This Journal article was originally published on August 26, 2021, in Health Services Research.

Introduction

This article authored by SHADAC Investigator Dr. Kathleen T. Call, and colleagues from the U.S. Census Bureau Angela R. Fertig and Joanne Pascale, explores factors associated with accurate reporting of private and public health insurance coverage. It moves beyond the usual focus on Medicaid reporting accuracy to examine reporting accuracy for private insurance; because the study occurred after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace enrollees are included. Additionally, we contrast factors associated with reporting accuracy for two federal surveys commonly used to measure health insurance coverage: the American Community Survey (ACS) and the redesigned Current Population Survey's Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS). Results from this study can inform data editing and modeling routines that account for measurement error.

Principal findings

Reporting accuracy across treatment and coverage type is high (77%–84%). As with past research, accurate reporting of public insurance is higher for people with characteristics consistent with eligibility for public insurance for both survey treatments. For the ACS treatment, reports of direct purchase insurance are more accurate for enrollees who receive a premium subsidy.

Read the full article in Health Services Research or download it here.