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Does Medicare cover an HPV test?

Yes, under three conditions. Medicare Part B covers an HPV test once every 5 years for women 30 to 65 who have no symptoms, and only as part of a Pap test. You pay nothing if the provider accepts assignment. Outside those three conditions, the policy does not add the test.

This page is about the HPV test. For how often Medicare pays for blood work and other lab tests, see our free chart of Medicare's screening schedules.

What Medicare covers

Medicare.gov puts the whole benefit in one sentence: "Part B also covers Human Papillomavirus (HPV) tests (as part of a Pap test) once every 5 years if you're between 30-65 and don't have HPV symptoms."

The national coverage policy behind it, NCD 210.2.1, says: "Effective for services performed on or after July 9, 2015, CMS has determined that the evidence is sufficient to add Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing once every five years as an additional preventive service benefit under the Medicare program for asymptomatic beneficiaries aged 30 to 65 years in conjunction with the Pap smear test." The policy's page says it was "last reviewed July 2015," and there has been no change for 2025 or 2026.

The three conditions

• Age 30 to 65. Medicare's coding chart says who is covered: "Asymptomatic female patients with Medicare Part B aged 30–65 years." The policy does not add the test outside those ages.
• No symptoms. "Asymptomatic" in the policy; "don't have HPV symptoms" on Medicare.gov.
• As part of a Pap test. The policy adds HPV testing "in conjunction with the Pap smear test." The coding chart's description of the test code ends with the words "must be performed in addition to Pap test." The policy does not cover the HPV test on its own.

The Pap test has its own rules and its own clock (once every 24 months in most cases, once every 12 months for high risk). They are explained on Does Medicare cover Pap smears?

Once every 5 years

Medicare.gov: "once every 5 years." The policy: "once every five years." Medicare's coding chart: "Once every 5 years." The Pap test it is paired with is on a shorter clock, so a Pap test can be covered in a year when the HPV test is not.

What you pay

Medicare.gov: "If your doctor or other health care provider accepts assignment, you pay nothing." Medicare's coding chart says the same thing in billing language: "No copayment, coinsurance, or deductible."

The code

For anyone reading a bill or an order: the test is billed as G0476, which Medicare's chart describes as "Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); human papillomavirus (HPV), high-risk types (e.g., 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68) for cervical cancer screening, must be performed in addition to Pap test," and the claim pairs diagnosis code Z11.51 with either Z01.411 or Z01.419.

Medicare's rule and the task force's recommendation

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, in its August 21, 2018 recommendation (Grade A), gives women 30 to 65 three options: "every 3 years with cytology alone, every 5 years with hrHPV testing alone, or in combination." Cytology is the Pap test; hrHPV is the high-risk HPV test.

Medicare's rule is narrower than the task force's list. Medicare pays for the HPV test once every 5 years and only with a Pap test. The task force's "hrHPV testing alone" option is not what Medicare's policy describes.

On December 10, 2024, the task force published a draft update that proposes "clinician- or patient-collected" HPV screening at ages 30 to 65, meaning a sample the patient collects herself. As of this writing, the task force's site still says the topic is being updated, so the draft is not final, and Medicare's policy does not mention self-collection. Which test you have, and how often, is a question for your doctor, not for this page.

Before you go

This is ClaraCover's checklist, built from the rules above. Four questions for the office that books the appointment.

1. "When was my last covered HPV test?" Medicare pays for one every 5 years.
2. "Am I between 30 and 65?" The policy adds the test for those ages only.
3. "Is a Pap test being done at the same visit?" The HPV test is covered as part of a Pap test, not on its own.
4. "Does the provider accept assignment?" That is the condition for paying nothing.

Sources

• Medicare.gov: Cervical & vaginal cancer screenings
• CMS: National Coverage Determination 210.2.1, Screening for Cervical Cancer with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing (effective July 9, 2015)
• CMS: Medicare Preventive Services educational tool (MLN006559, July 2026), Screening for Cervical Cancer with HPV Tests entry
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Cervical Cancer, Screening (final recommendation dated August 21, 2018)
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Cervical Cancer, Screening (draft recommendation dated December 10, 2024)

Checked September 27, 2026. This page explains published Medicare rules. It is not medical or insurance advice, does not say who should have an HPV test or how often, and cannot tell you whether your own test will be covered; your doctor's office and Medicare can. ClaraCover has no relationship with any provider or plan.