
Medicaid Enrollees Receive Fewer Preventive Services From Physicians
A study published in Health Affairs has found that primary care physicians refer women Medicaid enrollees to fewer preventive services than do their counterparts with private insurance coverage.
A study published in
Using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, researchers at the Urban Institute examined how office-based primary care practices provided 5 recommended preventive services over a 5-year period. These services included clinical breast exams, pelvic exams, mammograms, Pap tests, and depression screening. The data were collected for visits between 2006 and 2010. The results: 26% of visits by women with Medicaid included at least 1 of the 5 services, compared with 31% of the visits by privately insured women.
According to the lead study author Stacey McMorrow, Medicaid patients were much less likely to receive a breast exam or a Pap test compared with their privately-insured counterparts.
Read more at Kaiser Health News:
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