2012 CPS Estimates of Insurance Coverage - Changes by State

September 17, 2013: Estimates of insurance coverage from the 2012 Current Population Survey (CPS) are now available from the US Census Bureau. 

The 2012 estimates come from the 2013 CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement, which samples about 100,000 addresses in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and asks respondents about insurance coverage during the previous calendar year.  People are considered “insured” if they were covered by any type of health insurance for part or all of the prior year. 

Highlighted Estimates

• Nationwide, 15.4 percent of people lacked health insurance coverage at any time during 2012, a statistically significant drop from 15.7 percent in 2011. 

• The rate of private insurance (which includes employer coverage and direct-purchase coverage) was stable from 2011 to 2012 at 63.9 percent (vs. 63.9 percent in 2011). This is the second consecutive year that the rate of private insurance was unchanged from the previous year. 

• The 2012 rate of employer-sponsored coverage, at 54.9 percent, was unchanged from 55.1 percent in 2011.

• The percentage of people covered by Medicaid in 2012 was also stable, at 16.4 percent (vs. 16.5 percent in 2011). 

• Among children younger than 18 years, 8.9 percent were uninsured in 2012, which is a statistically different decline from 9.4 percent 2011. This was the only age group (vs. 19 to 25, 26 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 64, and 65 plus) to show a statistical change from 2011 to 2012. 

• Among racial/ethnic groups, only Asians and Hispanics saw a statistically significant change in their uninsured rate from 2011 to 2012, with the rate for Asians dropping from 16.8 to 15.1 percent, and the rate for Hispanics dropping from 30.1 to 29.1 percent.  The uninsured rates for Whites and Blacks were unchanged.

• The 2012 uninsured rate was unchanged from 2011 for all of the annual household income ranges used in the CPS (less than $25,000; $25,000 to $49,999; $50,000 to $74,999; and $75,000 or more).  As in 2011, however, the 2012 uninsured rate was higher among people with lower incomes and lower among people with higher incomes.  

Coverage by State

The table to the right provides CPS estimates of state-level uninsurance rates for 2009/2010 and 2011/2012 and compares the changes between the two-year periods in each state. [1] Ten states--Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina and Vermont--and the District of Columbia experienced statistically significant decreases in their rates of uninsurance.  Only two states-- Lousiana and New Hampshire--saw statistically significant increases in their rates of uninsurance.  Insurance coverage in all other states was statistically stable from 2009/2010 to 2011/2012.  The accompanying map (above) illustrates state-level coverage changes between the two time periods.

Upcoming Census Bureau Data Releases

• September 19:  2012 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates
• October 24:      2010-2012 ACS 3-year estimates
• December 5:     2008-2012 ACS 5-year estimates

The 2008-2012 ACS 5-year estimates are the first 5-year estimates to include health insurance coverage, which was added to the survey in 2008. 

SHADAC Webinar: 2012 Health Insurance Coverage Estimates

Monday, September 23, 2013

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST

SHADAC will host a webinar to discuss the 2012 state health insurance coverage estimates from the ACS and CPS, along with the 2011 county estimates from the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) program.

SHADAC staff will present results from the ACS, CPS, and SAHIE, and guide users in accessing the estimates.  Experts from the Census Bureau will join the call to respond to questions. 

Click here to register for the webinar.  Registered participants will receive the presentation slides in advance and they will be posted on SHADAC’s website the day of the webinar.