[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 28, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45313-45314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21688]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to allow the proposed information 
collection project: 2001-2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--
Insurance Component (MEPS-IC). In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act as amended (see in particular 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 
AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information 
collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by October 29, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Cynthia D. 
McMichael, Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, 2101 East Jefferson Street, 
Suite 500, Rockville, MD 20852-4908.
    Copies of the proposed collection plans, data collection 
instruments, and specific details on the estimated burden can be 
obtained from the AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia D. McMichael, AHRQ Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 594-3132.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project

    2001-2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance Component 
(MEPS-IC).
    The MEPS-IC, an annual survey of the characteristics of employer-
sponsored health insurance, was first conducted by AHRQ in 1997 for the 
calendar year 1996. The survey has since been conducted annually for 
calendar years 1997 through 2000. AHRQ proposes to continue this annual 
survey of establishments for calendar years 2001 through 2003. The 
survey date for calendar year 2001 will be collected in 2002. Likewise, 
calendar year 2002 data will be collected in 2003 and calendar year 
2003 data in 2004. The survey will collect information from both public 
and private employers. This survey will be conducted for AHRQ by the 
Bureau of the Census using a sample comprised of:
    1. Employers selected from Census Bureau lists of private sector 
employers and governments (known as the List Sample), and
    2. Employers identified by respondents to the MEPS-Household 
Component (MEPS-HC) for the same calendar year (known as the Household 
Sample).
    The MEPS-HC is an annual household survey designed to collect 
information concerning health care expenditures and related data for 
individuals. The size of the Household sample varies from year to year 
with the size of the MEPS-HC.
    Data to be 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.

Data Confidentiality Provisions

    The MEPS-IC List Sample data confidentiality is protected under 
Section 9 of Title 13, United States Code (the U.S. Census Bureau 
statute) as well as section 924(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 299c-3(c)). The MEPS-IC Household Sample data confidentiality is 
protected under Sections 308(d) and 924(c) of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 242m and 42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c)).
    Section 308(d) is the confidentiality statute of the National 
Center for Health Statistics, is applicable because the MEPS-HC sample 
is derived from respondents of an earlier NCHS survey.
    Section 924(c) is the confidentiality statute of AHRQ. All data 
products listed below must fully comply with the data confidentiality 
statute under which their raw data was collected.

Data Products

    Data will be produced in three forms: (1) Files derived from the 
Household Sample, which can be linked back to other information from 
household respondents in the MEPS-HC, will be available to researchers 
at the AHRQ Research Data Center; (2) files containing employer 
information from the List Sample will be available for use by 
researchers at the Census Bureau's Research Data Centers; and (3) a 
large compendium of tables of estimates, also based on List Sample 
data, will be produced and made available on the

[[Page 45314]]

AHRQ website. These tables will contain descriptive statistics, such 
as, numbers of establishments offering health insurance, average 
premiums, average contributions, total enrollments, numbers of self 
insured establishments and other related statistics for a large number 
of population subsets defined by firm size, state, industry and 
establishment characteristics, such as, age, profit/nonprofit status 
and union/nonunion.
    The data are intended to be used for purposes such as:
     Generating national and State estimates of employer health 
care offerings;
     Producing estimates to support the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services in their 
production of health care expenditure estimates for the National Health 
Accounts and the Gross Domestic Product;
     Producing national and State estimates of spending on 
employer-sponsored health insurance to study the results of national 
and State health car policies;
     Supplying data for modeling the demand for health 
insurance; and
     Providing data on health plan choices, costs, and benefits 
that can be linked back to households' use of health care resources in 
the MEPS-HC for studies of the consumer health care selection process.
    These data provide the basis for researchers to address important 
questions for employers and policymakers alike.

Method of Collection

    The data will be collected using a combination of modes. The Census 
Bureau's first contact with employers will be made by telephone. This 
contact will provide information on the availabiliity of health 
insurance from that employer and essential persons to contact. Based 
upon this information, Census will mail a questionnaire to the 
employer. In order to assure high response rates, Census will follow-up 
with a second mailing at an acceptable interval, followed by a 
telephone call to collect data from those who have not responded by 
mail.
    As part of this process, for larger respondents with high burdens, 
such as State employers and very large firms, we will, if needed, 
perform personal visits and do customized collection, such as, 
acceptance of data in computerized formats and use of special forms.

                                       Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
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                                                                             Estimated total    Estimated annual
            Survey years               Annual number of    Estimated time     annual  burden      cost to the
                                         respondents       per respondent         hours            Government
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2001................................             33,855                 .6             20,307         $8,250,000
2002................................             35,769                 .6             21,663          8,840,000
2003................................             33,855                 .6             20,307          8,810,000
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Request for Comments

    In accordance with the above cited legislation, comments on the 
AHRQ information collection proposal are requested with regard to any 
of the following: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and 
costs) 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 on 
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 included in the request for OMB approval of the proposed 
information collection. All comments will become a matter of public 
record.

    Dated: August 21, 2001.
John M. Eisenberg,
Director.
[FR Doc. 01-21688 Filed 8-27-01; 8:45 am]
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