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 2004
Characteristic	Population (Millions)	Distribution of Population	Uninsured (Millions)	Distribution of Uninsured	Uninsured Rate
TOTAL	178.1	100.0%	36.5	100.0%	20.5%
GENDER
Men	87.8	49.3%	19.8	54.1%	22.5%
Women	90.3	50.7%	16.7	45.9%	18.5%

AGE
ADULTS age 19-64	178.1	100.0%	36.5	100.0%	20.5%

Age 19-24	24.0	13.5%	8.0	21.9%	33.4%
Age 25-34	39.3	22.1%	10.2	27.9%	25.9%
Age 35-54	85.3	47.9%	14.4	39.4%	16.8%
Age 55-64	29.5	16.6%	3.9	10.8%	13.3%

RACE
White*	143.8	80.7%	28.0	76.6%	19.4%
Black*	21.6	12.1%	5.5	15.2%	25.6%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.4	0.8%	0.5	1.4%	36.5%
American Indian	8.6	4.8%	1.8	5.0%	21.3%
Biracial	2.6	1.5%	0.6	1.8%	24.4%

HISPANIC ORIGIN
Hispanic	24.7	13.8%	10.3	28.1%	41.6%
Not Hispanic	153.5	86.2%	26.2	71.9%	17.1%

IMMIGRANT STATUS
US Native	150.4	84.4%	26.1	71.4%	17.3%
Immigrant citizen	10.2	5.7%	2.2	6.0%	21.3%
Immigrant non-citizen	17.6	9.9%	8.2	22.6%	46.9%

EDUCATION
Less than HS	22.5	12.6%	9.4	25.8%	41.9%
HS only	55.6	31.2%	13.6	37.2%	24.4%
Some post-HS	52.0	29.2%	8.9	24.3%	17.0%
4-year college degree or more	48.0	26.9%	4.6	12.7%	9.7%

INDIVIDUAL WORK STATUS (Point in Time)
Full Time	93.1	52.2%	14.6	40.1%	15.7%
Part Time	24.1	13.5%	5.9	16.2%	24.5%
Self-Employed	14.6	8.2%	3.8	10.4%	26.1%
Not Working	46.4	26.1%	12.1	33.3%	26.2%

INDIVIDUAL WORK STATUS (Annual)
EMPLOYED FULL YEAR	100.9	56.6%	15.9	43.6%	15.8%

Full time	89.9	50.5%	13.1	35.9%	14.6%
Part time	11.0	6.2%	2.8	7.7%	25.5%

EMPLOYED PART YEAR	26.8	15.07%	7.3	20.1%	27.3%

Full Time	17.3	9.69%	4.8	13.2%	28.0%
Part time	9.6	5.38%	2.5	6.9%	26.1%

SELF EMPLOYED	14.0	7.85%	3.8	10.3%	26.8%
DID NOT WORK	36.5	20.5%	9.5	26.0%	26.0%

FAMILY WORK STATUS
2 or more full time	51.3	28.8%	8.2	22.6%	16.0%
Only 1 full time	82.9	46.5%	15.4	42.3%	18.6%
Only part time	12.1	6.8%	3.8	10.4%	31.3%
Only self employed	10.1	5.7%	3.1	8.6%	31.0%
No Workers	21.7	12.2%	5.9	16.2%	27.1%

WAGE/SALARY FOR PRIMARY EARNERS
No wage earner	15.2	8.6%	4.0	11.0%	26.4%
Under $7/hour	13.3	7.5%	6.1	16.7%	45.7%
$7-$15/hour	50.3	28.3%	15.4	42.1%	30.5%
$15-$25/hour	50.5	28.4%	6.8	18.6%	13.4%
More than $25/hour	48.7	27.4%	4.2	11.6%	8.7%

FAMILY COMPOSITION
WITH CHILDREN	80.3	45.1%	15.1	41.5%	18.8%

1 Adult	11.1	6.2%	2.7	7.5%	24.9%
2 Married adults	59.8	33.6%	9.2	25.1%	15.3%
Other	9.4	5.3%	3.2	8.9%	34.2%

WITHOUT CHILDREN	97.8	54.9%	21.3	58.5%	21.8%

1 Adult	34.9	19.6%	8.9	24.3%	25.4%
2 Married adults	51.0	28.7%	8.4	22.9%	16.4%
Other	11.9	6.7%	4.1	11.4%	34.9%

INCOME (Poverty Level)
Under 100% FPL	19.8	7.8%	8.6	18.9%	43.3%
100 - 200 % FPL	27.5	10.7%	10.1	22.2%	36.8%
200 - 300% FPL	28.7	11.2%	7.0	15.4%	24.5%
300 - 400% FPL	26.4	10.3%	4.1	9.1%	15.6%
More than 400% FPL	75.8	29.6%	6.6	14.6%	8.8%

*Includes both Hispanic and Non Hispanic

These estimates are based on ERIU tabulations of data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau through the 2005 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)