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 âHC 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.