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HPV vaccine coverage low among adolescent girls in commercial, Medicaid health plans
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HPV vaccine coverage rates among the majority of adolescent girls aged at least 13 years in the United States are low across managed care insurance plans, according to a recent report in MMWR.
“Most female adolescents in commercial and Medicaid health plans are currently not receiving the recommended doses of HPV vaccine by age 13 years,” Judy Ng, PhD, visiting research collaborator at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and colleagues wrote. “Improving HPV vaccination coverage among female adolescents and understanding how the highest-performing health plans support HPV vaccination are needed.”
The investigators analyzed 2013 data from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set regarding adolescent girls who had completed the HPV vaccine three-dose series by age 13 years. Information was collected from at least two-thirds of all U.S. health plans, representing three-fourths of the entire country enrolled in managed care.
The researchers wrote that 367 commercial plans and 153 Medicaid plans submitted HPV vaccine data during 2013, representing 626,318 girls aged at least 13 years. HPV vaccination coverage levels varied by provider type, with commercial plans reporting a median coverage rate of 12% vs. 19% for Medicaid plans. The greatest performance rate for a Medicaid plan was 52%, compared with 34% for a commercial plan.
The investigators said coverage varied by region, with the highest performing Medicaid and commercial plans occurring in the Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco regions. The analysis also found that HMO plans had the highest coverage levels across both groups.
According to NG and colleagues, clinicians are less likely to strongly recommend the HPV vaccine for adolescent patients aged 11 and 12 years, than they are for older adolescents. The investigators concluded that further efforts are needed to close this coverage gap.
“Knowledge of barriers and attitudes of clinicians or family members that might contribute to low vaccination coverage, and incentives that might contribute to differences in vaccination coverage between Medicaid and commercial plans, are needed,” Ng and colleagues wrote. – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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