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.

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: http://bit.ly/1LKfrpq