It is instructive to illustrate the nature of these trends. The Annual Demographic Files
of the Current Population Surveys (CPS) provide detailed information on participation in
various social assistance programs and on health insurance coverage during the calendar
year prior to the survey. I use the 1995–2001 March Supplements, which provide program
participation data for the 1994–2000 calendar years, in the empirical analysis reported
below.8 Throughout the paper, the person is the unit of analysis. I restrict the study to
persons who do not reside in group quarters and who are under 65 years of age.