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Health Coverage and Disability

Why Measure Health Coverage and Disability?

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 to represent our nation’s most important asset… People Just Like You

Mission and Purpose

Data from 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 

Health Insurance Coverage

Wave 1 of the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) contains a wealth of information on health insurance coverage.
The percentage of people with health insurance coverage for all or part of 2013 was 86.9 percent. 

In 1997, 46.4% of employed persons aged 15 and over had an employer that offered health insurance. In 2002, 46.1% of employed persons aged 15 and over had an employer that offered health insurance. In 2005, 45.6% of employed persons aged 15 and over had an employer that offered health insurance. In 2010, 41.4% of employed persons aged 15 and over had an employer that offered health insurance.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation, Wave 1.

Health Care

SIPP measures how much health care people receive. Using data from the 2014 Panel, we found the following:

Disability and Well-Being

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

  • The percentage of people with a disability is 20.6 percent and 8.5 percent of children under age 15 have a disability.1
  • The percentage of adults between the ages of 15 and 70 with a work limitation is 12.8 percent.
  • The number of adults aged 15 and older employed with a disability is 11.8 million.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Click here to access the full Brochure PDF with images and charts and graphs.

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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