Private MD News

Missouri county considering raising price of STD tests

Category: HIV

With STD rates on the rise in some parts of the country, the actions of the Missouri Department of Health may seem a bit odd.

According to the Columbia Daily Tribune, the department is considering charging citizens in Boone County a $10 fee for STD testing. The test is currently free.

The price hike for the tests was added to the 2010 health department budget and, according to officials, would generate an estimated $30,000 annually. The department stated that Boone County ranks fourth in the state for STDs. It has been estimated that there are 3,000 STD tests that are administered every year in the county.

Some officials claim there could be more.

Sarah Rainey, epidemiologist for the local health department, said those cases reflect "only the ones that have gone to the doctor and tested positive. There probably are a lot of partners that doctors treated without being tested," according to the Tribune.

While charging for STD tests may be good for the local economy, it may give some people an excuse not to get tested in the first place.

This runs counter with various campaigns earlier this year that urged people to know their status and to start getting a blood test regularly.