Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2011 / Notices 38397 

delivery, please call (800) 444–6472 in 

advance to schedule delivery. 

The Office of Minority Health strongly 

encourages commenters to submit 

comments via the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal. Comments received, including 

any personal information, will be posted 

without change to the docket at http:// 

www.regulations.gov as they are 

submitted, usually within 1 week after 

submission. While the comment period 

remains open, individuals may also 

provide comments in response to 

already submitted comments that have 

been posted to the docket. 

The submission of comments in 

response to this notice should not 

exceed 5 pages, not including 

appendices and supplemental 

documents. Any information you 

submit will be made public. 

Consequently, do not send proprietary, 

commercial, financial, business 

confidential, trade secret, or personal 

information that you do not wish to be 

made public. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rochelle Rollins, PhD, MPH, Office of 

Minority Health, 1101 Wootton 

Parkway, Suite 600, Rockville, MD 

20852; Phone (800) 444–6472; E-mail 

ACASection4302@hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

DHHS reports, dating back to the 

landmark 1985 Secretary’s Task Force 

on Black and Minority Health, note the 

critical importance of rich data systems 

and culturally competent research to 

understand and reduce health 

disparities among population 

subgroups. Such disparities reflect the 

interactive effects of multiple social, 

economic, behavioral, and 

environmental determinants of health, 

including access to high quality health 

care services. Data improvement efforts 

enhance the ability of the public health 

and healthcare systems to identify and 

track disparities in health and health 

care, and facilitate greater accountability 

for reducing them. Although there have 

been government-wide standards for the 

collection of race and ethnicity for many 

years, the lack of standards related to 

data collection on population subgroups 

defined by other characteristics—such 

as primary language and disability— 

remains a challenge for reporting and 

tracking data on health disparities. 

Overview of Section 4302 of the 

Affordable Care Act 

The Affordable Care Act includes 

multiple provisions aimed at 

eliminating health disparities in 

America. Section 4302 (Understanding 

health disparities: Data collection and 

analysis) of the Affordable Care Act 

focuses on the standardization, 

collection, analysis, and reporting of 

health disparities data. While data alone 

will not reduce disparities, it can be 

foundational to our efforts to 

characterize the disparities, design 

effective responses, and evaluate our 

progress. 

Section 4302 begins by requiring the 

Secretary of DHHS to establish data 

collection standards for race, ethnicity, 

sex, primary language, and disability 

status. The law requires that, once 

established, these data collection 

standards be used, to the extent 

practicable, in HHS national population 

health surveys. The law also requires 

that any DHHS data standards be in 

compliance with standards created by 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), such as those for race and 

ethnicity. As such, OMB’s standards are 

not the subject of comment in this 

notice. 

The focus of this announcement is for 

data collection standards related to race, 

ethnicity, primary language, sex, and 

disability status, as outlined in Section 

4302 of the Affordable Care Act. The 

law also requires that these data 

collection standards be used for the 

purposes of measuring quality and 

reporting for any federally sponsored, 

federally conducted, or supported 

health care or public health program, 

activity, or survey. Additional 

subsections of the law relate to data 

collection standards require the 

Department to develop data collection 

standards for access to care for persons 

with disabilities. The law also gives the 

Secretary the authority to require that 

additional demographic data be 

collected on all Departmental surveys 

and to develop appropriate data 

collection standards. The full text of 

Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act 

can be found at minorityhealth.hhs.gov/ 

section4302. 

Implementation of Section 4302 of the 

Affordable Care Act 

The Department proposed data 

collection standards for race, ethnicity, 

sex, primary language and disability 

status were guided by existing federal 

data standards, the results of studies 

and public reports, consultation with 

statistical agencies and programs, and 

the expertise of subject matter experts 

who have leadership roles with 

collecting and analyzing this type of 

data. The focus was to develop data 

collection standards for race, ethnicity, 

sex, primary language and disability 

status that are appropriate for the 

purposes and methods of population 

health surveys for self-reported data. 

The proposed data collection 

standards and rationale are for race, 

ethnicity, primary language, sex, and 

disability status and pertain only to selfreported data. These proposed data 

collection standards represent the first 

round of implementation of Section 

4302 of the Affordable Care Act related 

to race, ethnicity, sex, primary language 

and disability status. Implementation 

efforts related to additional subsections 

of Section 4302 of the Affordable Care 

Act continue. 

The Department is also in the process 

of developing and validating standard 

approaches for collecting data about 

sexual orientation and gender identity. 

With this notice, the Office of 

Minority Health requests comment from 

the public and interested stakeholders 

on the proposed data collection 

standards for race, ethnicity, sex, 

primary language, and disability status. 

The text of the proposed data 

standards is available in HTML and PDF 

formats through the Office of Minority 

Health Web site at 

minorityhealth.hhs.gov/section4302 and 

the http://www.regulations.gov, docket 

ID number HHS–OMH–2011–0013. The 

full text of Section 4302 of the 

Affordable Care Act can be found at 

minorityhealth.hhs.gov/section4302. For 

those who may not have Internet access, 

a hard copy can be requested from the 

point of contact, Rochelle Rollins, PhD, 

MPH, Office of the Minority Health, 

1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 600, 

Rockville, MD 20852; Phone (800) 444– 

6472; E-mail ACASection4302@hhs.gov. 

June 24, 2011. 

Garth Graham, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority 

Health, Office of Assistant Secretary for 

Health . 

[FR Doc. 2011–16435 Filed 6–29–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4151–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality, HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

intention of the Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request 

that the Office of Management and 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
38398 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2011 / Notices 

Budget (OMB) approve the proposed 

information collection project: ‘‘Medical 

Expenditure Panel Survey—Insurance 

Component 2012–2013.’’ In accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 

U.S.C. 3501–3521, AHRQ invites the 

public to comment on this proposed 

information collection. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by August 29, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz, 

Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at doris.lefkowitz@AHRO.hhs.gov. 

Copies of the proposed collection 

plans, data collection instruments, and 

specific details on the estimated burden 

can be obtained from the AHRQ Reports 

Clearance Officer. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports 

Clearance Officer, (301) 427–1477, or by 

e-mail at 

doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project 

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey— 

Insurance Component 2012–2013 

Employer-sponsored health insurance 

is the source of coverage for 85 million 

current and former workers, plus many 

of their family members, and is a 

cornerstone of the U.S. health care 

system. The Medical Expenditure Panel 

Survey—Insurance Component (MEPS– 

IC) measures the extent, cost, and 

coverage of employer-sponsored health 

insurance on an annual basis. These 

statistics are produced at the National, 

State, and sub-State (metropolitan area) 

level for private industry. Statistics are 

also produced for State and Local 

governments. 

This research has the following goals: 

(1) To provide data for Federal 

policymakers evaluating the effects of 

National and State health care reforms; 

(2) To provide descriptive data on the 

current employer-sponsored health 

insurance system and data for modeling 

the differential impacts of proposed 

health policy initiatives; and 

(3) To supply critical State and 

National estimates of health insurance 

spending for the National Health 

Accounts and Gross Domestic Product. 

This study is being conducted by 

AHRQ through an interagency 

agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau 

and pursuant to AHRQ’s statutory 

authority to conduct surveys to collect 

data on the cost, use and quality of 

health care, including the types and 

costs of private health insurance. 42 

U.S.C. 299b–2(a). 

Method of Collection 

To achieve the goals of this project the 

following data collections for both 

private sector and state and local 

government employers will be 

implemented: 

(1) Prescreener Questionnaire—The 

purpose of the Prescreener 

Questionnaire, which is collected via 

telephone, varies depending on the 

insurance status of the establishment 

contacted. (Establishment is defined as 

a single, physical location in the private 

sector and a governmental unit in state 

and local governments.) For 

establishments that do not offer health 

insurance to their employees, the 

prescreener is used to collect basic 

information such as number of 

employees. Collection is completed for 

these establishments through this 

telephone call. For establishments that 

do offer health insurance, contact name 

and address information is collected 

that is used for the mailout of the 

establishment and plan questionnaires. 

Obtaining this contact information helps 

ensure that the questionnaires are 

directed to the person in the 

establishment best equipped to 

complete them. 

(2) Establishment Questionnaire—The 

purpose of the mailed Establishment 

Questionnaire is to obtain general 

information from employers that 

provide health insurance to their 

employees. Information such as total 

active enrollment in health insurance, 

other employee benefits, waiting 

periods, and retiree health insurance is 

collected through the establishment 

questionnaire. 

(3) Plan Questionnaire—The purpose 

of the mailed Plan Questionnaire is to 

collect plan-specific information on 

each plan (up to four plans) offered by 

establishments that provide health 

insurance to their employees. This 

questionnaire obtains information on 

total premiums, employer and employee 

contributions to the premium, and plan 

enrollment for each type of coverage 

offered—single, employee-plus-one, and 

family—within a plan. It also asks for 

information on deductibles, copays, and 

other plan characteristics. This 

information is needed in order to 

provide the tools for Federal, State, and 

academic researchers to evaluate current 

and proposed health policies and to 

support the production of important 

statistical measures for other Federal 

agencies. 

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden 

Exhibit 1 shows the estimated 

annualized burden hours for the 

respondent’s time to provide the 

requested data. The Prescreener 

questionnaire will be completed by 

31,552 respondents and takes about 51⁄2

minutes to complete. The Establishment 

questionnaire will be completed by 

25,839 respondents and takes about 23 

minutes to complete. The Plan 

questionnaire will be completed by 

23,230 respondents and will require an 

average of 2.1 responses per respondent. 

Each Plan questionnaire takes about 11 

minutes to complete. The total 

annualized burden hours are estimated 

to be 21,440 hours. 

Exhibit 2 shows the estimated 

annualized cost burden associated with 

the respondents’ time to participate in 

this data collection. The annualized cost 

burden is estimated to be $614,256. 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Prescreener Questionnaire .............................................................................. 31,552 1 0.09 2,840 

Establishment Questionnaire ........................................................................... 25,839 1 0.38 9,819 

Plan Questionnaire .......................................................................................... 23,230 2.1 0.18 8,781 

Total .......................................................................................................... 80,621 na na 21,440 


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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2011 / Notices 38399 

EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Total burden 

hours 

Average hourly wage rate* Total cost 

burden 

Prescreener Questionnaire .............................................................................. 31,552 2,840 28.65 $81,366 

Establishment Questionnaire ........................................................................... 25,839 9,819 28.65 281,314 

Plan Questionnaire .......................................................................................... 23,230 8,781 28.65 251,576 

Total .......................................................................................................... 80,621 21,440 na $614,256 

* Based upon the mean hourly wage for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists occupation code 13–1141, at http://www.bls.gov/ 

oes/current/oes_nat.htm#13-0000 (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.) 

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal 

Government 

Exhibit 3 shows the estimated 

annualized cost of this data collection. 

The total cost over the 2 years of this 

clearance is $22,954,000. 

EXHIBIT 3—ESTIMATED TOTAL AND ANNUALIZED COST

[$ thousands] 

Cost component Total cost Annualized 

cost 

Project Development ....................................................................................................................................................... $3,338 $1,669 

Data Collection Activities ................................................................................................................................................. 7,789 3,895 

Data Processing and Analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 7,789 3,895 

Project Management ........................................................................................................................................................ 2,925 1,463 

Overhead ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1,113 557 

Total .......................................................................................................................................................................... $22,954 $11,477 

NOTE: Components may not sum to Total due to rounding. 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, comments on AHRQ’s 

information collection are requested 

with regard to any of the following: (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of AHRQ healthcare 

research and healthcare information 

dissemination functions, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

AHRQ’s estimate of burden (including 

hours and costs) of the proposed 

collection(s) of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information upon the 

respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments submitted in response to this 

notice will be summarized and included 

in the Agency’s subsequent request for 

OMB approval of the proposed 

information collection. All comments 

will become a matter of public record. 

Dated: June 17, 2011. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2011–16213 Filed 6–29–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

[Docket Number CDC–2011–0008] 

Assessing the Current Research, 

Policy, and Practice Environment in 

Public Health Genomics 

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC), Department of Health 

and Human Services (HHS). 

ACTION: Notice; establishment of docket; 

request for comments, data and 

information. 

SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention (CDC), located 

within the Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) is announcing 

the opening of a docket to solicit 

comments, data, and other information 

helpful to assess the current research, 

policy, and practice environment in 

public health genomics. HHS/CDC is 

currently leading a process to assess the 

most important steps for public health 

genomics in the next five years. 

DATES: Electronic or written comments 

must be received on or before August 1, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments to the following address: 

Office of Public Health Genomics, 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE., 

MS–E61, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, Attn: 

Docket No. CDC–2011–0008. 

You may also submit comments 

electronically to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, Docket No. CDC– 

2011–0008. Please follow directions at 

http://wwww.regulations.gov to submit 

comments. All relevant comments 

received will be posted publicly without 

change, including any personal or 

proprietary information provided. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katherine Kolor, PhD, Office of Public 

Health Genomics, Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 

Road, NE., MS–E61, Atlanta, GA 30333, 

e-mail genetics@cdc.gov, phone 404– 

498–0001. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Since 1997, the Office of Public 

Health Genomics (OPHG) of the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC) has worked to integrate genomics 

into public health research, policy, and 

programs, which could improve 

interventions designed to prevent and 

control the country’s leading chronic, 

infectious, environmental, and 

occupational diseases. OPHG’s efforts 

focus on conducting population-based 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES