AHPA submitted comments on the 2030 Decennial Census proposed residence criteria and regulations for demographic questions [Docket No. 260903-0005; RIN 0607-AA75].
Click here for the full article. Below are some key takeaways.
  • Complete population count: AHPA urges the U.S. Census Bureau to continue counting all people who ordinarily reside in the United States, emphasizing that complete population data are essential for health planning, emergency preparedness, disease surveillance and federal funding decisions.
  • Residence criteria: AHPA recommends defining a person’s usual residence primarily as where they live and sleep most of the time. Excluding certain residents could understate community needs and affect hospitals’ community health needs assessments, service planning and resource allocation.
  • Administrative records: The association cautions that tax records may not reliably show where someone usually lives, particularly for mobile families, seasonal residents, college students, people experiencing housing instability and rural residents. Administrative records should be used only as a validated supplement to direct census responses.
  • Race and ethnicity data: AHPA opposes removing race and ethnicity questions from the census. Hospitals and public health agencies rely on these data to evaluate health outcomes, insurance coverage, language-access needs, community outreach and whether programs are reaching intended populations.
  • Data consistency: Removing demographic questions could disrupt comparisons across decades and make it harder to determine whether changes in health outcomes reflect actual population trends or changes in data collection. AHPA recommends retaining questions aligned with federal statistical standards.
  • Testing and stakeholder input: Before making major methodological changes, AHPA asks the U.S. Census Bureau to publish testing results and consult healthcare providers, public health agencies, researchers and other organizations that depend on census data.