title: Measurement Error in Public Health Insurance Reporting in the American Community Survey: Evidence from Record Linkage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine measurement error to public health insurance in the American Community Survey (ACS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The ACS and the Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We tabulated the two data sources separately and then merged the data and examined health insurance reports among ACS cases known to be enrolled in Medicaid or expansion Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits.
  
  
  METHODS
  The two data sources were merged using protected identification keys. ACS respondents were considered enrolled if they had full benefit Medicaid or expansion CHIP coverage on the date of interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On an aggregated basis, the ACS overcounts the MSIS. After merging the data, we estimate a false-negative rate in the 2009 ACS of 21.6 percent. The false-negative rate varies across states, demographic groups, and year. Of known Medicaid and expansion CHIP enrollees, 12.5 percent were coded to some other coverage and 9.1 percent were coded as uninsured.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The false-negative rate in the ACS is on par with other federal surveys. However, unlike other surveys, the ACS overcounts the MSIS on an aggregated basis. Future work is needed to disentangle the causes of the ACS overcount.
authors: Department of Health Services Administration, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
authors: Michel H
authors: MH
authors: Boudreaux
authors: Division of Health Policy and Management and State Health Access Data Assistance Center, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors: Kathleen Thiede
authors: KT
authors: Call
authors: State Health Access Data Assistance Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors: Joanna
authors: J
authors: Turner
authors: State Health Access Data Assistance Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors: Brett
authors: B
authors: Fried
authors: Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Suitland, MD.
authors: Brett
authors: B
authors: O'Hara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D065326:Children's Health Insurance Program; D000068598:Data Accuracy; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: American Community Survey; CHIP; Medicaid; survey methods