Earlier this month, the US Preventative Task Force (USPSTF) posted a final research plan for its recommendation on behavioral counseling to prevent sexually transmitted infections.  This is the last step USPSTF undergoes before releasing an updated recommendation on a service; NCSD expects an updated draft recommendation on behavioral counseling to prevent STIs sometime in the next year.  The USPSTF’s current recommendation on this topic has a “B” rating and was last updated in 2014.  USPSTF recommendations do not get updated too frequently and a four year “gap” is shorter than most. USPSTF recommendations carry additional weight because now, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, all USPSTF recommendations with an “A” or “B” rating must be covered by health insurance plans with no cost-sharing.  Please stay tuned for additional information when a new USPSTF recommendation for STI behavioral counseling is released.