SIPP 2014 Panel

SIPP

Why Measure Health
Coverage and Disability?

Health Coverage and Disability

As we all know, our health is a critical
ingredient when it comes to taking care of our
family and making ends meet. That means it
is impossible to measure how well the population is doing without also measuring their
health, disability, and access to health care.
In order for the country to know what is
needed—how folks are doing and where they
need help—we must conduct surveys such as
the Survey of Income and Program Participation
(SIPP) to produce that information.
Because our country is so populous (over
300 million people), we can only survey a
scientific sample of the whole population.
Thus, your answers to this survey represent
thousands of Americans!
Americans work hard everyday, achieving
triumphs and facing struggles. By studying
both our successes and setbacks, we can
help our nation make informed decisions.
By law, all personal information collected for
this study is kept strictly confidential.
Thank you for participating in this survey,
and for helping represent our nation’s most
important asset…

Mission and Purpose
Data from the Survey of Income and Program
Participation (SIPP) are used to evaluate
changes in:

•

Income

•

Movement into and out of
government assistance programs

•

Effects of our changing family and social
situations for individuals and households

For more information, visit SIPP online at:|

People Just Like You.

Issued August 2013

U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

Health Care

Disability and Well-Being

SIPP measures how much health care people
receive, as well as health care costs.

SIPP also measures disabilities, work limitations,
and health status.

Using data from the 2010 year, we found the
following:

Health Insurance Coverage
SIPP measures how many Americans have
health insurance and how that changes
across time.

•
•

Percentage of all Americans
that spent 8 to 30 nights in
the hospital.

10%

8 percent of children under 15 have some
kind of disability.

•

12.3 million Americans (4.4 percent) aged 6
and over need assistance with one or more
daily activities.

44%

Percentage of
children under
18 who did not
visit a dentist.

4.2
0.5
10.2

15
to 24

5.3
1.4
11.0
7.3

25
to 44

2.0
19.7

45
to 54

13.8
3.6
28.7

55
to 64

35%

45.6%

Percentage of
children under
18 that had no
medical visits.

20.4
6.0
35.0

65
to 69

24.7
6.9
42.6

70
to 74

29.6
10.8
53.6

75
to 79

41.4%

35%

37.5
15.4
70.5

80 and
over

55.8
30.2

0
1997

2002

2005

2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation,
1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 Panels.

Any disability
Severe disability
Needs assistance

8.4

Under
15

Percentage of Employed Population Aged 15 and
Over Whose Employer Offered Health Insurance

46.1%

•

Age

Most Americans get their health coverage
through their job. However, SIPP shows that
this coverage is getting harder to come by.

46.4%

19 percent of Americans have a disability
and 13 percent have a severe disability.

Disability Prevalence and the Need for Assistance
by Age: 2010

In 2010, approximately 80 million
Americans, or 26 percent of the country,
were not covered by health insurance.
In 2010, approximately 95.5 million
Americans, or 31 percent of the country,
were covered through governmentprovided health insurance.

•

Percentage of Americans who took
prescription medicine daily.

10

20

30

40
50
Percentage

60

70

80

Note: The need for assistance with activities of daily living was not asked of
children under 6 years.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation,
May–August 2010.