Attachment 13 -- HC Respondent Letters, Postcards and Notes

Attachment 13

Item Page

Round 1 Pre-notification Letter 1

Round 1 Advance Letter 2

Round 3 Advance Letter 1 3

Round 3 Advance Letter 2 4

Round 5 Advance Letter 1 5

Round 5 Advance Letter 2 6

Rounds 2 and 4 Advance Letter 7

MEPS Change of Address and Appointment Card - Outside 8

MEPS Change of Address and Appointment Card - Inside 9

Community Authority Letter 10

Other Language Introduction Card 11

Other Language Contact Sheet 12

Appointment Reminder Postcard - Outside 13

Appointment Reminder Postcard - Inside 14

Sorry I Missed You Note - Outside 15

Sorry I Missed You Note - Inside 16

Thank You Note - Outside 17

Thank You Note -Inside 18

Refusal Conversion Letter – General Refusal 19

Refusal Conversion Letter – Unable to Contact 20

Refusal Conversion Letter – Your Chance to Help 21

Refusal Conversion Letter – Continued Participation 22

Refusal Conversion Letter – Too Ill 23

Refusal Conversion Letter – Confidentiality Concerns from AHRQ 24

Field Director Letter – Breakoff 25

Field Director Letter – Broken Appointment 26

Field Director Letter – End of Round 27

Field Director Letter – Telephone 28

Split Intro Letter – Round 1 29

Split Intro Letter – Rounds 2-5 30

Winter 2013

Dear Resident:

Your household has been selected to participate in an important national health care study -- the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey -- also known as MEPS. This survey is being conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

MEPS collects information from families and individuals about the health services they use, how frequently they use them, the cost of these services, and how they are paid for. This information has been collected from households like yours since 1996. It is collected through five interviews covering a two-year period to show how health care usage can change over time. At the end of each interview you will receive a gift of $50.

You were selected from households that participated last year in the National Health Interview Survey. That study is conducted for the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An interviewer from Westat, a nationally known research company, will be contacting you in the next few weeks to answer any questions you might have. The enclosed Monthly Planner can help you prepare for your first in person interview.

Participation in MEPS is voluntary, but accurate results depend on the willing cooperation of households like yours. Your privacy is protected throughout the study. By law, any information collected in the study that would identify individual participants must be kept confidential.ⁱ

The enclosed brochure provides more information about the study. Additional information and study results from previous years are available at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov. From this link you can access the MEPS Participants’ Corner to learn more about your role. Information about Westat is at http://www.westat.com. To speak with a study representative, please call Alex Scott at the following toll-free number: 1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

We look forward to having you as part of this important study.

Sincerely, Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Director Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D. Director National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Winter 2013

Dear Resident:

About a month ago you were sent a letter with a brochure about your selection to participate in a health care study called the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). This study is being conducted by Westat for the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Within a few weeks, you will be contacted by a Westat interviewer to set an appointment for your first MEPS interview. If you would like, you can request an appointment by completing the enclosed card and mailing it to us. You may also use this card to notify us if you have moved or plan to move soon. At the end of the interview, you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

To learn more about the study before your interviewer contacts you, please visit our web site at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov and access the Participants’ Corner. For more information about Westat, visit the Westat web site at http://www.westat.com. To speak with a study representative, call Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

Please be assured that privacy is a priority for this study. The confidentiality of information given to the study is protected by law.ⁱⁱ

Your participation is important to MEPS. The interviewer who contacts you will be happy to answer your questions and to arrange the interview at a time convenient for you. We greatly appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Director Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D. Director National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Winter 2013

Dear MEPS Participant,

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) will soon begin contacting households for their third interview. To prepare for your interview, you may want to keep notes about the health care received by everyone in your household. Referring to notes from your MEPS Monthly Planner or any other records you have available will be helpful during the interview. As before, when you complete the interview you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

Your MEPS interviewer will call you to schedule the next interview. If you would like, you can request an appointment by completing the enclosed card and mailing it to us. You may also use this card to notify us if your address or telephone number has changed since the last interview.

Again, we want to assure you that privacy is a priority for this study and that the confidentiality of information given to the study is protected by law.ⁱⁱⁱ

We appreciate your commitment to this effort. The information you have provided thus far is already being combined with information from thousands of other participating households to produce the study’s first reports for 2011. Learn more about the study and recent findings at the Participants’ Corner at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov. On behalf of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for your continuing participation in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Director Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D. Director National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Winter 2013

Dear MEPS Participant,

This is a reminder that your MEPS interviewer will be contacting you within a few weeks to schedule your next interview. You may use the enclosed appointment card to let us know what time would be most convenient for you. You may also use this card to notify us if your address or telephone number has changed. When you complete the interview you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

Last year we provided you with a monthly planner to use for keeping notes about your health care. Having notes in the planner or another source of records can be helpful to have available during the interview. If you need another copy of the monthly planner, let your interviewer know when he or she calls to set an appointment for the interview.

Again, we want to assure you that privacy is a priority for this study and that the confidentiality of information given to the study is protected by law.^iv

If you need to speak with someone before you hear from your interviewer, please call our survey representative, Alex Scott, at 1-800-945 MEPS (6377), a toll-free number. For additional information about the study, visit the Participants’ Corner at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov. We thank you in advance for your valuable contribution to this most important research effort.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Director Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D. Director National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Winter 2013

Dear MEPS Participant,

We are writing to let you know the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) will soon begin contacting households for their final MEPS interview. This interview will ask only about health care use and expenses through December 31, 2011. When you complete the interview you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

As before, an interviewer will contact you to schedule your final interview. If you would like, you can request an appointment by completing the enclosed card and mailing it to us. You may also use this card to notify us if your address or telephone number has changed since the last interview. If you would like to talk to a survey representative, please call Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377), a toll-free number.

The information you have provided has already been combined with information from thousands of households across the country that have also participated in MEPS. To see recent findings, you may visit the study web site at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov.

Your participation in this research effort has been vital in obtaining complete and accurate information about America’s rapidly changing health care system. On behalf of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we thank you for your valuable contribution to this important research effort.^v

Sincerely,

Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Director Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D. Director National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Winter 2013

Dear MEPS Participant,

This is a reminder that an interviewer will contact you in the next few weeks to schedule your final interview for the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. You may use the enclosed appointment card to let us know what time would be most convenient for you. You may also use this card to notify us if your address or telephone number has changed. In this final interview we will ask you about medical care only through December 31, 2011; we will not ask about care received after January 1, 2012.

When you complete the interview you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

If you need to speak with a survey representative before you are contacted by your interviewer, please call Alex Scott at 1-800-945 MEPS (6377), a toll-free number.

We thank you for your valuable contribution to this vital research effort.^vi

Sincerely,

Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Director Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D. Director National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Summer 2012

Dear MEPS Participant,

Soon it will be time for your next Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) interview. An interviewer will contact you to schedule an appointment. If you would like, you can request an appointment by completing the enclosed card and mailing it to us. You may also use this card to notify us if your address or telephone number has changed since the last interview. As before, when you complete the interview you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

As part of our on-going study of health care, MEPS is particularly interested in how people feel about the quality of the care that they receive. To find out, we are requesting that select adults in your household answer the questions in the enclosed opinion booklet(s). Each booklet is labeled with the name of the person who should complete it. All opinions are confidential and will be used to enhance the information collected by MEPS.

After completing the booklet(s) please store them in the enclosed envelope. Your interviewer will collect the envelope at the time of your personal interview. Each selected adult who completes a booklet will receive a $5 check from the interviewer.

If you have any questions about the opinion booklet or your upcoming interview, please call Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377) or send an e-mail to [email protected]. If you want to learn more about the study or see recent findings, please visit the Participants’ Corner at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov. On behalf of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for your continuing participation in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

S
incerely,

C arolyn Clancy, M.D. Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D.

Director Director

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Center for Health Statistics

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dear Community Authority Representative,

In response to the need for accurate figures about the use, cost, and quality of medical care in this country, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is conducting the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). This large-scale national survey will be conducted in your community and approximately 200 others across the nation. During the next two and a half years, survey representatives will interview participants from selected households in your area. The purpose of the study is to understand how changes in the way Americans receive and pay for health care have affected health care use, and to use that information to help guide future changes in health care policy.

Because the entire U.S. population cannot be interviewed, we have chosen a sample of communities and households that represent the nation. This statistically reliable sample selection process ensures that the households selected represent thousands of other similar households across the country, as well as themselves. Their participation is very important if the survey is to provide a true picture of the health care experiences of people living in the United States in the 21st century.

All answers to the survey are confidential and will be kept private to the extent permitted by law; no identifying information is ever used in reports. Individual answers are summarized to give an overall picture of the health care use and expenses of people in this country.

Westat, a national research organization, is carrying out the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Every interviewer is professionally trained and carries an identification card certifying that the interviewer is an authorized survey representative.

We would greatly appreciate your help in reassuring persons who make inquiries as to both the importance and legitimacy of this undertaking. If you would like additional information about the study, please ask the survey representative. You also may visit the study website at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov.

If you have any other questions about the survey, please contact Alex Scott, toll free, at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

S
incerely,

Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D.

Director Director

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Center for Health Statistics

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Other Language Introduction Card

Pardon, but I do not speak (specific language).

 

I came to visit because I work for a survey conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services.  The survey is about the health and related costs of people in the United States.  Any information collected during this survey is considered strictly confidential.

 

Is there someone here that speaks English? Could you please ask that person to come to the door? 

 

~Thank You.

Other Language Contact Sheet

A co – worker that speaks (specific language) will contact you to talk about this very important study. 

Please tell me the days and times that are best for contacting you by circling the days and times you prefer.

 

Monday           Tuesday          Wednesday     Thursday         Friday Saturday          Sunday

 

[9AM – 12PM]       [12PM – 3PM]          [3PM – 5PM]          [5PM – 7PM]         [7PM – 9PM]

 

Please provide us your telephone number:  (_____)  ___________________

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»,

We recently contacted you about participating in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At that time you indicated that you were reluctant to take part in this study. I am writing to you to tell you more about the survey and why your participation is so important.

MEPS collects information from families and individuals about the health services they use, how frequently they use them, the cost of these services, and how they are paid for. This information is used to guide health policies and services that affect the future of health care throughout the United States. Your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other similar households and your participation helps to ensure that the healthcare needs of all segments of our population are represented.

Your privacy is protected throughout the study. By law, any information collected in the study that would identify individual participants must be kept confidential. At the conclusion of each interview, you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

I have asked our field representative to contact you again in the hope that you will reconsider participating in this important study. The interview will be scheduled at your convenience and every effort will be made to accommodate your time.

If you would like to speak to someone before you are contacted, please call «Field_Contact_Name» at «Contact_Phone», or our coordinator, Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

Your participation can make a difference. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Susan D. Connor

Westat Project Director

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»,

We recently tried to contact you about participating in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unfortunately, we were unable to speak with you at that time. I am writing to tell you about the survey and why your participation is so important.

MEPS collects information from families and individuals about the health services they use, how frequently they use them, the cost of these services, and how they are paid for. This information is used to guide health policies and services that affect the future of health care throughout the United States. Your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other similar households and your participation helps to ensure that the healthcare needs of all segments of our population are represented.

Your privacy is protected throughout the study. By law, any information collected in the study that would identify individual participants must be kept confidential. At the conclusion of each interview, you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

I have asked our field representative to try to contact you again. In the meantime, please call «Field_Contact_Name» at «Contact_Phone», or our coordinator, Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377) so that we may answer any questions that you have and schedule an appointment.

Your participation can make a difference. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Susan D. Connor

Westat Project Director

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»,

Many of us are concerned about the cost and quality of today's medical care, but there doesn’t seem to be much we can do about it. You, however, have a chance to make an important contribution to the research on health care and health care costs by participating in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).

MEPS is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was established to find out how families and individuals use and pay for health services. Your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other similar households and your participation helps to ensure that the healthcare needs of all segments of our population are represented.

Your privacy is protected throughout the study. By law, any information collected in the study that would identify individual participants must be kept confidential. At the conclusion of each interview, you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

By participating in this survey, you will be performing a valuable public service. I have asked our field representative to contact you again to answer any questions that you may have and to schedule a convenient time for an interview.

If you would like to speak to someone before you are contacted, please call «Field_Contact_Name» at «Contact_Phone» or our coordinator, Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

Your participation can make a difference. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Susan D. Connor

Westat Project Director

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»,

Thank you for your earlier participation in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The information you have given us so far is already being combined with information from thousands of other participating households to show how families and individuals use and pay for health care, but we encourage you to continue to participate. Each interview you complete builds on the previous interview to provide a more comprehensive and continuous picture of your health care experiences.

Your household represents thousands of other similar households and your continued participation helps to ensure that the healthcare needs of all segments of our population are represented.

Remember, your privacy is protected throughout the study. By law, any information collected in the study that would identify individual participants must be kept confidential. And, at the conclusion of each interview you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

I have asked our field representative to contact you again to address any concerns that you may have and to schedule a convenient time for an interview. If you would like to speak to someone before you are contacted, please call «Field_Contact_Name» at «Contact_Phone», or our coordinator, Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

Your participation can make a difference. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Susan D. Connor

Westat Project Director

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»,

We recently contacted you about participating in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At that time you indicated that you were reluctant to take part in this study due to your current health situation. I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I would not ask for your help at this difficult time if there were any other way to collect this information, but your experiences with the health care system could be a particularly valuable contribution to the study.

MEPS is important because it captures how families and individuals use the health care system and pay for their care. Your participation ensures that households similar to yours are represented.

We will do everything possible to accommodate your needs during the interview. If you would prefer, someone close to you may help you answer the questions. At the conclusion of each interview you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation. Also, your privacy will be protected throughout the study. By law, any information collected in the study that would identify individual participants must be kept confidential.

I have asked our field representative to contact you again to answer any questions that you may have and to schedule a convenient time for an interview. If you would like to speak to someone before you are contacted, please call «Field_Contact_Name» at «Contact_Phone», or our coordinator, Alex Scott at 1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

Your participation can make a difference. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Susan D. Connor

Westat Project Director

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»,

When you were contacted recently by an interviewer from Westat, you voiced concern about the confidentiality of your answers to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). MEPS is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I am writing to address your concerns and to encourage you to participate in this study. Your privacy is very important to us, and any information you give us will be held in strict confidence.

The information you provide will be used for research purposes only and cannot be used for any other purpose. No other government agency will have access to this information. Access to the information will be limited to the staff who collect, process, and analyze the data. All employees who come in contact with information from the interview must sign an oath of confidentiality. In addition, the results of the survey are reported in summary form, with no mention of names or other identifying information. The law strictly prohibits access to this information by any other person(s) or government agency.

You may be aware of public concerns raised by recent changes in our nation's health care system. Rising health care costs and the availability of quality health care are the two fundamental issues that now affect this system. MEPS collects information from individuals and families about their health care needs and their use of and experiences with health care. Data from this study will help policymakers develop strategies to improve our current health care system.

Respondents in MEPS represent the many diverse groups of people who make up our nation. Your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other similar households. Without your participation, others like you might be under-represented in the survey data. At the conclusion of your interview, you will receive a gift of $50 to show our appreciation.

I have asked a Westat interviewer to contact you again. By participating in this important study, you will be performing a valuable public service.

Sincerely,

Steven B. Cohen, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Cost and Financing Studies

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Fall 2012

Dear MEPS Participant,

Your household recently participated in part of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Unfortunately, you were unable to complete the interview at that time.

We really appreciate your help so far, and hope you will be able to give us a little more of your time. The field representative is ready to give you a $50 gift once you complete the interview.

Your participation is extremely important to us as you represent other people like yourself who live in your community and state. Please call the number below to schedule an appointment.

Cordially,

Pamela Ficca

MEPS Field Director

Field Representative:

Telephone:

Fall 2012

Dear MEPS Participant,

I noticed that you were unable to keep your appointment for the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) interview.

The field representative is ready to give you a $50 gift once you complete the interview. All you need to do is get in touch by calling the number below to reschedule.

Your participation is extremely important to us as you represent other people like yourself who live in your community and state. Please call!

Cordially,

Pamela Ficca

MEPS Field Director

Field Representative:

Telephone:

Fall 2012

Dear MEPS Participant,

We are close to finishing up the fall phase of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

I noticed that we have not completed your interview. Your participation is extremely important to us as you represent other people like yourself who live in your community and state.

You will receive $50 at the conclusion of the interview. Please contact your field representative (listed below) soon to set up an appointment.

Cordially,

Pamela Ficca

MEPS Field Director

Field Representative:

Telephone:

Fall 2012

Dear MEPS Participant,

We are close to finishing up the fall phase of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Your field representative will be able to complete the interview over the telephone, rather than in-person, to better accommodate your busy schedule.

You will receive $50 at the conclusion of the interview.

Your participation is extremely important as you represent other people like yourself who live in your community and state. Please call!

Cordially,

Pamela Ficca

MEPS Field Director

Field Representative:

Telephone:

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»:

Last year, the household where you previously resided was interviewed by the Census Bureau for a United States Public Health Service study about medical care and general health. Some of the households that participated in that survey have been selected for inclusion in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).

When our field representative completed the MEPS interview at your previous address, we learned that you no longer live there. I am contacting you to tell you about MEPS and to ask you to become a participant.

MEPS is the source of the most comprehensive and reliable information about health care availability, usage, and cost in the country. Because MEPS collects data from participating families over an extended period of time, it is able to provide the most up-to-date facts on the rapidly occurring changes in our health care system and their effects on the ways we receive and pay for health care. In order for this important study to be statistically reliable, we need the participation of the selected households. You cannot be replaced by another person or family.

All information collected in the study is strictly confidential as required by law.¹

Our interviewer will be contacting you in the near future. The interview will take less time if you have on hand information about recent medical appointments and their costs. You will receive a $50 gift at the conclusion of the interview.

If you have questions about MEPS, please call «Field_Contact_Name» at «Contact_Phone»

Sincerely,

Susan D. Connor

Westat Project Director

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Enclosure(s)

«RUID»

«Date»

«RFirstName» «RLastName»

«RAddress1»

«RAddress2»

«RCity», «RState» «RZip»

Dear «RTitle» «RLastName»:

Recently, the household where you previously resided was interviewed for the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) being conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When our field representative completed the MEPS interview at your previous address, we learned that you no longer live there. I am contacting you to tell you about MEPS and to ask you to become a participant.

MEPS is the source of the most comprehensive and reliable information about health care availability, usage, and cost in the country. Because MEPS collects data from participating families over an extended period of time, it is able to provide the most up-to-date facts on the rapidly occurring changes in our health care system and their effects on the ways we receive and pay for health care. In order for this important study to be statistically reliable, we need the participation of the selected households. You cannot be replaced by another person or family.

All information collected in the study is strictly confidential as required by law.¹

Our interviewer will be contacting you in the near future. The interview will take less time if you have on hand information about recent medical appointments and their costs. You will receive a $50 gift at the conclusion of the interview.

If you have questions about MEPS, please call «Field_Contact_Name» at «Contact_Phone».

Sincerely,

Susan D. Connor

Westat Project Director

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Enclosure(s)

«RUID»

i This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.

ii This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.

iii This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.

iv This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.

v This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.

vi This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.

This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.

This survey is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 299a. The confidentiality of your responses to this survey is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 42 U.S.C. 242m(d)]. Information that could identify you will not be disclosed unless you have consented to that disclosure.