[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 10, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65065-65066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31255]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the Agency for Health Care Policy and 
Research's (AHCPR) intention to request the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) to allow a proposed information collection project. In 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 
(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), AHCPR invites the public to comment on this 
proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by January 9, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the proposed information collection 
should be submitted within 30 working days of this notice directly to 
the OMB Desk Officer at the following address: Allison Eydt, Human 
Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, (OMB); New Executive Office Building, Room 10235; Washington, 
D.C. 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ruth A. Celtnieks, AHCPR Reports 
Clearance Officer, (303) 594-1406, ext. 1497.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project

    The 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance Component 
(MEPS-IC). In early 1997, AHCPR intends to conduct a survey of 
establishments to collect information from employees concerning 
employer-sponsored health insurance. This survey is an integration of 
two previous surveys, now components of MEPS-IC. The two surveys, which 
collected similar information, were:
    1. The 1987 Health Insurance Plans Survey (HIPS) sponsored by 
AHCPR's predecessor, the National Center for Health Services Research; 
and
    2. The 1994 National Employer Health Insurance Survey (NEHIS) 
sponsored by AHCPR, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) 
and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA).
    The MEPS-IC survey will be conducted using a sample of employers 
(including both public and private sectors) and health insurance 
providers. The sample will be comprised of two parts:
    1. A list sample of employers selected from sample frames available 
from the Bureau of the Census; and
    2. A group of employers and other health insurance providers 
identified by respondents in the 1996 MEPS-Household Component (HC). 
The MEPS-HC is a household survey which collects information concerning 
health care expenditures and related data for individuals. This 
household survey collects information similar to the 1987 National 
Medical Expenditure Survey.
    Data collected from each employer will include a description of the 
business (e.g., size, industry) and descriptions of health insurance 
plans available, plan enrollments, total plan costs, and costs to 
employees.
    For employers that can be matched to the MEPS-HC respondents, data 
will also be collected indicating the actual plan selected by the 
respondent and the plan costs.
    Data will be produced in two forms: (1) files containing employer 
information from the list sample of selected employers; and (2) files 
containing linked 1996 MEPS-HC respondent and employer information.
    The data are intended to be used for purposes, such as:
     Generating national and State estimates of employer health 
care offerings;
     Producing aggregate data on national and State estimates 
of spending on employer-sponsored health insurance for analyzing 
results of national and State health care policy data to model the 
demand for health insurance; and
     When pooled with data from the 1996 MEPS-HC survey, 
providing a valuable source of information concerning household 
responses regarding choices of health plans and costs and benefits of 
these plans.
    These data provide the basis for researchers to address significant 
questions for employers and policymakers alike.

Method of Collection

    The data will collected using a combination of modes. AHCPR intends 
to first contact the employers by telephone. This contact will provide 
information on the availability of health insurance from that employer 
and essential persons to contact. Based upon this information, AHCPR 
will send a mail questionnaire to employers and others identified by 
employers. In order to assure high response rates, AHCPR will followup 
with a second mailing at an acceptable time interval, followed by a 
telephone call to collect data from

[[Page 65066]]

those who have not responded to the mailings.
    As part of this process, for large respondents reflecting high 
burdens, such as State employers and large firms, AHCPR will, if 
needed, perform personal visits and do customized collection, such as, 
acceptance of data in computerized formats.

Data

    Type of review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: Employers.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 38,500.
    Estimated Time Per Respondent: .83.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 32,000.
    Estimated Annual Total Costs to Government: $5,700,000.

Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) the necessity of the proposed 
collection; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information upon the respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection and they will become a matter of public record.
    Copies of these proposed collection plans and instruments can be 
obtained from the AHCPR Reports Clearance Officer (see above).

    Dated: December 2, 1996.
Clifton R. Gaus,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-31255 Filed 12-9-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M