View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 0935-0118	ICR Reference No: 202603-0935-001
Status: Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 202406-0935-002
Agency/Subagency: HHS/AHRQ	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Household and Medical Provider Components
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved with change	Conclusion Date: 06/02/2026
	Date Received in OIRA: 04/01/2026
Terms of Clearance: This collection is approved for 3 years under the following terms. As agreed, in order to reduce respondent burden and improve the utility and consistency of the Preventive Care Self-Administered Questionnaire (PSAQ), AHRQ will document the response category definitions in the following two places: 1. Full Year Consolidated Data File Documentation, released alongside the 2026 data file in August 2028. 2. FAQ section of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) participant Corner: https://meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/communication/household_participant.jsp

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	06/30/2029	36 Months From Approved	09/30/2026
Responses	239,027	0	384,693
Time Burden (Hours)	50,264	0	67,489
Cost Burden (Dollars)	3,108,705	0	0

Abstract: The MEPS was initiated in 1996. Each year a new panel of sample households is selected. Recent annual MEPS-HC sample sizes average about 13,500 households. Data can be analyzed at either the person, family, or event level. The panel design of the survey, which includes 5 Rounds of interviews covering 2 full calendar years, provides data for examining person level changes in selected variables such as expenditures, health insurance coverage, and health status (see Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Content Summary of the Household Interview (ahrq.gov) for information on how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted this design). Using a combination of computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI), computer assisted video interviewing (CAVI), and self-administered paper and web questionnaires, information about each household member is collected, and the survey builds on this information from interview to interview. CAVI is a new data collection technology and offers the best of both telephone and in-person interviewing, while offering opportunities for cost savings and more accurate reporting. This Information Collection Request (ICR) is for a revision to the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey – Household Component (MEPS-HC). These changes will be fielded in the Spring and Fall of 2025 and includes the addition of the Burdens and Economic Impacts of Medical Care Self-Administered Questionnaire (ESAQ), minor changes to questions in both the Core MEPS Interview and the Adult SAQ and removing the Cancer SAQ (CSAQ).

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 299 Name of Law: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Act of 1999

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	90 FR 61150	12/30/2025
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 15999	03/31/2026
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 12

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Adult SAQ	49
Authorization Form for the MEPS-MPC Provider and Pharmacy Survey	51, 52	,
Burdens and Economic Impacts of Medical Care SAQ	63
Diabetes Care SAQ	50
Home Health Care Providers Event Form	55, 56	,
Hospitals Event Form	59
Institutions (non-hospital) Event Form	60
MEPS-HC Core Interview	7, 25, 8, 22, 18 , 31, 35, 3, 5, 6, 9 , 10 , 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 , 32, 33, 45, 46, 19 , 34, 16, 17 , 39 , 40 , 41, 42, 43, 20 , 38 , 2, 15, 36, 37, 47, 1, 4	, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
MEPS-HC Validation Interview	53b, 53a	,
MPC Contact Guide/Screening Call	54
Office Based Providers Form	57
Pharmacies Event Form	61
Preventive Care SAQ	50
Separately Billing Doctors Form	58

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Annual Number of Responses	239,027	384,693	-5,675	-139,991
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	50,264	67,489	0	-17,225
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	3,108,705	0	0	3,108,705

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement:

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $63,897,239

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? Yes Part B of Supporting Statement

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Margie Shofer 301 427-1696 margie.shofer@ahrq.hhs.gov

View ICR - OIRA Conclusion