Women seeking the ThinPrep Pap test won a major battle Thursday as Aetna Inc., the nation’s largest health insurer, agreed to cover Cytic Corp.’s ThinPrep. Although the federal government deemed the test 65% more effective than the traditional pap test, Cytic had struggled to gain acceptance from insurers, mainly because of cost. Although top Aetna officials initially questioned the value of ThinPrep, they have now conceded that ThinPrep has definite benefits in preventing cervical cancer. While Aetna has approved use of ThinPrep, it will not dictate which tests doctors should use, according to Dr. Arthur Cohen, an OB/GYN in charge of Aetna’a women’s health programs.
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