CDC outlines 2 important factors in access to preventative medicine

ATLANTA — Having health insurance or a higher income was associated with higher rates of receiving preventative services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted in a July 17 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, suggesting that securing health insurance coverage might be an important way to increase receipt of clinical preventive services. 

 

According to the study, those with health insurance were 82.9% more likely to get a blood pressure screening, 70% more likely to get a cholesterol screening, 23.6% more likely to get a colon cancer screening, 26.9% more likely to receive diet counseling, 45.3% more likely to take a fasting blood glucose test (diabetes screening), 12.7% more likely to get a hepatitis A vaccination and 38.8% more likely to get a hepatitis B vaccination, 61.6% more likely to have a mammogram (breast cancer screening) performed and 59.4% more likely to get a Papanicolaou (Pap) test (cervical cancer screening).

 

“Persons with family incomes greater than 200% of the [federal poverty level] received clinical preventive services at a statistically significant higher prevalence compared with those with incomes below that threshold for eight of nine services (all but hepatitis A vaccination),” noted Jared Fox, author of the report. "Among those eight services, the service receipt prevalence ratio for those with family incomes greater than 200% of the FPL compared with those with incomes less than or equal to 200% of the FPL ranged from 1.06 for hepatitis B vaccination to 1.43 for breast cancer screening.

 

Persons with private health insurance received preventive services at a statistically significant higher prevalence for two of nine services, and at a lower prevalence for four of nine services, compared with those with only public insurance, the analysis found.

 

CDC analyzed responses from persons older than 18 years in the National Health Interview Survey for the years 2011 and 2012 combined. NHIS is an in-person interview administered annually to a nationally representative sample of the noninstitutionalized, U.S. civilian population. 

 

Preventive services are available for nine of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States.