The Department of Government Efficiency is eliminating the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which has been in operation since 1996. One expert says MEPS is “probably the central source of data on healthcare use and spending in the U.S.”
ADAM GAFFNEY; gaffney.adam@gmail.com, @awgaffney
Gaffney is an ICU physician, public health researcher, and healthcare advocate.
Gaffney told the Institute for Public Accuracy: “The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey is part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is being demolished by DOGE. They’ve taken an axe to it as part of a broader assault on public health infrastructure. It’s unclear whether [AHRQ] will survive in any form, and if it does survive, it’ll be in a much diminished capacity.
“AHRQ does critical research on healthcare quality and safety, and it conducts MEPS. MEPS is the nation’s leading source of data on how much we spend on healthcare, the drugs we use, access to care we have, insurance, and so forth. It’s been conducted since 1996, and even before that, predecessor surveys existed. Blinding ourselves [by eliminating MEPS] is not going to put us in a better position to make the reforms that are necessary to improve our healthcare system.
“MEPS is publicly available and is used by researchers regardless of their resources. It’s an extraordinary resource and informs our understanding of every aspect of healthcare. I was using it just this morning to understand how healthcare cost burdens affect American families over time. Others have used it for much more. It’s very impressive. Because it’s public survey data, it looks at all Americans––not just Americans who happen to be enrolled in a particular insurance plan or who happen to go to particular hospitals. MEPS reflects America. It’s a household survey that enrolls people using sampling methods, so it gives us a national picture. It even includes people who are otherwise excluded from the system, like those who are uninsured and don’t see a doctor. We need healthcare surveys like this one, rather than only relying on claims data, which are generated when insurance is billed. MEPS is not perfect, but it’s a critical national resource.”