Missouri: County Might Institute Fees for STD Testing

Public health officials in Boone County, Missouri -- home of the flagship campus of the University of Missouri -- want to begin charging for STD testing, but at the same time worry that fees will deter some people from getting tested.

Stephanie Browning, director of the Columbia-Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services, proposed instituting a $10 per-test fee for county residents, a move that would raise $30,000 annually if the current utilization of 3,000 tests per year remained constant. Out-of-county residents would continue to be assessed $20 per test.

Boone County ranked fourth in Missouri in the incidence of certain STDs, a situation Browning attributed to the health department being "very aggressive about offering opportunities to get diagnosed and treated." She expressed concern that assessments above $10 might deter people from testing.

Reported cases of STDs in the county likely represent a fraction of actual cases, said health department epidemiologist Sarah Rainey. She noted the figures do not include partners who have been treated without the benefit of a confirmed test.

The city-county health department offers testing by appointment as well as through a walk-in clinic each Tuesday. Through July, the county in 2009 confirmed 514 cases of chlamydia, 106 cases of gonorrhea, and eight cases of syphilis.

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