The Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC) is a nationally
representative survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. The sampling frame
is drawn from respondents to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is conducted
by the National Center for Health Statistics. For example, Panel 27 sample persons were drawn
from the 2021 NHIS while Panel 28 sample persons were drawn from the 2022 NHIS.
The MEPS-HC collects data from a nationally representative sample of households, where a new
panel of sample households is selected each year. Historically, each surveyed household was
interviewed five times (rounds) over a two-year period, which provides continuous and current
estimates of health care expenditures at both the person and household level. However, in the
spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges to in-person data
collection. To offset the decrease in the number of cases for 2020 data, Panels 23 and 24 were
extended to nine rounds (four years) of data collection.
The chart below illustrates the timing and relationship between panels, rounds, and calendar
years. For example, looking at the data collection by panel, Panel 26 consists of five rounds
of interviews, with Rounds 1-3 providing data for 2021 and Rounds 3-5 providing data for 2022.
Looking at the data collection by year, data for the year 2023 consists of data collected from
Rounds 3-5 of Panel 27 and Rounds 1-3 of Panel 28.
Each round of MEPS-HC interviews collects information pertaining to a specific time period
called a reference period. Using Panel 26 as an example, the reference period for the first
interview of Panel 25 began on January 1, 2021 and ended on the date of each reporting unit's
Round 1 interview. The reference periods for Rounds 2-5 varied from household to household and
covered the time between interview dates of the previous round and the current round.
MEPS is a large-scale and comprehensive data collection effort that includes many types of
survey questions, some of which only pertain to subsets of the diverse respondents
participating in the survey. To accommodate the extensive array of questions covered yet
minimize the number of questions asked of each respondent, data are collected using an
intricate system of skip patterns and questionnaire modules grouped into sections. Some
sections are included in every round of data collection, while other sections are only
included in one or two rounds.
Any single question must be considered within the context of the skip patterns incorporated
into the questionnaire. Some questions appear in several potential paths because of the
variety of skip patterns that lead to the question. The question is only asked when the skip
pattern determines that it should be asked of that respondent. Items asking the same question
of various respondents typically map back to a single variable in the database.
Click here to go to the MEPS-HC
survey questionnaires.
Click here to go to the MEPS-HC Survey Basics.
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