Counting uninsurance and means-tested coverage in the American community survey: a comparison to the current population survey.

OBJECTIVE: To compare health insurance coverage estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS) to the Current Population Survey (CPS-ASEC). DATA SOURCES/STUDY
SETTING: The 2008 ACS and CPS-ASEC, 2009. STUDY
DESIGN: We compare age-specific national rates for all coverage types and state-level rates of uninsurance and means-tested coverage. We assess differences using t-tests and p-values, which are reported at <.05, <.01, and <.001. An F-test determines whether differences significantly varied by state. PRINCIPAL
FINDINGS: Despite substantial design differences, we find only modest differences in coverage estimates between the surveys. National direct purchase and state-level means-tested coverage levels for children show the largest differences.
CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the ACS is well poised to become a useful tool to health services researchers and policy analysts, but that further study is needed to identify sources of error and to quantify its bias. © Health Research and Educational Trust.