What people really know about their health insurance: A comparison of information obtained from individuals and their insurers

Objectives. This study determined the validity of self-reported data on sel ected health insurance characteristics. Methods. We obtained telephone survey data on the presence of health insura nce, source of insurance, length of time insured, and type of insurance (ma naged care or fee-for-service) from a random sample of 351 adults in 3 Wisc onsin counties and compared findings with data from respondents' health ins urers. Results. More than 97% of the respondents correctly reported that they were currently insured. For source of insurance among persons aged 18 to 64 yea rs, sensitivity was high for those covered through private health insurance (93.8%) but low for those covered through public insurance (6.7%). Only 33 .1% of the respondents accurately categorized length of enrollment in their current plan. Overall estimates for managed care enrollment were similar f or the 2 sources, but individual validity was low: 83.2% of those in fee-fo r-service believed that they were in managed care. Conclusions. Information obtained from the general population about whether they have health insurance is valid but self-reported data on source of in surance, length of time insured, and type of insurance are suspect and shou ld be used cautiously.