New California Law Addresses STI Epidemic With At-Home Test Kits
b'On January 1, 2022, California law SB-306 went into effect with the aim of reducing soaring sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates in the state. As part of SB- 306, California now requires health insurance to cover at-home STI testing kits and requires syphilis screening during both the first and third trimester of pregnancy, in addition to other mitigation strategies. \\n\\nEven before the COVID-19 pandemic, US STI rates were reaching crisis levels, with CDC data showing an increase of nearly 20% of chlamydia cases between 2015 and 2019, an increase of more than 50% of gonorrhea cases within this time window, and an over 70% increase in cases of syphilis. All 3 of these conditions are curable, if detected early enough and treated correctly.\\n\\nTo learn more about SB-306, we spoke with Amy Moy, the chief external affairs officer at Essential Access Health, one of the bill\\u2019s co-sponsors. \\n\\nOn this episode of Managed Care Cast, Amy outlines what SB-306 does, how it addresses some of the stigma associated with STI testing, and describes what else is needed to improve the STI epidemic in California and the United States as a whole.'