The purpose of this agreement is for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to provide financial support to the Agency for Healthcare REsearch and Quality (AHRQ) for the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). This project is a collaborative effort between the NCI, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Researdh (OBSSR) of the National Institutes of health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ) , and the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the LIVESTRONG Foundation. A separate intra-agency agreement exists between the NCI and the CDC. A direct citation was completed between OBSSR and NCI. An NIH gift fund was established for ACS and LIVESTRONG funds. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is a nationally representative survey of the civilian non-institutionalized population of all ages in the United States conducted by AHRQ. The MEPS collects comprehensive data on health care and health care expenditures from all payors (including private payors, Medicaid, the VA, and out-of-pocket) over a two year period. The MEPS uses the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) as its sample frame, but includes only a subset of the NHIS sample (about 1/4 to 1/3 of the households and individuals).
