US government health survey could move to private contractor

The NCHS, part of the US Department of Health, currently contracts the survey out to the US Census Bureau, but is considering whether to go with a private firm when it implements the next redesign of the survey in four years’ time. It is currently looking for a firm to evaluate the potential costs and benefits of changes to its sample design.

The NHIS is the main source of health data on the US population, collecting data continuously from face-to-face interviews with 75,000-100,000 people per year.

It has also become the main source of data on landline and cellphone use in the US, which is of particular interest to market researchers.