Proportion of area children receiving all CDC recommended vaccines increased 4.6% over seven years
Philadelphia, PA — Childhood vaccination rates in the Philadelphia region were 85.4 percent among Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) young commercially insured members from 2010 through 2016, according to a new study of medical claims by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Nationally, 73.5 percent of young BCBS members were up to date on their CDC-recommended vaccinations during the seven-year span.
In the Philadelphia region, data show 82.9 percent of young BCBS members born in 2010 were fully vaccinated by the age of 2 years and 3 months compared to 86.7 percent of children born in 2013, a 4.6 percent increase. Nationally, 69 percent of young BCBS members born in 2010 were fully vaccinated compared to 77 percent nationally of children born in 2013, a 12 percent increase.
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.
In the Philadelphia region, 3.8 percent of medical claims that 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.
“Few things match the benefits and safety of vaccinations in keeping our children healthy,” said Dr. Anna Baldino, medical director at Independence Blue Cross and a board-certified pediatrician. “The increase in vaccination rates is good news, but more can be done to raise that even higher. For example, we highly encourage parents to bring their children in for well-child visits. These are very important and one of the best ways to ensure their children are getting the proper vaccinations.”
The report, “Early Childhood Vaccination Trends in America,” represents a comprehensive study of outpatient medical claims from BCBS members who were vaccinated by 2 years and 3 months of age between 2010 and 2016.**
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.
For more information, visit www.bcbs.com/healthofamerica.
*American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends ten visits to the pediatrician by age two.
**Study includes continually insured members from birth.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Indexsm. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit BCBS.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out our blog.
About BHI
Blue Health Intelligence (BHI) is the nation’s premier resource for data-driven insights about healthcare trends and best practices, promoting healthier lives and more affordable access to safe and effective care. BHI leverages a team of analytics experts and advanced technology, coupled with access to the greatest number of healthcare claims — 172 million lives — gathered over 10 years in a safe, HIPAA-compliant, secure database. The resulting conformed, reliable data set has the broadest, deepest pool of integrated medical and pharmacy claims, reflecting medical utilization in every ZIP code. Blue Health Intelligence (BHI) is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. BHI is a trade name of Health Intelligence Company, LLC. www.bluehealthintelligence.com.
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Ruth Stoolman
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