Attachment 11 – HC MEPS FAQs Brochure

What is the household

What if I have

component of MEPS?

other questions?

The Medical Expenditure Panel

If you have questions about this study,
please call Alex Scott at this toll-free number:

Survey (MEPS) is a unique
nationwide study that provides
vital information on health care use
and costs for the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
MEPS has been collecting data

MEPS
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

1-800-945-MEPS (6377)
To learn more about MEPS, we invite you to
visit the web site of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (www.ahrq.gov)
or the web site the Agency maintains about
this survey (www.meps.ahrq.gov) where you
can access the Participants’ Corner.

continuously since 1996.

To learn more about Westat, visit
www.westat.com.

It is the only survey of its kind to

Your interviewer will be wearing an
identification badge that looks like this:

develop a complete picture of the
Nation’s health care by combining
data from two dynamic sources –
households in the United States
and their medical care providers.
Because of this innovative design,
MEPS is unparalleled for the

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

amount of detailed information
it can provide to the health care
community and the Nation.

This survey is conducted for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
50521.0917
OMB# 0935-0118
Publication 18-101

What is the survey about?
MEPS collects information about the use
of medical care and about the costs and
quality of that care. Individuals and families
across the United States are asked about
the medical care they receive and about
other factors that affect their ability to get
the medical care they need. The study also
includes questions about age and education, health conditions, employment, health
insurance, and other topics. Under the
unique MEPS design, information collected
from households is combined with information from the households’ medical providers to provide a comprehensive picture
of health care in the United States.

How was my household chosen?
You may remember participating in another
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services survey last year, the National Health
Interview Survey. Certain households from
that survey were selected to serve as a representative sample of the country; as one
of those households, you represent thousands of others that were not selected.

Does my family have to participate?
No. Participation in this survey is voluntary. At any time, you or any member of

your household can decide not to participate or not to answer specific questions.
If you choose not to participate, there is
no penalty and your family will not lose
any benefits to which you are entitled.

to schedule the interview at your convenience. Talking with a MEPS interviewer is
an opportunity for valuable public service.

Who is conducting the survey?

Because your rights to confidentiality are
protected by law! 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.

The survey is being conducted for the
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
AHRQ’s mission is to improve the quality,
safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of
health care for all Americans.
A team of trained interviewers from Westat,
a national research company based in the
Washington, DC area, conduct the interviews. All interviewers wear identification
badges like the one on the back of this
brochure and use laptop computers to
record your answers to the survey.

How do I know my answers will be
kept confidential?

Personally identifiable information such
as names and addresses is removed
before survey information is released to
researchers outside the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.

What do I have to do?

How are the results used?

The survey asks questions about health care
visits, costs and payments for services, and
information about your health care providers.
Having notes or records of your family’s
health care makes it easier to answer the
survey questions. We will contact you in
advance of each interview and will be happy

After the information is collected
and compiled, AHRQ makes MEPS
data available to public and private
agencies of the health care community.
The answers given by MEPS participants
provide information that can be used
to plan for future health care needs.

Your participation can make a difference