[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33267-33269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14197]


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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 that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) reapprove the proposed information 
collection project: ``Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance 
Component.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 
3501-3521, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed 
information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 10, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz, 
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at 
[email protected].
    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: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance Component

    Employer-sponsored health insurance is the source of coverage for 
79.3 million current and former workers, plus many of their family 
members, and is a cornerstone of the U.S. health care system. The 
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance Component (MEPS-IC) 
measures on an annual basis the extent, cost, and coverage of employer-
sponsored health insurance. These statistics are produced at the 
National, State, and sub-State (metropolitan area) level for private 
industry. Statistics are also produced for State and Local governments.
    This research has the following goals:
    (1) Provide data for Federal policymakers evaluating the effects of 
National and State health care reforms.
    (2) Provide descriptive data on the current employer-sponsored 
health insurance system and data for modeling the differential impacts 
of proposed health policy initiatives.
    (3) Supply critical State and National estimates of health 
insurance spending for the National Health Accounts and Gross Domestic 
Product.
    (4) Support evaluation of the impact of the Affordable Care Act 
(ACA) on health insurance offered by all employers, and especially by 
small employers (due to the implementation of Small Business Health 
Options Program (SHOP) exchanges under the ACA), through the addition 
of a longitudinal component to the sample.
    The MEPS-IC is conducted pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to 
conduct surveys to collect data on the cost, use and quality of health 
care, including types and costs of private insurance. 42 U.S.C. 299b-
2(a).

Method of Collection

    To achieve the goals of this project for both private sector and 
state and local government employers, the following data collections 
will be implemented:
    (1) Prescreener Questionnaire--The purpose of the Prescreener 
Questionnaire, which is collected via telephone, varies depending on 
the insurance status of the establishment contacted (establishment is 
defined as a single, physical location in the private sector and a 
governmental unit in state and local governments.) For establishments 
that do not offer health insurance to their employees, the prescreener 
is used to collect basic information such as number of employees via a 
phone call. For establishments that do offer health insurance, the 
prescreener is used to collect contact names and address information 
that is used to mail a written establishment and plan questionnaires. 
Obtaining this contact information helps ensure that the questionnaires 
are directed to the person best equipped to complete them.
    (2) Establishment Questionnaire--The purpose of the mailed 
Establishment Questionnaire is to obtain general information from 
employers who provide health insurance to their employees. This 
information includes total active enrollment in health insurance, other 
employee benefits, demographic characteristics of employees, and 
retiree health insurance.
    (3) Plan Questionnaire--The purpose of the mailed Plan 
Questionnaire is to collect plan-specific information on each plan (up 
to four) offered by establishments that provide health insurance to 
their employees. This questionnaire asks about total premiums, employer 
and employee contributions to the premium, and plan enrollment for each 
type of coverage offered--single, employee-plus-one, and family--within 
a plan. It also asks for information on deductibles, copays, and other 
plan characteristics.
    (4) 2016--2017 Longitudinal Sample--For 2016 and 2017, an 
additional sample of 7,000 employers will be included in the 
collection. This sample, called the Longitudinal Sample (LS), is 
designed to measure the impact of the ACA on employer sponsored health 
insurance and especially the impact of the SHOP exchanges on small 
employers. The 2016 LS will consist of 7,000 private-sector employers 
who responded to the 2015 MEPS-IC, and the 2017 LS will consist of 
7,000 private-sector employers who responded to the 2016 MEPS-IC. These 
employers will be surveyed again in 2016 and 2017--using the same 
collection methods as the regular survey--in order to track changes in 
their health insurance offerings, characteristics, and costs.
    The primary objective of the MEPS-IC is to collect information on 
employer-sponsored health insurance. Such information is needed in 
order to provide the tools for Federal, State, and academic researchers 
to evaluate current and proposed health policies and to support the 
production of important statistical measures for other Federal 
agencies.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    The estimated annualized respondent burden hours and costs for the 
regular MEPS-IC and the Longitudinal Sample are presented separately 
below.

2016-2017 RegularMEPS-IC

    Exhibit 1a shows the estimated annualized burden hours for the 
respondent's time to participate in the MEPS-IC. The Prescreener 
questionnaire will be completed by 27,606 respondents and takes about 
5\1/2\ minutes to complete. The Establishment questionnaire will be 
completed by 23,814 respondents and takes about 23 minutes to complete. 
The Plan questionnaire will be completed by 21,084 respondents and will 
require an

[[Page 33268]]

average of 2.2 responses per respondent. Each Plan questionnaire takes 
about 11 minutes to complete. The total annualized burden hours are 
estimated to be 19,883 hours.
    Exhibit 2a shows the estimated annualized cost burden associated 
with the respondents' time to participate in this data collection. The 
annualized cost burden is estimated to be $615,380.

                     Exhibit 1a--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours for the 2016-2017 MEPS-IC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Number of
                   Form name                        Number of     responses per      Hours per     Total burden
                                                   respondents      respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prescreener Questionnaire......................          27,606              1              0.09           2,485
Establishment Questionnaire....................          23,814              1            * 0.38           9,049
Plan Questionnaire.............................          21,084              2.2            0.18           8,349
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................          72,504             na                na          19,883
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The burden estimate printed on the establishment questionnaire is 45 minutes which includes the burden
  estimate for completing the establishment questionnaire, an average of 2.2 plan questionnaires, plus the
  prescreener. The establishment and plan questionnaires are sent to the respondent as a package and are
  completed by the respondent at the same time.


                     Exhibit 2a--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden for the 2016-2017 MEPS-IC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Number of     Total burden   Average hourly    Total cost
                    Form name                       respondents        hours        wage rate *       burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prescreener Questionnaire.......................          27,606           2,485           30.95         $76,911
Establishment Questionnaire.....................          23,814           9,049           30.95         280,067
Plan Questionnaire..............................          21,084           8,349           30.95         258,402
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          72,504          19,883              na         615,380
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Based upon the mean hourly wage for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists occupation code 13-
  1141, at http://bls.gov/oes/current/oes131141.htm (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

2016-2017 Longitudinal Sample

    Exhibit 1b shows the estimated annualized burden hours for the 
respondent's time to participate in the Longitudinal Sample. The 
Prescreener questionnaire will be completed by 4,517 respondents and 
takes about 5 \1/2\ minutes to complete. The Establishment 
questionnaire will be completed by 4,023 respondents and takes about 23 
minutes to complete. The Plan questionnaire will be completed by 3,487 
respondents and will require an average of 2.2 responses per 
respondent. Each Plan questionnaire takes about 11 minutes to complete. 
The total annualized burden hours are estimated to be 3,317 hours.
    Exhibit 2b shows the estimated annualized cost burden associated 
with the respondents' time to participate in this data collection. The 
annualized cost burden is estimated to be $102,662.

            Exhibit 1b--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours for the 2016-2017 Longitudinal Sample (LS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Number of
                   Form name                        Number of     responses per      Hours per     Total burden
                                                   respondents      respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prescreener Questionnaire (LS).................           4,517              1              0.09             407
Establishment Questionnaire (LS)...............           4,023              1            * 0.38           1,529
Plan Questionnaire (LS)........................           3,487              2.2            0.18           1,381
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................          12,027             na                na           3,317
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The burden estimate printed on the establishment questionnaire is 45 minutes which includes the burden
  estimate for completing the establishment questionnaire, an average of 2.2 plan questionnaires, plus the
  prescreener. The establishment and plan questionnaires are sent to the respondent as a package and are
  completed by the respondent at the same time.


             Exhibit 2b--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden for the 2016-2017 Longitudinal Sample (LS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Number of     Total burden   Average hourly    Total cost
                    Form name                       respondents        hours        wage rate *       burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prescreener Questionnaire (LS)..................           4,517             407          $30.95         $12,597
Establishment Questionnaire (LS)................           4,023           1,529           30.95          47,323
Plan Questionnaire (LS).........................           3,487           1,381           30.95          42,742
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          12,027           3,317              na         102,662
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Based upon the mean hourly wage for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists occupation code 13-
  1141, at http://bls.gov/oes/current/oes131141.htm (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.)


[[Page 33269]]

Request for Comments

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, comments on AHRQ's 
information collection are requested with regard to any of the 
following: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of AHRQ health care research and 
information dissemination functions, including whether the information 
will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of AHRQ's estimate of 
burden (including hours and costs) of the proposed collection(s) 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 Agency's subsequent request for OMB approval of the 
proposed information collection. All comments will become a matter of 
public record.

    Dated: June 3, 2015.
Sharon B. Arnold,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-14197 Filed 6-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4160-90-P