Rapid Response Data Briefing: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Redesign

Did you know that NCHS has proposed a redesign of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)?

Starting in 2027, several key topics would rotate off the survey, while some new content would rotate on. Beginning in 2028–2029, NCHS also plans a broader redesign to shift from primarily in-person interviews to an approach using web, mail, and in-person follow-up, with a shorter, less structured questionnaire.

Key questions remain about how these changes could affect response rates, what the methodological justifications are for the new design, and whether results will remain comparable to prior years. Public comments are one of the few opportunities to raise these questions to the agency before the redesign takes effect. The Federal Register Notice, accepting public comments until October 19, 2026, is available here.

Join our Rapid Response Data Briefing to learn what's in NHIS, why it's important, the potential risks it's facing, and how you can weigh in on changes to this essential dataset.

A recording of the webinar will be shared publicly and emailed to all registrants.