[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 207 (Thursday, October 25, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54013-54014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-26838]


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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 of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 
AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information 
collection.
    This proposed information collection was previously published in 
the Federal Register on August 28, 2001 and allowed 60 Days for public 
comment. No pubic comments were received. The purpose of this notice is 
to allow an additional 30 Days for public comment.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by November 26, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Allison Eydt, Human 
Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, OMB: New Executive Office Building, Room 10235; Washington, 
D.C. 20503.
    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.

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 data 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 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

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

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 54014]]

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 care 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 availability of health 
insurance from the employer and essential persons to contact. Based 
upon this information, the Census Bureau will mail a questionnaire to 
the employer. In order to assure high response rates, the Census Bureau 
will follow-up with a second mailing after an interval of approximately 
30 working days, 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, the Census Bureau 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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                                                          Annual number of        Estimated time per     Estimated total annual   Estimated annual cost
                    Survey years                            respondents          respondent in hours          burden hours          to the 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 Paperwork Reduction Act 
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: October 18, 2001.
John M. Eisenberg,
Director.
[FR Doc. 01-26838 Filed 10-24-01; 8:45 am]
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