HRSA Adds Self-Collected HPV Tests to Covered Cervical Cancer Screening

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has updated its cervical cancer screening guidelines to include self-collected tests for human papillomavirus (HPV), a change that will require most private health plans to cover the tests without cost to patients. CIDRAP reported on January 5 that the guidelines were published that day in JAMA, and that it is the first time a federal health agency's cervical cancer screening guidance has included an option for women to collect their own sample, in a provider's office or at home.

Insurance plans will be required to cover the full cost of self-collected HPV screenings by January 1, 2027, including follow-up tests, according to HRSA as reported by CIDRAP.

What the guidelines say

Women ages 30 to 65 at average risk of cervical cancer can now choose a self-administered HPV test, Managed Healthcare Executive reported on January 6. For that age group the agency recommends HPV testing every five years, which can be done in a clinical setting or with an approved self-administered test, while it continues to recommend Pap tests every three years for women ages 21 to 29, according to the outlet.

The guidelines apply to women considered at average risk, meaning those without a history of cervical cancer, compromised immune systems or previous abnormal screening results, Managed Healthcare Executive reported. Self-collection involves swabbing the vagina and sending the specimen to a laboratory to test for high-risk HPV strains, CIDRAP said; unlike rapid home tests for COVID-19, home HPV kits must be mailed to a lab.

"These updates represent a significant step forward in cervical cancer screening and will improve screening rates and save lives," HRSA Administrator Tom Engels said in a news release quoted by Managed Healthcare Executive.

Why the coverage rule matters for test makers

HRSA is one of three federal bodies whose health recommendations insurers must cover under the Affordable Care Act, CIDRAP noted; the others are the US Preventive Services Task Force and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. That makes the guideline a coverage requirement for most private plans, not only clinical advice.

The update was made possible by recent FDA decisions, Robert Smith, senior vice president of early cancer detection science at the American Cancer Society, told CIDRAP. The FDA authorized the first kit allowing women to collect their own vaginal sample in a clinician's office in 2024, and approved the first home test in 2025, the outlet reported.

According to Managed Healthcare Executive, the FDA has approved two self-swab HPV testing methods for use in doctors' offices and one at-home device, the Teal Wand. Some insurers already cover the Teal Wand, the outlet said, but the out-of-pocket cost for patients without coverage can reach $250, an out-of-pocket price the outlet said has made access difficult and that the coverage requirement is expected to ease.

Alignment with the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society updated its own cervical cancer screening guideline in December 2025 and also now includes an option for self-collection, CIDRAP reported. The senior author of the JAMA article, Ann Sheehy, HRSA's chief medical officer, told CIDRAP that doctors "are hopeful this new screening option will increase screening rates and save lives."

CIDRAP cited a study published last year finding that the share of US women screened for cervical cancer fell from 47% in 2019 to 41% in 2023.