THE MEDICAL EXPENDITURE PANEL SURVEY - A NATIONAL-HEALTH INFORMATION RESOURCE

This article describes the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), th e third in a series of nationally representative surveys of medical ca re use and expenditures sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. The MEPS is designed to provide extensive data on the t ypes of health care services American use, how frequently they use the m, how much is paid for the services, and who pays for them. It also w ill provide information on the types and costs of private health insur ance available to the U.S. population. The survey is unparalleled in i ts degree of detail, as well as its ability to link medical care use p ayments, and health insurance coverage to specific survey respondents and their families. It allows analysts to examine how individual and f amily characteristics, including the characteristics of their health i nsurance, affect medical care use and spending. This article discusses each of the MEPS components, focusing on design enhancements that hav e been made since the survey was last conducted nearly a decade ago.