WTAS: New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

On January 5, 2026, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced updated cervical cancer screening guidelines that include a recommendation offering women ages 30 to 65 years and at average risk the option to self-collect samples for testing. The guideline also includes new language that addresses testing needed to complete the screening process. Full details of the updates can be found in the Federal Register Notice linked below. Updated guidelines take effect for most health insurance plans starting in 2027.

Headlines
Medical Professionals
Advocates and Organizations

Headlines:

• The Washington Post: Expanded cervical cancer screenings to be covered by most private insurance
• NBC News: Dread Pap smears? Federal guidelines now allow for a self-swab HPV test
• ABC News: New federal screening guidance expands cervical cancer testing with an at-home HPV option
• US News & World Report: U.S. Backs At-Home HPV Testing to Boost Cervical Cancer Screening
• Fierce Healthcare: HRSA endorses at-home screening recommendation for cervical cancer
• Medpage Today: U.S. Guidelines Endorse At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening
• The Independent: Federal guidelines now include at-home test to check for cervical cancer
• Smithsonian Magazine: Many Americans Will Soon Have Access to At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Tests at No Cost
• NewsDay: Cervical cancer self-test in U.S. gets federal endorsement
• Becker’s Oncology: HRSA endorses self-collection for cervical cancer screening
• Managed Healthcare Executive: Health Resources and Services Administration approves covered HPV self-test
• Pharmacy Times: Federal Cervical Cancer Testing Guidelines Expanded to Allow Self-Administered HPV Test
• HealthDay: New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines Give Women More Options
• News Medical.net: New federal guidelines shift cervical cancer screening to HPV testing
• Conexiant: HRSA Adds Self-Collection to Screening
• CIDRAP – University of Minnesota: HHS recommends home HPV testing for women for the first time
• OncoDaily: New Federal Screening Guidance Expands Cervical Cancer Testing with an At-Home HPV Option
• 360Dx: Updated HRSA Cervical Cancer Guidelines Endorse Self-Collection
• American Hospital Association: HRSA updates cervical cancer screening guidelines

Medical Professionals:

• North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, chair of obstetrics and gynecology Dr. Kevin Holcomb via NewsDay: “Any barrier that will bring down to screening for this disease is going to save lives…Every cervical cancer death is a tragedy because it's one of the most preventable cancers.”
• University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine professor of obstetrics and gynecology Nikki Zite, MD, MPH via Medpage: “Any time there are requirements for insurance to cover screening and preventive care, I consider it a win.”
• Global Women's Health for Stony Brook Medicine director and OBGYN Dr. Nicholas Teodoro via NewsDay: “Overall, I just think it's a nice tool kit to have…And I'm really hoping it's able to reach women who don't have as much access, or women who, you know, have been marginalized or stigmatized, don't feel comfortable going to the doctors.”

Advocates and Organizations:

• American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, President Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, FACOG: “ACOG supports the new language in HRSA’s recommendation that requires no cost-sharing for any additional testing and pathologic evaluation needed as a result of the initial findings of a screening. This update will reduce cost barriers for patients who previously faced significant out-of-pocket costs for follow-up evaluation, and it will help patients complete the screening process, whether that means identifying malignancies or being cleared by their clinician. Importantly, this new policy will bring cervical cancer screening coverage in line with that of colon cancer screening and breast cancer screening.”
• American Cancer Society’s senior vice president, Early Cancer Detection Science, Dr. Robert Smith via ABC: “The combination of good evidence of the benefits of self-collection, which include increased access to cervical cancer screening, combined with FDA approval, led the ACS and HRSA to include self-collection in their guideline update…”
• American Cancer Society’s senior vice president, Early Cancer Detection Science, Dr. Robert Smith via NBC: “These recommendations are designed to maximize the benefits of early detection while minimizing potential harms from over-screening and unnecessary procedures,”
• American Cancer Society’s senior vice president, Early Cancer Detection Science, Dr. Robert Smith via The Washington Post: “Cervical cancer is a highly preventable disease…Yet, despite all the progress we’ve made in the U.S. reducing the incidence and mortality from cervical cancer mainly through screening, recent reports indicate that up‐to‐date cervical cancer screening rates have declined since 2021 and, notably, have not rebounded in the post-pandemic period.”