Common use of Health Insurance Variables Clause in Contracts

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 Round 1. For Panel 6 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 Round 1 or Panel 6 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 Round 1 or Panel 6 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 2002. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "H", e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 13 Round 1 and Panel 6 12 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 13 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 13 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 12 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 13 Round 1. For Panel 6 12 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 13 Round 1 or Panel 6 12 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 13 Round 1 or Panel 6 12 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2008 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022008. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2008 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 9 Round 1 and Panel 6 8 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 9 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 9 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 8 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 9 Round 1. For Panel 6 8 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 9 Round 1 or Panel 6 8 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 9 Round 1 or Panel 6 8 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2004 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022004. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "H", e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-self- employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2004 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 20 Round 1 and Panel 6 19 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 20 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 20 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 19 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, Because persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer not have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does nowdoes. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 20 Round 1. For Panel 6 19 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 20 Round 1 or Panel 6 19 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 20 Round 1 or Panel 6 19 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2015 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Note that further edits may be made to the public insurance variables in later MEPS data releases to address cases where private coverage through a federally-facilitated, state-based or state partnership exchange/marketplace may have been originally reported as public insurance. These potential edits could affect the variables MCAID13X, OTPUBA13, OTPUBB13, and PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13); and private insurance through a federally-facilitated, state- based or state partnership exchange/marketplace (PRSTX13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022015. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Note, however, that persons covered by private insurance through an exchange/marketplace (PRSTX13 and HPRSTX13) were considered to have private health coverage if that coverage provided hospital/physician services, but excluded coverage that was explicitly identified as Medigap coverage (EPRS.MSUPINS=1). If a person reported Medigap coverage through the exchange/marketplace, then the source of the insurance purchased was edited to reflect coverage “from a professional association” (EPRS.PURCHTYP=1) or “from a group or association” coverage (EPRS.PRIVINS=1). Further descriptions of the exchange variables are detailed below. Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, PRIOUT13, and PRIOUT13PRSTX13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Beginning in Panel 12 Round 2, the response category “Health Insurance Purchasing Alliance” was removed from HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=4) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=2) because it was infrequently reported and it was not clear how respondents were using this category. Beginning in Panel 14 Round 5/Panel 15 Round 3, “High Risk Pool” was added to the list of categories at HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=10) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=13). Beginning FY 2010, High Risk Pool was included in all Other Group insurance categories. Beginning in Panel 18 Round 3/Panel 19 Round 1, “Federal/State Exchange” was added to the list of private insurance categories at HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=11) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=14). Additionally, beginning in Panel 18 Round 3/Panel 19 Round 1, variables EPRS.STEXCH03 and EPRS.STEXCH23 were collected at question HP04A (“Is this coverage through {state exchange name}?”) for respondents reporting insurance from a group, directly from an insurance company or HMO, from an insurance agent or from an “other” unspecified source. Note that the state specific name for the exchange/marketplace was used when asking this question and was also used on the list of private insurance categories at HX03 and HX23. The variable PRSTX13 has been constructed to include persons less than 65 years old who report private insurance through a federally-facilitated, state-based or state partnership exchange/marketplace at HX03 or HX23, or persons 65 years old or older who report private insurance through a federally-facilitated, state-based or state partnership exchange/marketplace at HX03 or HX23 and not covered by Medicare. In addition, persons who reported a source of insurance at HX23 that was not through an exchange/marketplace (e.g. through a group or directly from an insurance company) but who answered yes to HP04A were also classified as having exchange/marketplace coverage instead of being assigned to the category they originally reported. In addition to reporting coverage through an exchange/marketplace, coverage needed to have been identified as hospital/physician coverage (either as a Yes (1) or missing (-1, -7, -8, - 9)), but not identified as having Medicare supplemental coverage. Currently, these variables contain information on private coverage that was reported as obtained through a federally- facilitated, state-based or state partnership marketplace. However, MEPS respondents reporting public coverage were also asked whether the public coverage was obtained through a federal or state marketplace in case respondents were confused about whether the source of coverage was public or private. This approach is consistent with the health insurance questions in the Current Population Survey and the National Health Interview Survey. The variables PRSTX13 and HPRSTX13 should be considered unedited since some individuals with public coverage reported as through a marketplace may be edited to private exchange/marketplace coverage in later releases of MEPS data, once additional information on family income is available to aid in data edits. Any further edits of this type will also possibly affect the variables MCAID13X, OTPUBA13, OTPUBB13, and PUB13X. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2015 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 14 Round 1 and Panel 6 13 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 14 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 14 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 13 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 14 Round 1. For Panel 6 13 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 14 Round 1 or Panel 6 13 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 14 Round 1 or Panel 6 13 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2009 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022009. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2009 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 16 Round 1 and Panel 6 15 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 16 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 16 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 15 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 16 Round 1. For Panel 6 15 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 16 Round 1 or Panel 6 15 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 16 Round 1 or Panel 6 15 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2011 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022011. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2011 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 19 Round 1 and Panel 6 18 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 19 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 19 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 18 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, Because persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer not have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does nowdoes. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 19 Round 1. For Panel 6 18 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 19 Round 1 or Panel 6 18 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 19 Round 1 or Panel 6 18 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2014 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Note that further edits may be made to the public insurance variables in later MEPS data releases to address cases where private coverage through a federally-facilitated, state-based or state partnership exchange/marketplace may have been originally reported as public insurance. These potential edits could affect the variables MCAID13X, OTPUBA13, OTPUBB13, and PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13); and private insurance through a federally-facilitated, state- based or state partnership exchange/marketplace (PRSTX13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022014. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Note, however, that persons covered by private insurance through an exchange/marketplace (PRSTX13 and HPRSTX13) were considered to have private health coverage if that coverage provided hospital/physician services, but excluded coverage that was explicitly identified as Medigap coverage. Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, PRIOUT13, and PRIOUT13PRSTX13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Beginning in Panel 12 Round 2, the response category “Health Insurance Purchasing Alliance” was removed from HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=4) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=2) because it was infrequently reported and it was not clear how respondents were using this category. Beginning in Panel 14 Round 5/Panel 15 Round 3, “High Risk Pool” was added to the list of categories at HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=10) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=13). Beginning FY 2010, High Risk Pool was included in all Other Group insurance categories. Beginning in Panel 18 Round 3/Panel 19 Round 1, “Federal/State Exchange” was added to the list of private insurance categories at HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=11) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=14). Additionally, beginning in Panel 18 Round 3/Panel 19 Round 1, variables EPRS.STEXCH03 and EPRS.STEXCH23 were collected at question HP04A (“Is this coverage through {state exchange name}?”) for respondents reporting insurance from a group, directly from an insurance company or HMO, from an insurance agent or from an “other” unspecified source. Note that the state specific name for the exchange/marketplace was used when asking this question and was also used on the list of private insurance categories at HX03 and HX23. The variable PRSTX13 has been constructed to include persons less than 65 years old who report private insurance through a federally-facilitated, state-based or state partnership exchange/marketplace at HX03 or HX23. In addition, persons who reported a source of insurance at HX23 that was not through an exchange/marketplace (e.g. through a group or directly from an insurance company) but who answered yes to HP04A were also classified as having exchange/marketplace coverage instead of being assigned to the category they originally reported. In addition to reporting coverage through an exchange/marketplace, coverage needed to have been identified as hospital/physician coverage (either as a yes or missing), but not identified as having Medicare supplemental coverage. Note that PRSTX13 and HPRSTX13 should be considered unedited variables. Currently, these variables contain information on private coverage that was reported as obtained through a federally-facilitated, state-based or state partnership marketplace. However, MEPS respondents with public coverage were also asked whether their public coverage was obtained through a federal or state marketplace in case respondents were confused about whether the source of coverage was public or private. This approach is consistent with the health insurance questions in the Current Population Survey and the National Health Interview Survey. The variables PRSTX13 and HPRSTX13 should be considered unedited since some individuals with public coverage reported as through a marketplace may be edited to private exchange/marketplace coverage in later releases of MEPS data, once additional information on family income is available to aid in data edits. Any further edits of this type will also possibly affect the variables MCAID13X, OTPUBA13, OTPUBB13, and PUB13X. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2014 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 8 Round 1 and Panel 6 7 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 8 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 8 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 7 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 8 Round 1. For Panel 6 7 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 8 Round 1 or Panel 6 7 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 8 Round 1 or Panel 6 7 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2003 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022003. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "H", e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2003 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 15 Round 1 and Panel 6 14 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 15 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 15 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 14 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 15 Round 1. For Panel 6 14 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 15 Round 1 or Panel 6 14 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 15 Round 1 or Panel 6 14 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2010 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022010. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2010 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 18 Round 1 and Panel 6 17 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 18 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 18 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 17 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, Because persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer not have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does nowdoes. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 18 Round 1. For Panel 6 17 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 18 Round 1 or Panel 6 17 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 18 Round 1 or Panel 6 17 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2013 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022013. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Beginning in Panel 12 Round 2, the response category “Health Insurance Purchasing Alliance” was removed from HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=4) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=2) because it was infrequently reported and it was not clear how respondents were using this category. Beginning in Panel 14 Round 5/Panel 15 Round 3, “High Risk Pool” was added to the list of categories at HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=10) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=13). Beginning FY 2010, High Risk Pool was included in all Other Group insurance categories. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2013 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 6 Round 1 and Panel 6 5 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 6 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 6 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 5 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicaid and Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001For TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X), persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons who were over age 65 will no longer have had their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 6 Round 1. For Panel 6 5 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 6 Round 1 or Panel 6 5 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 6 Round 1 or Panel 6 5 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” yes to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, coverage or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as suchMedicaid. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • ▪ The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • and ▪ The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2001 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022001. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2001 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, Medicaid or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 11 Round 1 and Panel 6 10 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 11 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 11 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 10 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does now. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 11 Round 1. For Panel 6 10 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 11 Round 1 or Panel 6 10 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 11 Round 1 or Panel 6 10 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2006 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022006. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "H", e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-self- employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2006 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.

Health Insurance Variables. Constructed and edited variables are provided that indicate any coverage during the MEPS Panel 7 17 Round 1 and Panel 6 16 Round 3 interviews for the sources of health insurance coverage collected during the MEPS interview. With the exception of private insurance (PRIV13), the insurance variables for the Panel 7 17 Round 1 observations have been edited. For both the Panel 7 17 Round 1 sample and the Panel 6 16 Round 3 sample, minimal editing was performed on the Medicare and Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) variables to assign persons to coverage from these sources. Beginning October 1, 2001, Because persons 65 years and older can retain TRICARE coverage in addition to Medicare. Therefore, starting in Panel 7 Round 1 and Panel 6 Round 3, persons over age 65 will no longer not have their reported TRICARE coverage (TRINW13X) overturned. TRICARE will act as a supplemental insurance for Medicare much as Medigap insurance does nowdoes. As mentioned above, private insurance coverage was unedited and unimputed for Panel 7 17 Round 1. For Panel 6 16 Round 3, most of the insurance variables have been logically edited to address issues that arose during Rounds 2 and 3 when reviewing insurance reported in earlier rounds. One edit corrects for possible respondent confusion with respect to a question about covered benefits asked of respondents who reported a change in their private health insurance plan name. Additional edits were performed to address issues of missing data on the time period of coverage. Note that the Medicare and TRICARE variables indicate coverage at the time of the Panel 7 17 Round 1 or Panel 6 16 Round 3 interview dates. The private coverage and other public insurance variables indicate coverage at any time during Panel 7 17 Round 1 or Panel 6 16 Round 3. Public sources include Medicare, TRICARE, Medicaid, SCHIP, and other public hospital/physician coverage. State-specific program participation in non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13) was also identified but is not considered health insurance for the purposes of this survey. Medicare Medicare (MCARE13) coverage was edited (MCARE13X) for persons age 65 or over. Within this age group, individuals were assigned Medicare coverage if: • They answered “yes” to a follow-up question on whether or not they received Social Security benefits; or • They were covered by Medicaid/SCHIP, other public hospital/physician coverage, or Medigap coverage; or • Their spouse was age 65 or older and covered by Medicare; or • They reported TRICARE coverage. Medicaid and Other Public Hospital/Physician Coverage Questions about other public hospital/physician coverage were asked in an attempt to identify Medicaid or SCHIP recipients who may not have recognized their coverage as such. These questions were asked only if a respondent did not report Medicaid or SCHIP directly. Respondents reporting other public hospital/physician coverage were asked follow-up questions to determine if their coverage was through a specific Medicaid HMO or if it included some other managed care characteristics. Respondents who identified managed care from either path were asked if they paid anything for the coverage and/or if a government source paid for the coverage. The Medicaid variables (MCAID13) have been edited (MCAID13X) to include persons who paid nothing for their other public hospital/physician insurance when such coverage was through a Medicaid HMO or reported to include some other managed care characteristics. The Medicaid variables also include those identified as covered by SCHIP. To assist users in further editing sources of insurance, this file contains variables constructed from the other public hospital/physician series that measure whether: • The respondent reported some type of managed care and paid something for the coverage, Other Public A Insurance (OTPUBA13); or • The respondent did not report any managed care, Other Public B Insurance (OTPUBB13). The variables OTPUBA13 and OTPUBB13 are provided only to assist in editing and should not be used to make separate insurance estimates for these types of insurance categories. Any Public Insurance in Round 3/Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether or not a sample person has any public insurance during the early part of 2002 2012 (PUB13X). Persons identified as covered by public insurance are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician programs. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that did not provide comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable PUB13X. Private Insurance Variables identifying private insurance in general (PRIV13) and specific private insurance sources such as employer/union group insurance (PRIEU13); non-group insurance (PRING13); and other group insurance (PRIOG13) were constructed. Private insurance sources identify coverage in effect at any time during the early part of 20022012. Separate variables identify covered persons and policyholders (policyholder variables begin with the letter "“H"”, e.g., HPRIEU13). These variables indicate coverage or policyholder status within a source and do not distinguish between persons who are covered or policyholders on one or more policy within a given source. In some cases, the respondent was unable to characterize the source of insurance (PRIDK13). Covered persons (but not policyholders) are identified when the policyholder is living outside the RU (PRIOUT13). An individual was considered to have private health coverage if, at a minimum, that coverage provided benefits for hospital and physician services (including Medigap coverage). Sources of insurance with missing information regarding the type of coverage were assumed to contain hospital/physician coverage. Persons without private hospital/physician insurance were not counted as privately insured. Health insurance through a job or union (PRIEU13, PRIS13) was initially asked about in the Employment Section of the interview and later confirmed in the Health Insurance Section. Respondents also had an opportunity to report employer and union group insurance (PRIEU13) for the first time in the Health Insurance Section, but this insurance was not linked to a specific job. All insurance reported to be through a job classified as self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) was initially reported in the Employment Section and verified in the Health Insurance Section. Unlike the other employment-related variable (PRIEU13), self-employed with firm size of 1 (PRIS13) insurance could not be reported in the Health Insurance Section for the first time. The variable PRIS13 has been constructed to allow users to determine if the insurance should be considered employment-related. Private insurance that was not employment-related (PRING13, PRIOG13, PRIDK13, and PRIOUT13) was reported in the Health Insurance Section only. Beginning in Panel 12 Round 2, the response category “Health Insurance Purchasing Alliance” was removed from HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=4) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=2) because it was infrequently reported and it was not clear how respondents were using this category. Beginning in Panel 14 Round 5/Panel 15 Round 3, “High Risk Pool” was added to the list of categories at HX03 (EPRS.PURCHTYP=10) and HX23 (EPRS.PRIVINS=13). Beginning FY 2010, High Risk Pool was included in all Other Group insurance categories. Any Insurance in Round 3 / Round 1 The file also includes a summary measure that indicates whether a sample person has any insurance during the early part of 2002 2012 (INSRD13X). Persons identified as insured are those reporting coverage under TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public hospital/physician or private hospital/physician insurance (including Medigap plans). A person is considered uninsured if not covered by one of these insurance sources. Persons covered only by state-specific programs that provide non-comprehensive coverage (STPRG13), for example, Maryland Kidney Disease Program, and those without hospital/physician benefits (for example, private insurance for dental or vision care only, accidents or specific diseases) were not considered to have public coverage when constructing the variable INSRD13X.