The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is a nationwide study conducted to learn more about the health care services people use, the charges for those services, and how those services are paid for. MEPS is conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Major components of MEPS include surveys of:
- a nationally representative sample of households;
- hospitals, physicians, and other medical providers including pharmacies reported by the household participants; and
- providers of health insurance.
MEPS is the most complete source of data available on health care use and expenses in the United States.