1.3	27.8%	0.8	18.5%	1.6	36.1%
No Workers	1.5	17.2%	1.5	20.3%	0.8	11.0%	2.2	30.7%

WAGE/SALARY FOR PRIMARY EARNERS
No wage earner	1.1	22.3%	2.7	23.2%	1.6	14.0%	3.8	32.9%
Under $7/hour	1.6	21.5%	1.4	23.6%	1.0	16.8%	2.1	34.6%
$7-$15/hour	4.0	16.2%	5.6	20.5%	3.3	12.1%	8.2	30.1%
$15-$25/hour	1.6	7.7%	1.5	8.2%	1.0	5.3%	2.6	13.8%
More than $25/hour	1.0	5.3%	0.6	4.0%	0.6	3.8%	1.3	8.2%

FAMILY COMPOSITION
1 Adult	2.2	13.4%	3.4	19.7%	1.7	10.2%	4.9	28.8%
2 Married adults	4.9	9.2%	6.5	12.1%	4.2	7.7%	9.9	18.3%
Other	1.6	28.4%	1.9	21.4%	1.5	17.5%	3.0	34.8%

INCOME (Poverty Level)
Under 100% FPL	2.9	22.7%	2.9	22.0%	1.7	12.5%	4.4	33.1%
100 - 200 % FPL	3.0	18.2%	4.5	25.9%	2.8	16.2%	6.2	35.9%
200 - 400% FPL	2.4	9.4%	3.0	11.7%	1.9	7.4%	5.1	19.7%
More than 400% FPL	0.9	4.3%	1.5	6.4%	1.2	5.0%	2.4	10.1%

*Includes both Hispanic and Non Hispanic

The CPS estimates are based on ERIU tabulations of data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement, conducted in March of 2002. CPS estimates of the uninsured are intended to represent persons who are uninsured throughout calendar year 2001. A person is considered insured if they were covered at any time during that calendar year; individuals insured for only one month are counted as insured. CPS estimates of the uninsured should be interpreted with caution. Respondents are asked to report on a time period that begins roughly 15 months prior to the time of the interview. Some respondents are likely to have trouble remembering back this far, while others may be confused by the time frame and respond instead about current coverage status. Studies that have examined and compared CPS estimates with data from other surveys suggest that CPS estimates of the uninsured are much closer to "point in time" than true full-year estimates.

The MEPS estimates are ERIU tabulations of 2001 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The tabulations reported here are based on responses to interview Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 5 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 6, which cover calendar year 2001 for both panels. Respondents report whether they were covered by any public or private source of health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, TRICARE/CHAMPUS, other public coverage, employment-based private, other private health insurance). Respondents are considered uninsured if they respond "no" to all of the coverage options; they are not asked directly if they are uninsured. We label those who are without health insurance for the entire year as "all-year uninsured," and those without health insurance for at least one month and up to twelve months as "ever uninsured." The "point-in-time uninsured" estimates include those without coverage in the first round of the calendar year (Round 3 for those who entered the survey in 2000, and Round 1 for those who entered the survey in 2001).

For further discussion of issues related to counting the uninsured see "Counting and Characterizing the Uninsured," (Adobe PDF) by Pamela Farley Short, and ERIU Research Highlight 1: A Revolving Door: How Individuals Move In and Out of Health Insurance Coverage (Adobe PDF)

Notes on CPS Data Source and Variables (PDF)
Notes on MEPS Data Source and Variables (PDF)