Value, 2004

Consumers' CHECKBOOK

May 2004

Consumers' CHECKBOOK, a non-profit consumer information and service resource, is using AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data in its Guide to Health Plans.

The section on estimated cost indexes for plans that participate in the health insurance program for Federal employees relied heavily on the MEPS data. According to the Guide, the information in the cost tables is taken from a number of sources; however, "the most important of these [sources of information] is the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)..."

Available both online and as a hard copy magazine, CHECKBOOK's Guide to Health Plans compares plans in terms of their likely dollar cost, including both the expenses of the premium and the out-of-pocket expenses for costs the plan does not pay.

Consumers' CHECKBOOK is published by the Center for the Study of Services. CHECKBOOK regularly rates the quality and prices of consumer service firms, ranging from auto repair shops to home improvement firms to banks. In the health care field, the Center has a health care survey research arm that, in addition to conducting surveys for the Center's own publications, routinely conducts surveys under contract for government agencies, employer coalitions, and health plans. The Center also publishes Guide to Top Doctors and a Guide to Hospitals, in addition to the Guide to Health Plans.

Impact Case Study Identifier: CFACT 04-02
AHRQ Product: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
Topic(s): Cost, Quality
Scope: National

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