Survey Results

Survey Items: Survey instrument item number for children 0-5 years: E3, E5, E6, F1, F2; for children 6-11 years: E3, E5, E6, F1, F2; for children 12-17 years: E3, E5, E6, F1, F2
Variables in public use data file: CURRINS (derived); K3Q20; K3Q21B; K3Q22; HOWMUCH;

Denominator: Children age 0-17 years who are currently insured

Numerator: Child's current insurance is adequate for child's needs; Child's current insurance is NOT adequate for child's needs

Revisions and Changes: In 2017, this measure did not change from the 2016 NSCH.
Due to changes in the administration and sampling for the NSCH, results from surveys prior to 2016 are not directly comparable and should not be used to conduct trend analyses. The 2011/12 NSCH asked whether parents paid any money for their children's health care. The 2016 and 2017 NSCH allow parents to report how much money they paid in categorical amounts. Then, for those parents who paid any amount out of pocket, they were asked how often the costs were reasonable. There were changes to the wording of two questions in 2016. For more information about the changes, click here.

Additional Notes: Five questions were used to create this measure: current health insurance coverage (CURRINS); whether coverage is sufficient to meet the child's needs (K3Q20); how much they paid out-of-pocket for child's health care (HOWMUCH) and how often are these costs reasonable (K3Q21B); and whether insurance allows the child to see needed health care providers (K3Q22). Adequate insurance is defined by the following criteria: child currently has health insurance coverage AND benefits usually or always meet child's needs AND usually or always allow child to see needed providers AND either no out-of-pocket expenses or out-of-pocket expenses are usually or always reasonable.

Treatment of Unknown Values: Missing values due to non-response or a “don’t know” response are not included in the denominator when calculating prevalence estimates and weighted population counts displayed in the data query results table. In the majority of cases, the proportion of missing values is less than 2%. Exceptions are noted in the form of a Data Alert at the bottom of a results table. The exclusion of these values does not change the prevalence estimates (%) and only marginally affects the weighted population counts (Pop. Est.). If missing cases are handled in any other way, details can be found in the "Additional notes" section above.

History and Development: The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) funds and directs the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), and develops survey content in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and a Technical Expert Panel. The Technical Expert Panel consists of experts in survey methodology and children’s health, federal and state stakeholders, clinicians and researchers. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the survey, oversees the sampling, and produces a final data set of survey results. Respondents’ cognitive understanding of the survey questions was assessed during the pretest phase of the survey redesign and reassessed after the 2016 survey; subsequent revisions were made. Previously validated questions and scales are used when available. The manuscript “The Design and Implementation of the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health”, provides detailed information about the redesign of the NSCH, administration of the first redesigned survey (2016), and the sampling and administration changes for the 2017 NSCH. Prior to 2016, the NSCH and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs were each conducted three times as interviewer-assisted telephone surveys using random digit dial sampling. In 2016, the two surveys were combined into a single annual self-administered questionnaire. Due to decline in the number of households with landline telephones, the NSCH now utilizes an addressed based sampling method to select participating households, thus all invitations are sent by mail. Participants may choose to complete the survey either online using a secure website or a mailed paper version of the survey. All final data components are verified by the Census Bureau, HRSA/MCHB and CAHMI/DRC staff prior to public release. More information about the survey can be found in the “About the National Survey of Children's Health” section of this website and HRSA’s MCHB website.