Attachment 8 – HC Important Information About Your Participation in MEPS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PARTICIPATION IN
THE MEDICAL EXPENDITURE PANEL SURVEY
The Purpose of This Research
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
(MEPS) is one of the major research
efforts of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. It is conducted by
the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
MEPS is an on-going, nationwide
survey that studies the cost of health
care and the way Americans pay for
that health care. Information is
collected through household interviews
and linked to information collected from
your medical providers.
How Your Household Can Participate
Information for this survey is collected
for all family members living in your
household. Generally, one adult family
member answers the survey questions
for the entire family although all family
members are encouraged to be present.
Interviews are conducted by trained
field interviewers who call on you at
home to conduct the interview. Every
household is asked to complete 5
interviews over a 2 ½ year period. While
the length of each in-person interview
varies depending on family size and
health experiences, the average
interview can be completed in about 1
to 1 ½ hours. Having notes or records
of your family’s health care will make it
easier to answer the survey questions.
The interviewer will ask about your
family's visits for health care and about
related topics that help researchers
understand health care experiences
such as age, education, health status,
employment, and health insurance
coverage.

Protecting the Confidentiality of the
Information You Provide
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. All personally
identifiable information such as names
or addresses will be removed before
information from this survey is released
to researchers outside the Department
of Health and Human Services.
Participation in MEPS
Households selected for MEPS have an
opportunity to provide an important
and valuable public service. But
participation in the study is voluntary.
There is no penalty or loss of benefits if
a household or an individual member of
the household chooses not to
participate in the study or in any
particular part of the study.
Benefits of This Research
MEPS data are used by researchers in
Federal and State governments,
universities, and the private sector to
understand the costs of health care and
inform decisions about health care
issues.
To Learn More About MEPS
To learn more about this study, you
may visit the study website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov or contact
Alex Scott, a study representative at
1-800-945-MEPS (6377).

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