Chlamydia Screening

In the United States, chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD), particularly among sexually active adolescents and young adults. In 2002, there were 834,555 reported cases of chlamydia. (1) The CDC recommends that sexually active women under the age of 25 be screened for chlamydia every six months, noting that in one study, almost one in three such women tested positive. (2) Screening for chlamydia is also recommended for all women in high-risk categories, including those who have had a sexually transmitted disease, have a new partner or multiple partners, or inconsistently use barrier contraceptives. (3)

  • Chlamydia Screening

      Strength Of Policy 2007 Change From 2004
    ALABAMA No/Harmful Policy Same
    ALASKA No/Harmful Policy Same
    ARIZONA No/Harmful Policy Same
    ARKANSAS No/Harmful Policy Same
    CALIFORNIA No/Harmful Policy Same
    COLORADO No/Harmful Policy Same
    CONNECTICUT No/Harmful Policy Same
    DELAWARE No/Harmful Policy Same
    DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA No/Harmful Policy Same
    FLORIDA No/Harmful Policy Same
    GEORGIA Meets Policy Same
    HAWAII No/Harmful Policy Same
    IDAHO No/Harmful Policy Same
    ILLINOIS No/Harmful Policy Same
    INDIANA No/Harmful Policy Same
    IOWA No/Harmful Policy Same
    KANSAS No/Harmful Policy Same
    KENTUCKY No/Harmful Policy Same
    LOUISIANA No/Harmful Policy Same
    MAINE No/Harmful Policy Same
    MARYLAND Meets Policy Same
    MASSACHUSETTS No/Harmful Policy Same
    MICHIGAN No/Harmful Policy Same
    MINNESOTA No/Harmful Policy Same
    MISSISSIPPI No/Harmful Policy Same
    MISSOURI No/Harmful Policy Same
    MONTANA No/Harmful Policy Same
    NEBRASKA No/Harmful Policy Same
    NEVADA No/Harmful Policy Same
    NEW HAMPSHIRE No/Harmful Policy Same
    NEW JERSEY No/Harmful Policy Same
    NEW MEXICO No/Harmful Policy Same
    NEW YORK No/Harmful Policy Same
    NORTH CAROLINA No/Harmful Policy Same
    NORTH DAKOTA No/Harmful Policy Same
    OHIO No/Harmful Policy Same
    OKLAHOMA No/Harmful Policy Same
    OREGON No/Harmful Policy Same
    PENNSYLVANIA No/Harmful Policy Same
    RHODE ISLAND No/Harmful Policy Same
    SOUTH CAROLINA No/Harmful Policy Same
    SOUTH DAKOTA No/Harmful Policy Same
    TENNESSEE Weak Policy Same
    TEXAS No/Harmful Policy Same
    UTAH No/Harmful Policy Same
    VERMONT No/Harmful Policy Same
    VIRGINIA No/Harmful Policy Same
    WASHINGTON No/Harmful Policy Same
    WEST VIRGINIA No/Harmful Policy Same
    WISCONSIN No/Harmful Policy Same
    WYOMING No/Harmful Policy Same
     
    Meets PolicyMeets Policy 2  
    Limited PolicyLimited Policy 0  
    Weak PolicyWeak Policy 1  
    No/Harmful PolicyNo/Harmful Policy 48  
    Better Better 0  
    Worse Worse 0  
    Same Same 51  

    Does the state require private insurers to cover screening tests for chlamydia?

    States that require insurers to cover recommended screening for chlamydia receive a "meets policy." States that only require insurers to offer coverage of chlamydia screenings as a benefit in employer-sponsored insurance plans, but have not required that it be a mandated benefit in all of these insurance plans receive a "weak policy." States with no such requirements receive a "no policy."

    Data Source: Chlamydia Screening, 2006.

    Susan S. Laudicina and others, State Legislative Health Care and Insurance Issues, 2006 Survey of Plans (Washington: BlueCross BlueShield Association, December 2006), 78.

1. American Social Health Association, "Chlamydia, Questions and Answers" undated, available at http://www.ashastd.org/learn/learn_chlamydia.cfm#2.

2. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Screening for Chlamydial Infection (Rockville: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2001), available at http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/prev/chlamwh.htm; Gale Burstein and others, "Predictors of Repeat Chlamydia Trachomatis Infections Diagnosed by DNA Amplification Testing Among Inner City Females," Sexually Transmitted Infections 77 (2001), 26.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines 2002," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 51 (May 10, 2002).