This request is for an update to
previously submitted OMB supporting statements for the renewal of
the OMB clearance for the data collections of the Household and
Medical Provider Components of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
(MEPS) which was approved in November 2018 and has an expiration
date of November 30, 2020. The MEPS Household Component (MEPS-HC)
and Medical Provider Component (MEPS-MPC) are two of three
components of the MEPS. • Household Component: A sample of
households participating in the National Health Interview Survey
(NHIS) in the prior calendar year are interviewed 5 times over a 2
and one half (2.5) year period. These 5 interviews yield two years
of information on use of, and expenditures for, health care,
sources of payment for that health care, insurance status,
employment, health status and health care quality. • Medical
Provider Component: The MEPS-MPC collects information from medical
and financial records maintained by hospitals, physicians,
pharmacies and home health agencies named as sources of care by
household respondents. • Insurance Component (MEPS-IC): The MEPS-IC
collects information on establishment characteristics, insurance
offerings and premiums from employers. The MEPS-IC is conducted by
the Census Bureau for AHRQ and is cleared separately. The previous
OMB clearance request for the MEPS was approved November, 2018 with
an expiration date of November 30, 2021. We propose updating the
MEPS –HC by 1) adding a section to the 2020 self-administered
questionnaire (SAQ, Male/Female) that will include questions on
mental health, 2) collecting a health insurance cost-sharing
document and 3) implementing a pilot study to evaluate the
potential effectiveness of including a sample of NHIS
nonrespondents in future MEPS panels as a strategy to improve the
overall MEPS response rate. The total estimated annual burden hours
for the MEPS will increase from 77,666 hours in the previous
clearance to 84,930 hours in this clearance request, an increase of
7,264 hours. These are one time additions due to available funding
in FY2019. If additional funds are available in 2020 (or futures
years), response rates and data quality, as well as competing
funding priorities will be the metrics used to determine if similar
activities should be funded.
US Code:
42
USC 299 Name of Law: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Act of 1999
The total estimated annual
burden hours for the MEPS has increased from 77,666 hours in the
previous clearance to 84,930 hours in this clearance request, an
increase of 7,264 hours. This burden increase is due to the
addition of a Mental Health SAQ, estimated at 1,194 hours, and the
health insurance cost sharing collection, estimated at 6,101 in
hours of burden, and the pilot test on sampling NHIS
nonrespondents, estimated at 307 hours of burden. While the burden
associated with these added tasks totals 7,602 hours, reductions in
other burden estimates leave a net difference of 7,264 hours
overall.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.