Question

If the more comprehensive data is available in MEPS, why does the NHIS still exist? How can it be useful to have a larger range of information in a cross-sectional survey?

Answer 1

NHIS still exist because NHIS is health focussed and it includes many features to aid respondents in understanding the coverage question and recalling details required to correctly answer it.

It can be useful because of,these

• the area sample frame;
• a well-trained interview staff that work exclusively on this survey;
• a fairly high response rate;
• usually an in-person interview;
• a knowledgeable respondent (i.e., adults are encouraged to report on coverage for children if they are familiar or to talk about it with the person most familiar with the coverage of household members);
• a questionnaire that defines concepts and probes respondent memory as it collects information;
• breadth of content on other health-related data, which potentially helps respondents understand distinctions between coverage types and their type;
• asking about coverage source at the time of the survey, which is associated with lower measurement error;
• asking about Medicaid and CHIP using state-specific names;
• a low level of item nonresponse on insurance sequence;
• asking for many details about coverage, which may help define relevant concepts or distinguish different types of coverage (e.g., type of managed care, copayments, deductibles, need for referrals) and help respondent recall coverage details;
• asking about periods without coverage and when the child last had coverage (for use in estimating full-year uninsurance) and why it stopped (potentially helping the person to recall more details required to determine their true coverage status);
• verifying no Medicaid for children with no reported coverage;
• asking about citizenship, place of birth, and family relationship, which are some of the important variables needed to simulate eligibility in Medicaid and CHIP;
• asking about medical visits and other uses of coverage or evidence of acting uninsured;
• asking for the name of the insurance plan so the name can be matched to a list of insurance plans by state in a postcollection data processing phase and used to recode misreported coverage type; and
• having been in production for many years and with attention to maintaining a credible time series.

Hope this will answer your question, All the Best!