Decline in circumcisions costing healthcare system billions, study finds

A 20-year decline in male circumcision has cost the country $2 billion in medical costs that could have been prevented, Johns Hopkins researchers say in a study released Monday. In what is believed to be the first look at the economic impact of male circumcision on the healthcare system, the Hopkins scientists say that boys who are not circumcised are more prone to sexually transmitted diseases and other health problems over a lifetime that are costly to treat. The findings are the latest in a continuing debate over the health benefits of a procedure that was once common practice in the United States—and comes as the Academy of American Pediatrics prepares to announce updated guidelines on male circumcision next week.