Description NEHIS data are being
released on the Internet in tabular format to increase access to the data
and facilitate its use as baseline data for several surveys, including the
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey- Insurance Component- MEPS-IC.
The NEHIS tables in
this Section provide baseline data for the private sector MEPS-IC trend
data.
Specifically, these
tables replicate tables from the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 Medical
Expenditures Panel Survey - Insurance Component (MEPS-IC) located on the
MEPS website.
To facilitate these
comparisons, the NEHIS tables use the same table numbering system as the
MEPS-IC tables. Thus the NEHIS tables include two sets of tables: National
data (firm size and selected characteristics) and State data (by firm
size). Within these categories, tables are subsequently grouped by:
Establishments
All Employees
Full-time Employees
Part-time Employees
Enrolled employees
Annual premiums for
single coverage
Annual employee
contributions for single coverage
Annual premiums for
family coverage
Annual employee
contributions for family coverage
It should be noted that
there are a few differences in the NEHIS tables from the MEPS-IC tables.
First, the NEHIS tables do not replicate 16 MEPS-IC tables because the
NEHIS does not have comparable data. MEPS-IC tables not replicated are:
Tables IA2b, IA2b(1), IA2b(2), IA2b(3), IIA2b, IIA2b(1), IIA2b(2),
IIA2b(3), and Tables IA2c, IA2c(1), IA2c(2), IA2c(3), IIA2c, IIA2c(1),
IIA2c(2), IIA2c(3).
Also, the firm size
categories used in that the NEHIS and MEPS-IC tables differ in the largest
size category. Whereas the largest firm size category shown in MEPS-IC
tables is "1,000 or more employees", the largest firm size
category in NEHIS tables is "500 or more employees". This
difference in table categories was due to an Office of Management and
Budget clearance requirement of the NEHIS specifying that when the
combined "response at the survey and item level in a given cell falls
below 60%, the data should be considered insufficient for analysis ".
The response rate for establishments in firms with 1,000 or more employees
was 55 percent.
To prevent inadvertent
disclosure of respondents, in accordance with Section 308(d) of the Public
Service Act, all cell estimates in these tables were checked to ensure
adherence to established confidentiality criteria1. Each table includes
both estimates and standard errors for those estimates. All cell estimates
that fail confidentiality criteria are replaced with a ‘#" symbol.
Cell estimates that do not meet the standard of reliability or precision
are flagged with an ‘*’.
Definitions Any
provider plan: For
these tables, any provider plans are conventional indemnity plans as
reported by respondent. Employee: Person on the
payroll on December 31, 1993. Excludes employees under personal service
contracts and persons hired from a temporary agency. The number of
employees at an establishment includes the owner if s/he worked at the
location of the establishment. Establishment: An
economic unit, at a single physical location, where business is conducted
or services or industrial operations are performed. Self-employed persons
with no employees and no other locations are excluded. Exclusive provider
plan: For these tables, exclusive provider plans are Health Maintenance
Organization (HMO) plans or Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) plans as
reported by respondent. Family coverage: A
health plan that covers the enrollee and one or more members of their
family, as defined by the plan. If more than one family rate was offered,
the cost for a family of four was collected. Firm: Business
organization or entity consisting of one domestic establishment (location)
or more under common ownership or control. Firm size: Number of
employees at all locations of the business nationwide, as reported by the
survey respondent. Full-time employee: A
term defined by the respondent. Generally, a full-time employee works 35
to 40 hours per week. Health Insurance:
(Premium tables): For tables presenting premiums and enrolled employees
covered by these plan, health insurance referred to plans with at least
one enrolled employee that typically covered both inpatient hospital stays
and outpatient physician services during the 1993 benefit year. Data for
single service plans such as dental only, long term care, dread disease,
hospital indemnity, and disability plans were excluded from these tables.
Plans included were classified as any provider plans, mixed provider
plans, or exclusive provider plans. Health Insurance (Establishment and employee tables): includes basic, major medical, single
service such as dental, and special plans such as long-term care insurance
that the employer offered as of 12/31/93. Industry group: Major
activity of the establishment as classified by the Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) system. Managed care: Either a
mixed provider or exclusive provider plan. Mixed provider plans:
For these tables, mixed provider plans are Preferred Provider Organization
(PPO) plans or Point of Service (POS) plans as reported by respondent. Offer health
insurance:
An employer is considered to offer health insurance if one or more
employees receive, or have the option to receive their health insurance
through that employer. The employer may pay all, part, or none of the cost
of the insurance. Plans obtained through unions or associations are
included if contributed to by the employer. Part-time employee: A
term defined by respondents. Generally, part-time employees worked less
than 35 hours per week. Self-insured plan: A
plan is considered self-insured by the employer when the financial risk
for medical claims is borne partially or entirely by the employer. Single coverage: A
health insurance plan that covers an individual only. Work schedule:
Full-time versus part-time were respondent defined.