BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Reports Significant Increase in Children Who Receive All Recommended Vaccines
Friday, January 19th, 2018
Childhood vaccination rates in South Carolina were 77.8 percent among Blue Cross and Blue Shield young commercially insured members from 2010 through 2016, according to a new study of medical claims by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Nationally, 73.5 percent of young BCBS members were up-to-date on their CDC-recommended vaccinations during the seven-year span.
In South Carolina, data show 75 percent of young BCBS members born in 2010 were fully vaccinated by the age of 2 years and 3 months compared to 80 percent of children born in 2013. Nationally, 69 percent of young BCBS members born in 2010 were fully vaccinated compared to 77 percent nationally of children born in 2013.
For children who are not completely vaccinated, missed well-child visits* were the largest reason nationally for under vaccination, accounting for 62 percent of under-vaccinated cases for children born in 2013.
According to Matthew Bartels, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician and chief medical officer at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, this news represents an encouraging trend. He said, “Childhood vaccinations have saved countless lives and have improved the health of millions of Americans. The results of this study demonstrate that South Carolinian health care providers and families understand the benefits of childhood immunizations, with statewide vaccination rates that are surpassing national averages. These results are extremely favorable for the children in our state.”
The study also finds that:
• Vaccination rates in South Carolina largest metropolitan statistical areas were 81.8 percent in Greenville, 80.7 percent in Charleston and 78.5 percent in Columbia.
• In South Carolina, 1.2 percent of medical claims BCBSA analyzed were coded with a parental vaccine refusal from 2010 through 2016, compared to 3.3 percent nationally. Refusal rates climbed nationally from 2.5 percent for children born in 2010 to 4.2 percent for children born in 2013.
This is the seventeenth study of the Blue Cross Blue Shield: The Health of America Report® series, a collaboration between BCBSA and Blue Health Intelligence, which uses a market-leading claims database to uncover key trends and insights into health care affordability and access to care. Analysis was performed by and also includes medical claims data from HealthCore, a wholly owned and independently operated health outcomes subsidiary of Anthem, Inc.