Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Oregon Health Insurance Survey?
The Oregon Health Insurance Survey (OHIS) is an important source of information about health care coverage and progress toward health equity goals in the state. The survey provides detailed information about the impacts of health system reform efforts on health care coverage, access to care, and utilization. More than 8,000 Oregonian households completed the survey during the 2023 cycle.
Is this survey available in Spanish?
Yes. You can take the survey in Spanish online by clicking here or call our toll-free number at 1-888-573-8101 where a Spanish-speaking interviewer can administer the survey over the phone.
Who sponsors and who collects data for the OHIS?
This survey is being conducted on behalf of The Oregon Health Authority (OHA), a state agency. OHA is at the forefront of lowering and containing costs, improving quality and increasing access to health care to improve the lifelong health of Oregonians. You can learn more about OHA at www.oregon.gov/oha. OHA has contracted with SSRS, an independent research company, to collect data for the OHIS. You can learn more about SSRS at www.ssrs.com.
What does the survey ask?
The survey includes questions about your and your family’s health status, health care and public or private health insurance. To better understand survey participants and household members, we will ask for some basic information about age, gender, income, and employment. The information provided is completely private and your answers will be strictly confidential.
How will I receive my $10 gift card?
You will receive your electronic gift card via email immediately after you complete the survey. You can choose from a variety of vendors. If you prefer to receive a physical gift card instead, we will send you a Walmart gift card through the mail. This will take about 3 to 4 weeks.
Why should I complete the OHIS?
It is important for the OHIS to represent all residents of Oregon. Since we cannot interview the entire population of Oregon, we scientifically selected a sample from it to be part of the survey. Your response represents not just you, but many other households in Oregon like yours. Your participation helps us ensure that OHIS data are valid and complete.
Who should complete the survey?
This survey should be completed by an adult in your household age 18 or older who can answer questions about healthcare for everyone in the household.
How should I complete the survey?
The survey can be completed in one of two ways:
- Online, by accessing the survey here
- By telephone with a professional interviewer by calling us toll free at 1-888-573-8101.
Who uses this information?
The OHIS is a tool used by the OHA, legislators, policymakers, employers, insurers and other stakeholders to track and monitor the experiences of Oregon residents in obtaining both timely and affordable health care.
Where can I see the results from prior OHIS?
You can see results, reports, and data from the 2021 OHIS on the OHA website at: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/hpa/analytics/pages/insurance-data.aspx
Where did you get my contact information?
Your address was randomly selected from a list of addresses in Oregon.
Will my answers to the OHIS be confidential?
Yes. It is very important to us to protect your privacy.
Your answers will be combined with answers from other people to make group statistics. When we release the results of the survey nothing will be included that would identify you or your household.
What do I do if I have questions?
If you have any questions that were not answered here, feel free to contact us at [email protected].