The Capacity of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to Inform the Affordable Care Act

The Capacity of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to Inform the Affordable Care Act

Article Describes How AHRQ’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Informs Affordable Care Act

In a new AHRQ article published in Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, authors Steven B. Cohen and Joel W. Cohen of AHRQ describe how the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) was one of the core data sources used to inform several provisions of the Affordable Care Act. MEPS, a set of large-scale nationally representative surveys AHRQ has conducted since 1996, represents the most complete source of data on the cost and use of U.S. health care and health insurance coverage for the noninstitutionalized population. MEPS data are being used to inform the planning, implementation, and performance evaluation of Affordable Care Act provisions, such as determining the amount of the small employer health insurance tax credits and informing projections of the Federal Government’s matching funds for state Medicaid programs. The authors said MEPS also provides a solid framework for evaluating the effects of the Affordable Care Act on the Nation’s health care system. The study is titled “The Capacity of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to Inform the Affordable Care Act.”

The Capacity of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to Inform the Affordable Care Act

1. Steven B. Cohen, PhD, MS1
2. Joel W. Cohen, PhD, MA1

1. ¹Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, USA

1. Steven B. Cohen, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, John M. Eisenberg Building, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. Email: steven.cohen@ahrq.hhs.gov

 

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Abstract

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted with major provisions to expand health insurance coverage, control health care costs, and improve the health care delivery system. Essential data resources will be required for effective program planning, administration, and management, in addition to facilitating evaluations of program performance. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is one of the core data resources that has been used to inform several provisions of the ACA. This paper provides a summary of the capacity of the MEPS to inform program planning, implementation, and evaluations of program performance for several components of the ACA.