NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Private insurance
claim lines1 for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
rose 76 percent 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 today 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 percent, compared
to 77 percent in urban areas.
- The four STD diagnoses whose
associated claim lines had the greatest percent increase from 2007
to 2018 as a percentage of all medical claim lines were:
-
- Mycoplasma genitalium (MG or Mgen)—increased 197 percent;
- Chlamydia—increased 149 percent;
- Gonorrhea—increased 126 percent; and
- Syphilis—increased 80 percent.
- 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:
-
- Age 41-50 for hepatitis B (29 percent);
- Age 23-30 for chlamydia (38 percent); and
- Age 31-40 for syphilis (24 percent).
- From 2007 to 2018, claim lines with gonorrhea diagnoses as a
percentage of all medical claim lines by gender increased 326
percent in males compared to 47 percent in females.
- In individuals over age 60, 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 percent) than in any other age group.
- The age groups with the greatest increase in claim lines from
2007 to 2018 were:
-
- Age 19-22 for chlamydia (90 percent); and
- Age 23-30 for syphilis (74 percent).
FAIR Health President Robin
Gelburd stated: "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.
Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth
About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national,
independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing
transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information
through data products, consumer resources and health systems
research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest
collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over
30 billion claim records contributed by payors and administrators
who insure or process claims for private insurance plans covering
more than 150 million individuals. FAIR Health licenses its
privately billed data and data products—including benchmark
modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market
indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers,
providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies,
researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health
also receives data representing the experience of all individuals
enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health
houses data on Medicare Advantage enrollees in its private claims
data repository. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic
reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial
claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized
users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected
health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and
achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data
security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the
reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been
incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and
designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of
state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal
injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an
official reference point in support of certain state balance
billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise
out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its
database to power a free consumer website available in English and
Spanish and an English/Spanish mobile app, which enable consumers
to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offer a
rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been
honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare
Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and
Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a
top resource for patients in Dr. Marty
Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American
Health Care—and How to Fix It and Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American
Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take
It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit
fairhealth.org.
Contact:
Dean
Sicoli
Chief Communications Officer
FAIR Health
646-664-1645
dsicoli@fairhealth.org
1 A claim line is an individual procedure or
service listed on an insurance claim.
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SOURCE FAIR Health