Primary care providers order fewer preventive services for women with Medicaid than those with private coverage, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs.
Researchers from the Washington–based Urban Institute used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to look at primary care visits provided by office-based physicians over the course of five years. The data included 12,444 visits from privately insured women and 1,519 visits from women covered by Medicaid for recommended procedures such as clinical breast exams, pelvic exams, mammograms, Pap tests and depression screenings.
Overall, 26 percent of the visits from women with Medicaid included at least one of the five services, compared with 31 percent for the privately insured group.
Although differences in depression screening were not statistically significant, Medicaid patients were less likely to include a Pap test or clinical breast exam during their visit.
The researchers suggest the disparity in testing could be due to the fact that Medicaid-insured women may receive additional care at a community health clinic, or that privately-insured patients may receive services more frequently.
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