Self-swab HPV screening boosts access and early cancer detection

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s recent update states most private health insurers must cover self-swab HPV tests by 2027, a move Abbey Berenson, M.D., MMS, Ph.D., calls “wonderful.”

Berenson is the director for the Center of Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch. In this video interview with Managed Healthcare Executive, she explains that while this is a huge step forward for women’s preventative healthcare, challenges remain when it comes to organizing large-scale self-swabbing programs.

The self-swab option has been approved for women ages 30 to 65 at an average risk of cervical cancer. It is less invasive than a speculum, which is the traditional method used to collect cells from the cervix during a Pap smear.