Private insurance claim lines for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) rose 76% nationally from 2007 to 2018, according to a new study of STDs from FAIR Health, a national, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information. The study results, which are being released in the form of an infographic, are based on analysis of data from FAIR Health’s comprehensive repository of over 30 billion private healthcare claim records—the largest in the country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), combined cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, the three most commonly reported STDs, reached an all-time high in the United States in 2018. FAIR Health’s findings shed new light on this growing public health issue.
Among the results of the FAIR Health study:
Claim lines with STD diagnoses, as a percentage of all medical claim lines, increased nationally 76 percent from 2007 to 2018, but the increase was even greater in rural areas—98%, compared to 77% in urban areas (FIGURE 1).
Source: FAIR Health
The 4 STD diagnoses whose associated claim lines had the greatest percent increase from 2007 to 2018 as a percentage of all medical claim lines were:
The age groups most associated with STDs in 2018 varied by the specific disease. The age groups that accounted for the largest share of claim lines were:
From 2007 to 2018, claim lines with gonorrhea diagnoses as a percentage of all medical claim lines by gender increased 326% in males compared to 47% in females (FIGURE 2).
In individuals over 60 years of age, hepatitis B was the STD that showed the highest percent increase in claim lines from 2007 to 2018, and claim lines for hepatitis B increased more in the over 60 cohort (149%) than in any other age group.
The age groups with the greatest increase in claim lines from 2007 to 2018 were:
It is central to FAIR Health’s mission to use our vast repository of claims data to research public health concerns and support such research by others. We hope this information brings greater clarity to the growing problem of STDs.
For the FAIR Health infographic on STDs, click here.
Diagnostic Oversights Limit Luspatercept Benefits in MDS
May 8th 2024Investigators of a retrospective study encourage colleagues to utilize molecular testing for patients with an established diagnosis of lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), to be sure they don’t miss out on treatments, like luspatercept, for which they qualify.
Read More
CMS Medicare Final Rule: Advancing Benefits, Competition, and Consumer Protection
May 7th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Karen Iapoce, senior director of government products and programs at ZeOmega, about the recent CMS final rule on Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage.
Listen
Tackling Health Inequality: The Power of Education and Experience
April 30th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our final episode of this limited series and our conversation with Janine Jelks-Seale, MSPPM, director of health equity at UPMC Health Plan.
Listen