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Survey information is collected for households every five or six months over a two and
a half year period. Five interviews in all are conducted. Respondents answer questions
about their health care experiences during the year they enter the study and the following
year. Some households were asked to participate for up to 9 interviews over a four and a
half year period due to the pandemic.
Scope and Purpose of MEPS
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey household component is a large-scale
survey of families and individuals in scientifically selected communities
across the United States. Survey respondents previously participated
in the National Health Interview Study conducted by the U.S. Census
Bureau.
The goal of the survey is to provide information about health status,
health insurance coverage, health care use and expenses, and sources
of payment for health care. These data are vitally important to researchers
and policymakers in addressing the critical health care issues facing
this country in the twenty-first century.
Survey information is collected
for households every five or six months over a two and a half year period.
Five interviews in all are conducted.
Respondents answer questions about their health care experiences during
the year they enter the study and the following year.
Other components of MEPS collect information directly from medical providers,
employers, and other sources of health insurance. By linking data on
individuals and households directly with their medical use and health
care costs, MEPS provides a comprehensive picture of how Americans use
and pay for health care.
History of Medical Expenditure Surveys
Surveys collecting data on medical expenditures began in the 1970s at
a time when the structure of health care services, private insurance,
Federal health care programs, and the characteristics of the U.S. population
were undergoing enormous change. The first of these was the National
Medical Care Expenditure Surveys, NMCES, conducted in 1977 and composed
of three main components: a household survey, a survey of physicians
utilized by the household members, and a health insurance-employer
component. Approximately 14,000 households participated in six rounds
of interviews over a 14-month period.
In 1987, the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) was conducted.
Approximately 16,000 households participated in NMES, including 2,000
American Indian and Alaskan Native households. Once again, the household
information was supplemented by surveys of medical and health insurance
providers utilized by respondents.
In 1996, the current survey, the Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey, was designed to provide more timely information
about the nation's changing
health care system. The MEPS study introduces a new panel or sample of
households into the survey every year rather than every 10 years. MEPS
households are a subsample of households that participated in the National
Health Interview Survey (NHIS) approximately six months to a year earlier.
Like the earlier surveys, the information collected from households is
supplemented by surveys of medical and health insurance providers. One
of the most important advantages of the current MEPS survey is that it
is conducted on a continual basis—a new sample of households enters
the survey each year. This provides researchers with a continual stream
of up-to-date information.
Sponsors
The study is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
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