Economic Research Initiative on the Uninsured


Facts to Consider



Counting the Uninsured by Reference Period
All Year Ever in Year Point in Time
By Data Source
CPS MEPS SIPP
By Population
Total Non-Elderly Adults Children Workers Immigrants
By Additional Characteristics
Income Education Level Family Composition
Comparison Tables
CPS-SIPP CPS-MEPS
Medical Utilization and Expenditures Tables

Notes on Data Sources and Variables
CPS MEPS SIPP
Data Dictionary

Table 2 - CPS Adult Population (Age 19-64) Calendar Year 2001
Characteristic	Population (Millions)	Distribution of Population	Uninsured (Millions)	Distribution of Uninsured	Uninsured Rate
TOTAL	171.8	100%	31.7	100%	18.5%
GENDER
Men	84.5	49.2%	16.9	53.3%	20.0%
Women	87.3	50.8%	14.8	46.7%	17.0%

AGE
ADULTS age 19-64	171.8	100%	31.7	100%	18.5%

Age 19-24	23.4	13.6%	6.9	21.9%	29.7%
Age 25-34	38.7	22.5%	9.1	28.6%	23.4%
Age 35-54	83.8	48.8%	12.3	38.8%	14.7%
Age 55-64	25.9	15.1%	3.4	10.7%	13.1%

RACE
White*	140.7	81.9%	24.2	76.5%	17.2%
Black*	20.9	12.1%	5.0	15.8%	24.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander	8.2	4.8%	1.8	5.7%	22.1%
American Indian	2.0	1.2%	0.6	2.0%	30.7%

HISPANIC ORIGIN
Hispanic	22.0	12.8%	9.0	28.3%	40.7%
Not Hispanic	149.7	87.2%	22.7	71.7%	15.2%

IMMIGRANT STATUS
US Native	146.0	85.0%	22.3	70.4%	15.3%
Immigrant citizen	9.2	5.3%	1.9	6.1%	21.2%
Immigrant non-citizen	16.6	9.7%	7.4	23.5%	44.8%

EDUCATION
Less than HS	22.7	13.2%	9.1	28.8%	40.2%
HS only	53.9	31.4%	11.4	35.9%	21.1%
Some post-HS	49.9	29.0%	7.5	23.7%	15.0%
4-year college degree or more	45.3	26.3%	3.7	11.6%	8.2%

INDIVIDUAL WORK STATUS (Point in Time)
Full Time	92.4	53.8%	12.7	40.2%	13.8%
Part Time	22.7	13.2%	5.0	15.9%	22.2%
Self-Employed	12.9	7.5%	3.0	9.5%	23.3%
Not Working	43.7	25.5%	10.9	34.5%	25.0%

INDIVIDUAL WORK STATUS (Annual)
EMPLOYED FULL YEAR	99.1	57.7%	13.7	43.2%	13.8%

Full time	89.1	51.9%	11.5	36.3%	12.9%
Part time	10.0	5.8%	2.2	6.9%	21.9%

EMPLOYED PART YEAR	28.5	16.6%	7.2	22.7%	25.2%

Full Time	19.0	11.1%	5.0	15.7%	26.1%
Part time	9.4	5.5%	2.2	7.0%	23.5%

SELF EMPLOYED	12.4	7.2%	3.0	9.3%	23.8%
DID NOT WORK	31.7	18.5%	7.9	24.8%	24.8%

FAMILY WORK STATUS
2 or more full time	51.6	30.0%	7.3	23.0%	14.1%
Only 1 full time	79.1	46.0%	13.3	42.0%	16.8%
Only part time	12.0	7.0%	3.4	10.7%	28.4%
Only self employed	8.8	5.1%	2.4	7.7%	27.8%
No Workers	20.3	11.8%	5.2	16.5%	25.8%

WAGE/SALARY FOR PRIMARY EARNERS
No wage earner	13.0	7.6%	3.2	10.0%	24.4%
Under $7/hour	14.4	8.4%	6.3	19.9%	43.8%
$7-$15/hour	53.0	30.9%	13.3	42.0%	25.1%
$15-$25/hour	49.2	28.6%	5.4	17.2%	11.1%
More than $25/hour	42.1	24.5%	3.4	10.9%	8.2%

FAMILY COMPOSITION
WITH CHILDREN	77.9	45.4%	13.6	43.0%	17.5%

1 Adult	10.7	6.2%	2.6	8.2%	24.2%
2 Married adults	59.3	34.5%	8.2	26.0%	13.9%
Other	8.0	4.6%	2.8	8.8%	35.1%

WITHOUT CHILDREN	93.8	54.6%	18.1	57.0%	19.3%

1 Adult	33.6	19.6%	7.3	23.0%	21.7%
2 Married adults	49.2	28.6%	7.3	23.1%	14.9%
Other	11.1	6.4%	3.5	10.9%	31.2%

INCOME (Poverty Level)
Under 100% FPL	17.1	10.0%	7.3	23.0%	42.5%
100 - 200 % FPL	26.1	15.2%	9.0	28.4%	34.5%
200 - 300% FPL	27.6	16.0%	5.8	18.3%	21.0%
300 - 400% FPL	25.9	15.1%	3.7	11.5%	14.1%
More than 400% FPL	75.1	43.7%	6.0	18.8%	7.9%

*Includes both Hispanic and Non Hispanic

These estimates are based on ERIU tabulations of data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau through the 2002 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (formerly called the Annual Demographic Supplement, or the March Supplement). CPS estimates of the uninsured are intended to represent persons who are uninsured throughout the calendar year. 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, such as the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), suggest that CPS estimates of the uninsured are much closer to “point in time” than true full-year estimates.

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)