Section I: MEPS HC Data Collection Process

The MEPS HC collects data from a nationally representative sample of households through an overlapping panel design. A new panel of sample households is selected each year, and data for each panel are collected for two calendar years. The two years of data for each panel are collected in five rounds of interviews that takes place over a two-and-a-half year period. This provides continuous and current estimates of health care expenditures at both the person and household level for two panels for each calendar year.

Panel 1 – Data collected for calendar years 1996 and 1997
Panel 2 – Data collected for calendar years 1997 and 1998
Panel 3 – Data collected for calendar years 1998 and 1999
...
Panel 9 – Data collected for calendar years 2004 and 2005

Each round of MEPS HC interviews collects information pertaining to a specific time period called a reference period. Using Panel 1 as an example, the reference period for the first interview of Panel 1 began on January 1, 1996 and ended on the date of each reporting unit's Round 1 interview, conducted from March through June 1996. The reference periods for Rounds 2, 3 and 4 varied household to household and covered the time between interview dates of the previous round and the current round. The last reference period of Panel 1 (Round 5) ended on December 31, 1997. (December 31^st of the second calendar year is always the end of the last reference period.)

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. Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) using a laptop computer makes it possible to field such a complex data collection instrument.

Since data are collected using CAPI, rather than hard copy questionnaire, the data collection instrument actually consists of sections that are composed of a series of computer screens containing questions, interviewing instructions and skip pattern directions, as well as computer programming notes embedded along with each data item. The MEPS data collection in a given round consists of different sections. Some sections are included in every round of data collection. Other sections are only included in one or two rounds – this type of section is also referred to as a supplement.

Any single question must be considered within the context of the skip patterns incorporated into the questionnaire. Some questions appear in several CAPI screens 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 to various respondents typically map back to a single variable in the database.

Section II: Questionnaire Sections for Rounds 1-5

The MEPS HC questionnaires for Rounds 1-5 consists of many individual sections. Listed below is a brief description of each section, including changes that have been to that section across time.

AC – Access to Care

This supplemental section, asked in Rounds 2 and 4, identifies whether each household member has a medical provider who provides the usual source of care (USC), reasons why members without a USC do not have a USC, various aspects of satisfaction with usual care providers, and problems a household may have experienced in obtaining needed health care.

This section was redesigned in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 4 and Panel 7 Round 2). While it collects much of the same information, it now focuses on possible language barriers to health care and specifies problems any household member experienced in obtaining needed health, dental, or prescription medicine care as well.

AP – (Alternative/)Preventive Care

The Preventive Care supplemental section, asked in Round 3 and 5, gathers information on any preventive care received. Questions ask about frequency of dental and physical check-ups, flu shots, and other preventative health exams.

This section was redesigned in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 5 and Panel 5 Round 3). Originally, this section included questions related to alternative and complementary care. These questions were omitted, and the section name was changed from Alternative/Preventive Care to Preventive Care.

AS – Assets

To supplement financial data collected in the Income section, the Assets supplemental section, asked in Round 5, asks about household members’ real estate, businesses, vehicles, investments, other assets, and debts.

CA – Calendar Section

This section monitors the use of a health events calendar provided to the respondent during the MEPS pre-contact interview for use in recording visits to medical providers and medical places. This information determines the household’s path through the sections of the questionnaire that collect information on medical events.

CE – Condition Enumeration

The Condition Enumeration section first obtains a summary assessment of each person's physical and mental health. It then identifies specific physical and mental health conditions, accidents, or injuries affecting each person. Using this information, this section creates a roster of conditions and health problems reported for each family member. Later in the interview, this roster links with health care utilization and disability day information.

Beginning in Panel 5 Round 1, the eligible age for pregnancy related questions changed from 15 through 45 to 10 through 55.

CG – Caregiver

This supplemental section, asked in Rounds 2 and 4, collects information on potential caregivers both inside and outside the household. The questions inquire about the types and duration of care provided to any current or institutionalized, not deceased household member who has a home health event or is flagged for the long term care supplement.

This section was omitted from the questionnaire beginning in 1999 (Panel 3 Round 4 and Panel 4 Round 2).

CL – Closing

At the end of each round's interview, participants are asked to provide written authorization for the MEPS to collect additional information from the medical providers, insurance providers, and employers identified throughout each interview. The Closing section facilitates the completion of authorization forms for each unique person-provider pair and each unique person-establishment pair. During subsequent rounds of data collection, the MEPS MPC and the MEPS IC collect data on the medical visits and insurance coverage directly from medical providers and sources of insurance (e.g., employers) based on the authorization specified in these forms. This section also prompts the distribution of the Self Administered Questionnaire (SAQ) and Diabetes Care Survey (DCS).

In addition, this section verifies the contact information for the household for use in the next interview and accounts for memory aids that were used by the household members throughout the current round's interview.

Changes across time include the removal of the collection of health insurance policy booklets (beginning in Panel 3), the addition of the DCS (beginning in Panel 4 Round 5 and Panel 5 Round 3), the omission of the distribution of the SAQ for persons under 18 years of age (beginning in Panel 5 Round 4 and Panel 6 Round 2), and the addition of new language due to new HIPAA regulations (beginning in Panel 7 Round 4 and Panel 8 Round 2).

CN – Conditions

This section collects additional information about physical and mental health conditions identified through medical events or disability days. It obtains further details on each condition on each person’s medical condition roster to determine if it was due to an accident or injury and whether it is on a priority list of conditions. If the condition is an accident or injury or a priority condition, subsequent questions ask whether a medical person has been consulted about the condition, when the condition was first noticed, the condition's severity, the current status of the condition, and any treatments received.

In 1998, questions determining whether any conditions were related to service in the United States Armed Forces were added (Panel 2 Round 5 and Panel 3 Round 3).

CP – Charge Payment

The Charge Payment section tracks total charges and sources of payment for medical events reported in earlier sections. The section obtains specific information for each medical event reported on total charges, copayments, out-of-pocket payments, insurance payments, reimbursements, discounts, disallowed amounts, balance due, and other sources of payment. Additionally, it clarifies how prescription medicine claims are processed.

References to separately billing doctors were omitted in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 3 and Panel 5 Round 1). Questions related to disallowed or disapproved charges and expected reimbursement were omitted beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Questions about third party payers for prescription medicines were added in 2004 (Panel 8 Round 3 and Panel 9 Round 1).

CR – Caregiver Roster

This supplemental section, asked in Rounds 2 and 4, collects detailed information on non-household members identified as a potential caregiver in the Caregiver supplemental section.

This section was omitted from the questionnaire beginning in 1999 (Panel 3 Round 4 and Panel 4 Round 2).

CS – Child Preventive Health

This supplemental section, asked in Rounds 2 and 4, collects information on general health status, special health care needs, potential behavioral problems, accessibility to health care, preventative care, height, and weight of any child in the family.

A subset of these questions was originally asked in the Health Status (HE) section described below and the hard copy Parent Administered Questionnaire (PAQ) asked in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 5 and Panel 5 Round 2) but were moved to a separate section (CS) in 2001 (Panel 5 Round 4 and Panel 6 Round 2) and modified.

DD – Disability Days

The Disability Days section assesses the impact of any physical illness, injury, or mental or emotional problem on household members’ attendance at work or school. These questions specify how many days of work or school were missed, for what health condition they were missed, and how many days were missed because of someone else's illness, injury, or health care needs.

Questions were added for Round 3 beginning in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 3) to determine how many of the reported disability days occurred in the previous year so that year by year analysis would be accurate.

DN – Dental Care

The Dental Care section obtains details on the nature of any dental care visit, type of dental care provider, treatments and services performed, and prescribed medicines.

Beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 5 and Panel 7 Round 3), questions related to dental injuries were omitted. Dental conditions are no longer collected in this section. Also in 2002, clarifications were added to the F1 help text to indicate that over-the-counter medicines should not be included as prescription medicines and sample medicines are collected separately in the PM section.

ED – Event Driver

The Event Driver verifies and modifies information entered in the Provider Probes, Event Roster, and Provider Roster sections. It also provides an opportunity to add new medical events throughout the interview if the respondent recalls an event after completing the Provider Probes section.

EM-O – Overall Structure of Employment

Because most private health insurance is provided through employment, the MEPS interview collects detailed information on jobs held by each person in the household aged 16 or older. This section functions to direct the CAPI program through the loop of employment-related questions for each person 16 or older.

EM – Employment

The Employment section covers questions about each person's employment or self-employment status. For jobs identified, this section asks questions to obtain contact information for each employer. For several types of jobs, questions are asked about type of business or industry, firm size, how long the person has worked at each job, whether health insurance was offered, hours worked, and job titles or main duties. For persons who are currently employed, questions ask about periods of unpaid leave at their job. For those not currently working, questions ask about previous jobs and the reasons for not working.

Items related to whether the person was working on December 31st of the data year were added in Panel 4 Round 3. Questions about whether the person’s job was temporary or seasonal were added in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 5 and Panel 5 Round 3). Additional questions about health insurance, including whether it was offered to the person, whether it was offered to any employee, and why the person was not eligible were added in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Beginning in 2002, items related to job begin and end hours and shift changes were omitted (Panel 6 Round 4 and Panel 7 Round 2). Informed consent information regarding contacting employers who provide health insurance was added in 2004 (Panel 8 Round 3 and Panel 9 Round 1).

ER – Emergency Room

The Emergency Room section obtains information on the health conditions requiring emergency room care, medical services provided, any surgical procedures performed, prescribed medicines, and the physicians and surgeons providing emergency room care. This section collects physicians and surgeons who are not already on the provider roster.

Items related to separately billing doctors were omitted beginning in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 3 and Panel 5 Round 1). The question collecting the name of any surgery performed was omitted beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Also in 2002, clarifications were added to the F1 help text to indicate that over-the-counter medicines should not be included as prescription medicines and sample medicines are collected separately in the PM section.

EV – Event Roster

Probes continue in this section for additional detail on event dates, type of event, and type of provider. This section creates a roster displaying this information as it is linked to each person. The Event Roster links to further sections that collect more detailed data on each specific type of event and then the charge and payment for each event.

EW – Employment Wage

The Employment Wage section collects detailed information about the wage structure for all non-self employed, current jobs identified in the previous Employment section.

FF – Flat Fee

The Flat Fee section functions as a subsection of Charge Payment. It captures information on those types of medical payment arrangements that charge a grouped amount, or flat fee, for multiple visits or services.

References to separately billing doctors were removed beginning in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 3 and Panel 5 Round 1).

HE – Health Status

The Health Status section continues to assess the physical and mental health status for both children and adults. Specific areas assessed include the loss of adult teeth, limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), the use of health aids, physical limitations, activity limitations, mental impairments, vision impairments, and hearing difficulties. For children, this section obtains additional information on childhood immunizations, limitations to school attendance, participation in special education or therapy services, general health status, height, and weight.

Questions related to whether any household members have lost their teeth were omitted beginning in Panel 3 Round 1. Question related to child care were added in 1999 (Panel 3 Round 3 and Panel 4 Round 1).

Beginning in 2001 (Panel 6 Round 2 and Panel 5 Round 4), the questions relating to children’s health and healthcare were removed from the HE section and placed in the new section, CS, described above. Note that this move did not include the questions related to child care that were added in 1999; those remain in the HE section. Questions assessing whether a person has had difficulty with or has required supervision for at least 3 months when performing daily activities were added beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1).

HH – Home Health

For those persons using home health care, the Home Health section obtains information on the types of health care workers providing home health services, reasons for home health care, the nature of home health services provided, frequency of visits, length per visits, and duration of visits.

HP – Private Health Insurance Detail

This section collects additional detail on each private health insurance policy, including the name of the insurance company, the policyholder of each plan identified, and the household members covered by each policy.

Informed consent information regarding contacting employers who provide health insurance was added beginning in 2004 (Panel 8 Round 3 and Panel 9 Round 1).

HQ – Time Period Covered Detail

This section clarifies the timeframe for which each person was covered by each reported health insurance policy. It links to the Health Insurance, Private Health Insurance Detail, and Old Public Related Insurance sections.

HS – Hospital Stay

The Hospital Stay section obtains details on the length of stay, reasons or conditions requiring hospitalization, surgical procedures performed, medicines prescribed at discharge, and the physicians and surgeons providing hospital care. This section collects physicians and surgeons who are not already on the provider roster.

Items related to separately billing doctors were omitted beginning in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 3 and Panel 5 Round 1). The question collecting the name of any surgery performed was omitted beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Also in 2002, clarifications were added to the F1 help text to indicate that over-the-counter medicines should not be included as prescription medicines and sample medicines are collected separately in the PM section.

HX – Health Insurance

The Health Insurance section collects information about private health insurance obtained through an employer, direct purchase private insurance plans, and public health insurance programs. It identifies the household members covered by health insurance, type of plan, name of each plan, nature of coverage under each plan, duration of coverage, and who pays various costs for the policy premiums. It also identifies the household members not covered by health insurance.

For employer-sponsored coverage, this section creates a link to job characteristics collected in the Employment section of the questionnaire. For individuals who are uninsured at the beginning of the year, the section collects information on the length of time they have been uninsured. For private insurance policies, it obtains information on employer-related coverage and non-employer-related coverage (i.e., purchased through a group, association, school, small business group, insurance company, etc.).

The Health Insurance section also collects information for public insurance on Medicare, Medicaid/SCHIP, Medicaid waiver programs, CHAMPUS/CHAMPVA (now TRICARE/CHAMPVA), and other government programs.

Items were added in 1999 (Panel 3 Round 4 and Panel 4 Round 2) inquiring whether the person was covered on 12/31 of the data year. In 2001 (Panel 5 Round 3 and Panel 6 Round 1), items related to whether the insurance will cover part of the cost of an out-of-network provider were added. Other questions related to information about Medicaid cards, being denied insurance, limitations due to medical conditions, and purchasing health insurance were omitted beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Also in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 5 and Panel 7 Round 3), questions regarding private insurance providing additional benefits were omitted. Questions were added in 2002 to collect different types of TRICARE/CHAMPVA plans (Panel 6 Round 5 and Panel 7 Round 3). Questions about whether Medicare required the person to have a primary doctor were omitted beginning in 2004 (Panel 8 Round 5 and Panel 9 Round 3). Also in 2004 (Panel 8 Round 5 and Panel 9 Round 3), questions that collected information about whether the person’s Medicare was an HMO or Gatekeeper Plan were revised to collect information about all Medicare managed care plans, including HMOs and PPOs.

IN – Income

This supplemental section, asked in Rounds 3 and 5, collects information about the household members’ Federal income tax filing status, specifically about itemized deductions for health insurance premiums, tax credits, wages, other private income sources, and public assistance income.

Several questions were omitted beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 5 and Panel 7 Round 3). These questions ascertained whether the person will itemize medical expenses and the amount of certain expenses. Also omitted was a question asking whether the person receives credit for being elderly or disabled. In addition, starting in 2002, all eligible persons were asked questions about income, rather than only those who have or will file tax returns. Other questions were altered to include more sources of income, such as non-farm businesses. Several questions about income from farms were omitted. Income questions concerning unemployment compensation, Social Security and equivalent tier 1 Railroad Retirement benefits, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) were altered.

LC – Long Term Care

For any current or institutionalized, not deceased household member who received long term care due to an impairment or a physical or mental health problem, this supplemental section collects information on the kinds of help received, the duration of care, accommodations made by employers, transportation services, special equipment, the age at which limitations began, conditions associated with the limitations, and whether the problem or limitations are related to military service.

This section was omitted from the questionnaire beginning in 1999 (Panel 3 Round 4 and Panel 4 Round 2).

MC – Managed Care

This section determines whether household members are covered under a private managed care plan. The section groups the types of coverage as either HMO, other type of managed care plan, or non-managed care plan based on questions about the characteristics of the insurance plan.

MV – Medical Provider Visits

The Medical Provider Visits sections obtains details on the nature of any contacts or visits, the type of provider, time spent with the provider, health conditions requiring medical provider services, treatments and services performed, surgical procedures, and prescribed medicines. This section also probes for any follow up or repeat visits that cost the same amount as the original medical provider.

Questions related to whether the person was referred to the medical provider, how long the person spent with the provider, and the name of the surgery performed were omitted beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Items added in 2002 include the medical provider’s specialty and the medical provider’s place type (e.g., managed care plan center or doctor’s office). Categories were added to the question asking about the provider type (acupuncturist, massage therapist, homeopathic/naturopathic/herbalist, and other alternative/complementary care provider) and the question asking about procedures performed during the visit (laser eye surgery). Also in 2002, clarifications were added to the F1 help text to indicate that over-the-counter medicines should not be included as prescription medicines and sample medicines are collected separately in the PM section.

OC – Over-the-Counter Medicines

The Over-the-Counter Medicines section collects details about purchases of any over-the-counter medicines for the family during the reference period, as well as the type of health conditions for which they were purchased and the total price paid for these medicines.

This section was omitted from the questionnaire beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1).

OE – Old Employment and Private Related Insurance

For RU members that still hold the same job in Rounds 2 through 5 that was reported during the previous round as providing health insurance, this section collects information about the continuation of insurance coverage.

In 2001 (Panel 5 Round 5 and Panel 6 Round 2), questions about whether the policyholder was responsible for any amount of the charge, whether there was an additional name for the insurance, payments to out-of-network providers were added.

OM – Other Medical Expenses

This section serves to direct the CAPI program to other sections in cases where respondents report expenses for glasses or contact lenses or for insulin and other diabetic equipment or supplies.

Questions were added for Round 3 to determine how many of the reported glasses or contacts were obtained in the previous year (starting in 2000, Panel 4 Round 3).

OP – Outpatient Department

If any outpatients visits were made during the reference period, this section obtains details on the nature of the contact, type of care received, health conditions requiring outpatient services, treatments and services performed, surgical procedures, prescribed medicines, and the physicians and surgeons providing outpatient services. This section collects physicians and surgeons who are not already on the provider roster. It also probes for any follow up or repeat visits that cost the same amount as the original outpatient visit.

Beginning in 2000, questions inquiring about separately billing doctors were omitted (Panel 4 Round 3 and Panel 5 Round 1). Beginning in 2002, the questions asking for the outpatient department’s name, whether the person was referred to the department, how much time was spent in the department, what was the name of any surgery performed were omitted (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Also in 2002, a question asking for the doctor’s specialty was added. Categories were added to the question asking about the provider type (acupuncturist, massage therapist, homeopathic/naturopathic/herbalist, and other alternative/complementary care provider) and the question asking about procedures performed during the visit (laser eye surgery). Also in 2002, clarifications were added to the F1 help text to indicate that over-the-counter medicines should not be included as prescription medicines and sample medicines are collected separately in the PM section.

PC – Priority Conditions (Quality Supplement)

The Priority Conditions section, added in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 5 and Panel 5 Round 3), collects information about a select group of medical conditions including sore or strep throat, diabetes, asthma, hypertension, coronary heart disease, angina, heart attacks, other heart disorders, strokes, emphysema, joint pain, and arthritis. This is a supplemental section asked in Rounds 3 and 5.

The sore or strep throat questions were first added in 2001 (Panel 5 Round 5 and Panel 6 Round 3). In 2003, additional questions related to different medications used to treat asthma were added (Panel 7 Round 5 and Panel 8 Round 3).

PD – Provider Directory

The Provider Directory section compiles a directory of all medical persons and medical facilities reported by MEPS respondents. It clarifies the relationship of each medical provider to the person’s insurance plan and verifies the name, address, and telephone number of the provider.

Beginning in 2000, a question asking whether the provider was seen in a Veteran’s Administration facility was added and references to separately billing doctors were omitted (Panel 4 Round 3 and Panel 5 Round 1). Beginning in 2002, questions asking whether the provider was part of a health insurance plan were omitted (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1).

PG – Pregnancy Detail

The Pregnancy Detail section collects additional information for women identified in the Condition Enumeration section as having been pregnant at any time during the reference period. This additional information includes the current pregnancy status, pregnancy duration, and any complications. If the pregnancy has ended in a live birth, the section obtains further information on the number of births, place of delivery, type of delivery, and infant's birth weight.

PM – Prescribed Medicines

The Prescribed Medicines section obtains details on prescribed medicines reported in earlier medical events sections as well as additional prescriptions reported in this section. Questions determine whether free pharmaceutical samples were obtained, the specific health problems for which the medicine was prescribed, the number of refills obtained during reference period, the first date of use of each medicine, and the name and address of the pharmacy that filled each prescription.

Questions were added for Round 3 to determine how many of the reported prescription medicines were obtained in the previous year (starting in 2000, Panel 4 Round 3). In 2002, efforts were made to prompt the respondent to include online purchases of prescription medicines (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1).

PP – Provider Probes

The Provider Probes section collects the information required to create a medical event in the database, i.e., the type of event, the person incurring the event, the health care provider, and the date(s) of the event. This section links with the Event Roster, Provider Roster, and Event Driver sections.

In 2002, physical therapy and rehabilitation services, paramedics, health aides, physician's assistants, optometrists/ophthalmologists, podiatrists, chiropractor, acupuncturist, speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychiatric social workers, mental health therapists, and audiologists were added to the list of providers (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Also in 2002, questions about independent labs/testing facilities and alternative care were added and getting medicines was added to the list of tasks performed by home health care workers. Finally, assisted living facilities were added to the long-term care facilities list.

PR – Old Public Related Insurance

For RU members who were covered during the previous round by Medicare, Medicaid/SCHIP, CHAMPUS/CHAMPVA (now TRICARE/CHAMPVA), or other state or local government sponsored programs, this section collects information about the continuation of coverage provided through these public programs.

Questions were added in 2002 to collect different types of TRICARE/CHAMPVA plans (Panel 6 Round 5 and Panel 7 Round 3). A question determining whether Medicare required the person to have a primary doctor was omitted beginning in 2004 (Panel 8 Round 5 and Panel 9 Round 3). Also in 2004 (Panel 8 Round 5 and Panel 9 Round 3), questions that collected information about whether the person’s Medicare was an HMO or Gatekeeper Plan were revised to collect information about all Medicare managed care plans, including HMOs and PPOs.

PV – Provider Roster

This section creates a roster to display the name and street address of each provider and/or facility associated with each person's medical events detailed in the Event Roster. This information is strictly confidential.

RE – Reenumeration

Reenumeration refers to the process of collecting eligibility and demographic data on each person associated with a household participating in MEPS. The Reenumeration section has two parts, Reenumeration-A and Reenumeration-B.

RE-A – Reenumeration-A

Part A includes questions RE01 through RE75, which identify and define the eligibility status for each person and family unit living within each MEPS sampled household, as well as any family members who are temporarily living away from the household. Part A identifies the reference period for each family unit and the person that serves as the primary respondent for the family is identified. It also obtains age, gender, and marital status for each person.

RE-B – Reenumeration-B

Part B of the Reenumeration section includes questions RE76 through RE112. This section details how family members are related to one another and the size of the family unit. Race, ethnicity, educational attainment, and military status for each person are specified.

The questions regarding race and ethnicity have changed a number of times throughout the history of MEPS. To learn more about these changes, refer to the links to the Reenumeration-B section provided.

RJ – Review of Employment Information

In Rounds 2 through 5, the Review of Employment Information reviews employment information for any current job identified during the previous round. It collects updated information on job status, salary where changes in wages occur, full- or part-time work, health insurance benefits, and size of employment establishment if the jobholder is self employed.

Questions about whether the person’s job was temporary or seasonal were added in 2000 (Panel 4 Round 5 and Panel 5 Round 3). Additional questions about health insurance, including whether it was offered to the person, whether it was offered to any employee, and why the person was not eligible were added in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 3 and Panel 7 Round 1). Items related to shift changes were omitted beginning in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 4 and Panel 7 Round 2).\

RS – RU Information Screen

To assist in conducting subsequent interviews, the interviewer records helpful information in this section, such as special instructions, special problems, locating directions, difficulties with the CAPI administration, and whether the household moved.

References to audio-taping the interview were omitted beginning in 1998 (Panel 2 Round 4 and Panel 3 Round 2). The special instructions and questions related to whether the household moved were added in 1998 as well.

SP – Satisfaction with Health Plan

The Satisfaction with Health Plan section collects satisfaction information for private insurance, Medigap, Medicare managed care programs, Medicaid/SCHIP, and TRICARE insurance. The information collected includes ease of access to medical care, need to seek approval for medical treatments and delays in care experienced while waiting for approval, ease of access to understandable plan information and repercussions of poor access, need to complete paperwork and problems filling out paperwork, and an overall rating of the health plan.

This supplemental section, asked in Round 2 and 4, was redesigned in 2002 (Panel 6 Round 4 and Panel 7 Round 2). While it collects much of the same information, the questions were revised slightly to match the CAHPS® questionnaire. Also, this section now includes questions about Medicare HMOs and TRICARE/CHAMPVA.

 
Section III: Accessing the Questionnaire Sections

The sections of the data collection instruments are provided in PDF format for 1996 and in both PDF and HTML formats for 2002/2003. PDF files can be accessed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the latest version from the Adobe website. Copies of any data collection instrument not provided on the web site are available upon request to the MEPS Project Officer at mepspd@ahrq.gov.