September 16, 2014: The U.S. Census Bureau released national-level health insurance coverage statistics for calendar year 2013 from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), along with national and state-level estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS).
SHADAC will host a webinar on September 24, 2014, to discuss the 2013 estimates. SHADAC staff will be joined by experts from the Census Bureau to discuss the survey results, provide guidance on accessing and using the estimates, and address the CPS redesign. Click here to register.
Highlights
National Estimates: CPS and ACS
According to the CPS, 13.4 percent of people nationwide lacked health insurance coverage during the entire year of 2013. Because these are the first estimates based on the CPS’ newly redesigned health insurance questions, they cannot be compared with CPS estimates from previous years. However, these 2013 data will provide baseline data for assessing the impact of full implementation of the ACA once 2014 CPS data become available. For more information on the CPS changes, see SHADAC’s FAQ on 2013 Health Insurance Coverage Estimates.
According to the ACS, 14.5 percent of people nationwide lacked health insurance at any point in time during 2013, representing a statistically significant drop in the percentage of the U.S. population lacking insurance from 14.8 percent in 2012. Because the ACS’ health insurance questions have not changed, the 2013 coverage estimates from the ACS are comparable to prior years back to 2008 (i.e., when the survey began asking about health insurance coverage).
State Estimates: ACS
This table provides ACS estimates of state-level uninsurance rates for 2012 and 2013 and examines the year-over-year change for each state. Thirteen states—Alaska, California, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Wyoming—experienced statistically significant decreases in their rates of uninsurance from 2012 to 2013. Only two states—Maine and New Jersey—saw statistically significant increases in their rates of uninsurance. Coverage in all other states was statistically stable from 2012 to 2013.
SHADAC Resources
Frequently Asked Questions about the 2013 Health Insurance Coverage Estimates
- This FAQ provides more information about the CPS redesign, such as the reasons for the changes, the new types of content that will be available in the survey, and how the data can and cannot be used.
Map of changes in state uninsurance rates