Cancer of the cervix is most likely to occur in women between the ages of 30 and 55. Each year about 15,700 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. and nearly 5,000 American women die of the disease. Yet virtually all cervical cancer deaths can be prevented by getting routine Pap smears, practicing safe sex and not smoking. Cervical cancer is slow-growing and almost 100 percent curable when it is caught early—before it has spread beyond the cervix.

Pap smears can detect cervical or vaginal cancer in its early stages. Medicare covers 100 percent of the cost of one Pap smear every two years (24 months) for all women with Medicare. (If you are in a Medicare private health plan—HMO or PPO—you may have a copay for this service. Call your plan to find out what you will have to pay.)

If you are considered at high-risk for cervical or vaginal cancer (e.g. have had a sexually transmitted disease, your mother was given the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy), or are of child-bearing age and have had an abnormal Pap smear in the past 36 months, Medicare covers the cost of one Pap smear a year (every 12 months).

When you get your Pap smear, Medicare will cover the full cost of your Pap lab test, 80 percent of the cost of the Pap test collection, a pelvic exam (used to help find fibroids or ovarian cancers) and a clinical breast exam. Medicare will cover all of these services with no Part B deductible required.