CHIP Reporting in the CPS

OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of the Current Population Survey's (CPS) Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) data. DATA SOURCES: Linked 2000-2004 Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS) and the 2001-2004 CPS. DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided the Census Bureau with its MSIS file. The Census Bureau linked the MSIS to the CPS data within its secure data analysis facilities. STUDY DESIGN: We compared responses to the CPS health insurance items with Medicaid and CHIP status according to the MSIS. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CHIP reporting in the CPS is unreliable. Only 10-30 percent of those with CHIP (but not Medicaid) report this type of coverage in the CPS. Many with CHIP report Medicaid coverage, so the reporting error for a Medicaid-CHIP composite is smaller, but still substantial. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of the CPS CHIP information renders it effectively unusable for health policy analysis. Analysts should consider using a Medicaid-CHIP composite for CPS-based analyses.