Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)

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Summary

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which began in 1996, is a set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.), and employers across the United States. MEPS collects data on the specific health services that Americans use, how frequently they use them, the cost of these services, and how they are paid for, as well as data on the cost, scope, and breadth of health insurance held by and available to U.S. workers.

Agency HHS, AHRQ
Data Checkup

Historical Data Availability

No Known Issue

Future Data Availability

Moderate Risk
An updated data release schedule for 2026 has yet to be published. Data anticipated for publication in November 2025 has yet to be released.

Data Quality

No Known Issue
HHS proposed a number of changes on December 20, 2025, as seen in the Federal Register Notice, including removing questions on birth control, gender, aspirin use, and counseling; removing the Diabetes Care Supplement; and not implementing the planned Burdens and Economic Impacts of Medical Care Self-Administered Questionnaire. Additional changes include adding questions about use of sleep medication, trouble getting to sleep, screen time, use of wearable devices, self-assessed diet quality, fruit and vegetable consumption, meals eaten away from home, former smoking, and weight loss attempts. There are also proposed changes to a number of other questions.

Statutory Context

High Risk
According to AHRQ, "The study is conducted under the authority of Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), and Section 8(b) and Section 913 of the Public Health Service Act (Title 42, U.S.C., Section 299b-2)."

Staffing and Funding

High Risk
HHS lost more than 10,000 staff before the shutdown.

Policy

High Risk
HHS proposed a number of changes on December 20, 2025, as seen in the Federal Register Notice, including removing questions on birth control and gender.
Last updated: 2026-01-28

Details

OMB Control Number 0935-0118
Authorizing Statutes 42 USC 299
Related ICRs
Reference Number Title Agency Status Request Type
202406-0935-002 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Household and Medical Provider Components HHS/AHRQ Active
Revision of a currently approved collection

Resources

Resource Status Summary Some issues 1 of 18 resources in this collection showed a discrepancy in their most recent check.
Collection Status Last Checked 4:04 AM Dec 03, 2025

Primary Resources

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

See more
URL https://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/
Resource Types None
Began Tracking Mar 21, 2025
Latest status error checked at 4:04 AM Dec 03, 2025
Previous status ok checked at 8:49 PM Oct 04, 2025

Other Resources

Display Additional Resources

MEPS-HC Variable Explorer Tool

See more
URL https://datatools.ahrq.gov/meps-hc/#varExp
Resource Types Interactive Dashboard/Data Explorer
Began Tracking Apr 20, 2025
Latest status ok checked at 4:32 PM Oct 04, 2025
Previous status error checked at 12:39 AM Apr 27, 2025

MEPS GitHub

See more
URL https://github.com/HHS-AHRQ/MEPS
Resource Types Supporting Documentation Page
Began Tracking Apr 20, 2025
Latest status ok checked at 4:32 PM Oct 04, 2025
Previous status error checked at 4:41 AM Jun 04, 2025
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