Assessing the impact of state insurance policies on chlamydia screening: A panel data analysis.
OBJECTIVES
In the late 1990s, three Southern states (Maryland (MD), Georgia (GA) and Tennessee (TN)) enacted laws that required health plans to reimburse for chlamydia screening for the populations at risk. We assessed the impact of the laws on chlamydia screening rates for Georgia (GA) and Tennessee (TN).


METHODS
We extracted monthly chlamydia screening rates on employer-sponsored privately insured women and used a panel regression analysis to conduct an intervention analysis that compared changes in screening rates in Georgia and Tennessee to ten southern states, based on the dates that the laws were enacted in the two states. Maryland was excluded due to non-specificity of the law and insufficient data.


RESULTS
Although there were substantial increases in screening rates in both GA and TN after the enactment of the laws, data from the other ten states showed similar increases over the same period. Thus, there was no significant difference in the increase in screening rates between Georgia and Tennessee and the other states.


CONCLUSION
Because this analysis was restricted to privately insured patients, additional studies are needed to assess the effectiveness (or the lack thereof) of the laws for other populations, such as those covered by Medicaid, within the individual states.