Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Data Overview

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Data Overview

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On this page: Household Component - Medical Provider Component - Insurance Component - Nursing Home Component

MEPS currently has two major components for which data are released: the Household Component and the Insurance Component. The Household Component data are based on questionnaires fielded to individual household members and their medical providers. The Insurance Component estimates come from a survey of employers conducted to collect health insurance plan information. (In 1996 only, MEPS also included a Nursing Home Component that gathered information from a sample of nursing homes and residents. These data are only available through the AHRQ Data Center or through one of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers.)

To find information on this site for particular topics of interest, go to MEPS topics. For health services researchers who have a background or interest in using national health survey data files, AHRQ conducts several workshops throughout the year.

Household Component

Household Component data are available online and at the AHRQ Data Center or at one of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers.

Online:

Publications: Access analyses of MEPS data ranging from brief to extensive reports, chartbooks consisting mainly of graphs, and descriptions of MEPS sample designs and survey methods.
MEPS-HC data tools: Access tables with frequently used summary data on household medical utilization and expenditures.
MEPS-HC variable explorer: search across MEPS Public Use Files for variables and files needed for research projects.
Downloadable data files (person, job, event, or condition level): Download public use data files, documentation, and codebooks.
Projected expenditures: Projected expenditure data files (NHEA-Aligned MEPS) and tabular results, based on the final population projections from the Census Bureau for years 2002-2016. Note, this data release replaces the old 1996-2008 projections and the interim data are no longer available.
Survey basics: Select from the following for detailed information on the objectives, instruments, and procedures for data collection in the Household Component:
– Survey questionnaires
– Panel Design and Data Collection Process
– Sample size
– Response rates
– MEPS Sample Persons In-Scope for Part of the Year
– Computing Standard Errors for MEPS Estimates
– Price Indices for Expenditure Comparisons
– Household Annual Contractor Methodology Report
– Methodology Reports
– FAQs about the Household Component

Restricted data files: Researchers with approved projects can access household component data files not available for public use at the AHRQ Data Center, located in Rockville, Maryland, or at one of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers. Except for directly identifiable data, all data elements collected in the Household Component that have not been publicly released are available at the Data Center.

Medical Provider Component

MEPS Medical Provider Component data are available at the AHRQ Data Center only.

MPC data is not designed to yield national estimated and is not intended to be an independent sample of providers for estimation purposes. MPC data are used solely for editing and imputation purposes of the Household Component data. MPC data are not released as stand alone files.

Online:

MEPS topics: Resources on this site for particular topics of interest.
Publications: Analyses of MEPS data ranging from brief to extensive reports, chartbooks consisting mainly of graphs, and descriptions of MEPS sample designs and survey methods.
Survey basics: Select from the following for detailed information on the objectives, instruments, and procedures for data collection in the Medical Provider Component:

Insurance Component

Insurance Component data are available online (in tabular form only) and at the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers. Due to confidentiality rules, data files for the Insurance Component are not available for public release. There are no projected estimates made for the Insurance Component.

Online:

Publications: Access analyses of MEPS data ranging from brief to extensive reports, chartbooks consisting mainly of graphs, and descriptions of MEPS sample designs and survey methods.
MEPS-IC data tools: Interactively explore maps, trends, and cross-sectional charts about health insurance offered by private establishments, as well as national and regional health insurance estimates for state and local governments.
Complete Table Series PDFs: Access tables with frequently used data on employer-based health insurance.
Survey basics: Select from the following for detailed information on the objectives, instruments, and procedures for data collection in the Insurance Component:
– Survey questionnaires
– Glossary of terms used in survey questionnaires or HTM format
– Sample Design and Data Collection Process
– Sample size
– Response rates
– Technical notes and survey documentation
– Updates to the Methodology Reports on List Sample Design
– FAQs about the Insurance Component

Federal Statistical Research Data Centers: Researchers with approved projects can access confidential Insurance Component list sample data files (research version) at the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers. Detailed information on using these research facilities is available on the Federal Statistical Research Data Center Program web site.

Nursing Home Component

The 1996 Nursing Home Component data files are not available for public use, but researchers with approved projects can access the files at the AHRQ Data Center, located in Rockville, Maryland, or at one of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers.

Online:

Publications: Access analyses of MEPS data ranging from brief to extensive reports, chartbooks consisting mainly of graphs, and descriptions of MEPS sample designs and survey methods.
Documentation: Documentation for the files is available online.
Survey basics: Select from the following for detailed information on the objectives, instruments, and procedures for data collection in the Nursing Home Component:
– Survey questionnaires
– Methodology Reports
– FAQs about the Nursing Home Component

Nursing Home data files are only available through the AHRQ Data Center or at one of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers.

Restricted data files: Researchers with approved projects can access nursing home component data files not available for public use at the AHRQ Data Center, located in Rockville, Maryland, or at one of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers.

More current information on nursing homes from other sources: A list of other sources (Web sites, publications) that provide information on nursing homes.

Page last revised: April 22, 2019

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