Health care and Insurance

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

This survey contains what’s considered the best measures of consumer health insurance costs, specifically: single-person and family premiums for employer-based policies.

In 2010, DHSS surveyed more than 41,000 private and public employers to derive these cost estimates. The department selected its sample of business and government entities from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Census of Governments and the confidential Business Register.

Good to know:

• Because this is based on a sample, DHSS is only able to provide an estimate of cost.

• DHSS says the sample is large enough for making reliable estimates at the state and national levels from 2003 on.

• In 2007, DHSS conducted no survey because it was improving its methods.

Updates: Annually

Data covers: 1996-2010

Geographic areas reported: National and states

Data download - look for tables II.C.1, II.C.2, II.C.3, II.D.1, II.D.2 and II.D.3

Survey Background, Details about the Insurer/Employer component and Data overview