Guardant Health's Shield Blood Test Now Covered for VA Community Care Beneficiaries
Benefit will cover all eligible individuals ages 45-84, representing first coverage beyond Medicare population for Shield
PALO ALTO, Calif., March 25, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guardant Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH), a leading precision oncology company, today announced its Shield™ blood test for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is now covered by a key healthcare insurance program for U.S. veterans. The screening test is covered for patients receiving community care authorized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as an in-network benefit, with no copay for average-risk individuals who are age 45 or older.
Following Medicare coverage for Shield in August 2024, the VA network coverage is the first for individuals between the ages of 45 and 64. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care Network (CCN) consists of community-based practitioners who provide veterans with healthcare services and covers approximately 9.1 million beneficiaries.1
"We are proud of the lifesaving value that the Shield blood test can bring to U.S. veterans and their families," said AmirAli Talasaz, Guardant Health co-CEO. "This coverage decision by the VA is the first for younger and non-Medicare beneficiaries and we are excited to broaden the impact of our screening test to help detect more colorectal cancer early, when it is most treatable."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Shield in July 2024 as the first blood test for primary CRC screening, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently approved Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory Test (ADLT) status for Shield for colorectal cancer screening.
The Shield blood test is FDA approved for primary non-invasive screening for colorectal cancer in average-risk individuals age 45 and older and can be ordered by any prescribing healthcare provider. For more information, visit www.ShieldCancerScreen.com.
About Guardant Health
Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on guarding wellness and giving every person more time free from cancer. Founded in 2012, Guardant is transforming patient care and accelerating new cancer therapies by providing critical insights into what drives disease through its advanced blood and tissue tests, real-world data and AI analytics. Guardant tests help improve outcomes across all stages of care, including screening to find cancer early, monitoring for recurrence in early-stage cancer, and treatment selection for patients with advanced cancer. For more information, visit guardanthealth.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Facebook.
Guardant Health Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, including statements regarding the potential utilities, values, benefits and advantages of Guardant Health's liquid biopsy tests or assays, which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and actual outcomes and results could differ materially from these statements due to a number of factors. These and additional risks and uncertainties that could affect Guardant Health's financial and operating results and cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release include those discussed under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation" and elsewhere in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and any current and periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission thereafter. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Guardant Health as of the date hereof, and Guardant Health disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements provided to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Guardant Health's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
References1. https://www.data.va.gov/dataset/VetPop2023-State-Data-6L/f43c-vb9n/data_preview
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250325726184/en/
Contacts
Investor Contact: Zarak Khurshidinvestors@guardanthealth.com
Media Contact: Michael Weistpress@guardanthealth.com +1 317-371-0035
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Changes In Prior Approval Coming To Traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage
There were two major announcements recently regarding prior approval of treatments and services for Medicare beneficiaries. In most medical insurance, many treatments won't be covered unless it is approved first by the insurer. It's been a source of controversy for some time. Original Medicare hasn't required prior authorization of treatments and services, with a few exceptions. For most care, providers and the patient agree on a treatment. After the treatment, paperwork for approval and payment is submitted to Medicare. Medicare recently announced a new model program that will test pre-approval. The voluntary model program will test pre-approval for some services and treatments, according to a recent announcement from the Center for Innovation of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The model program is seeking medical providers to volunteer for the program from Jan. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2031. The model will be restricted to New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington. Providers who volunteer and are accepted will agree to seek prior authorization for 17 items and services, including skin substitutes, deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's Disease, impotence treatment, and arthroscopy for knee osteoarthritis. A provider who volunteers for the program can choose not to seek prior approval for a case. There will be a post-treatment review of the case, and the provider will risk not being paid by Medicare for the treatment. CMS initiated the program and selected the services to be covered because of a series of reports showing waste, fraud or abuse in certain areas. For example, Medicare spent up to $5.8 billion in 2022 on unnecessary or inappropriate services that had no clinical benefit, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Under the model, providers will submit the same information they currently submit for payment approval after a service is provided to a beneficiary. The difference is that under the model, the information will be submitted earlier and the provider will wait for approval before performing the services. CMS will select companies to receive and review the prior authorizations. It expects that they will use artificial intelligence and other tools in addition to medical professionals to review the submissions. The companies will be paid based on the extent to which they saved the government money by stopping unnecessary services. CMS said it will manage the program to avoid adverse impact on beneficiaries and providers. There was other news about pre-approval, this time involving Medicare Advantage plans. Pre-approval in Medicare Advantage plans has been controversial recently. There have been a number of recent reports and studies that found the authorization process was delaying treatment or causing patients to abandon treatment plans. Other reports indicated that a high percentage of treatments that initially were denied coverage eventually were approved if the patients or their providers appealed the than 50 major insurers who sponsor many types of insurance plans announced that they will voluntarily streamline prior authorization of treatments and services in all insurance markets, including Medicare Advantage plans. The insurers say they plan to have the new process in place by Jan. 1, 2027.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Where Will Intuitive Surgical Be in 5 Years?
Key Points Sector rotation and a hot valuation are weighing on shares of Intuitive Surgical. The company still has a healthy growth runway ahead with its core da Vinci system. However, it's important to avoid overpaying for even the best of companies. 10 stocks we like better than Intuitive Surgical › Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) is one of the best success stories you'll find in the healthcare sector. The company has helped patients worldwide as a pioneer in robotic-assisted surgery, and its business success has driven the stock to returns of over 25,000% since its initial public offering (IPO) in 2000. The company's flagship da Vinci system remains its crown jewel today and continues to drive profitable growth from an increasingly larger installed base. Yet the stock has wavered recently, currently sitting in the middle of its 52-week range. Is this a dip worth buying for the next five years, or is Intuitive Surgical losing its edge? Here is where the stock may go over the coming years. A hefty valuation could be weighing on the share price Intuitive Surgical currently trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 75. Meanwhile, analysts estimate the company will grow earnings by an average of just over 13.8% annually over the long term. The company has a sterling reputation for its long track record of business and investment performance; however, it's challenging to justify such a high valuation for the growth Wall Street anticipates. At the same time, the broader S&P 500 healthcare sector is trading near the low end of its 52-week range, which suggests that healthcare stocks aren't particularly popular at the moment. Although the broader stock market is near all-time highs, individual stocks, entire industries, or market sectors may be hot or cold at any given time. Sometimes, the simple explanation is the correct one. Market sentiment is working against the healthcare sector, so Intuitive Surgical's expensive valuation appears to be weighing on the stock. It happens. Intuitive Surgical still has more growth ahead That said, market dynamics can and will change over time, and five years is a considerable amount of time. Top-line and bottom-line growth tend to drive a stock's long-term performance, so it's essential to understand where a company stands in its business journey. Intuitive Surgical currently sells two systems: its da Vinci system, available in single- and multi-port configurations, used for a variety of soft tissue procedures, and the Ion, the company's newer system, used for performing minimally invasive peripheral lung biopsies. As of June 30, there are 10,488 da Vinci systems installed worldwide, generating recurring revenue for Intuitive Surgical as these systems consume supplies and require servicing over time. The global da Vinci installed base performed 17% more procedures in Q2 than the prior year, indicating that growth remains relatively healthy (no pun intended). The company estimates its core (da Vinci) addressable market at approximately 8 million annual soft tissue procedures, based on the da Vinci systems' current regulatory approvals and capabilities. Considering da Vinci systems will perform over 3 million procedures this year, it seems that Intuitive Surgical still has room for solid short- and medium-term growth, and that's speaking to organic growth, as in more installed systems and procedures. As a bonus, Intuitive Surgical has zero debt, is highly profitable, and has $4.5 billion in cash. Management could lean more into share repurchases to help grow its earnings per share. Given all of this, the 13% annualized growth rate Wall Street anticipates seems achievable. Where might the stock price be in five years? Investors can extrapolate this growth rate to see where the stock may trade over time. Applying that 13.8% growth rate to Intuitive Surgical's trailing-12-month earnings per share of $6.82, the company's earnings would grow something like this: 2026: $7.76 2027: $8.83 2028: $10.05 2029: $11.44 2030: $13.02 The stock has averaged a P/E ratio of 62 over the past 10 years, so here is where the stock may trade in five years, based on its current valuation and some other scenarios: Price-to-Earnings Ratio July 2030 Share Price Total Upside or Downside 75 $976 91% 65 $846 66% 55 $716 40% 45 $586 15% 35 $456 (11%) Calculations by author. If Intuitive Surgical reverts closer to its long-term averages, the current valuation could easily continue to weigh on the stock. Therefore, investors may want to err on the side of caution and focus on the lower valuations. If the broader market stumbles, Intuitive Surgical could even drop to a P/E ratio below its long-term norms. It's always good to build a margin of safety into these exercises. Intuitive Surgical hasn't lost its edge, but it is an overvalued stock. Investors may want to prepare for a five-year period in which the stock delivers underwhelming returns, in case Intuitive Surgical's valuation returns to a more appropriate level for its expected growth. Should you invest $1,000 in Intuitive Surgical right now? Before you buy stock in Intuitive Surgical, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Intuitive Surgical wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $636,774!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,942!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,040% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Where Will Intuitive Surgical Be in 5 Years? was originally published by The Motley Fool


Business Insider
6 hours ago
- Business Insider
UnitedHealth (UNH) Is About to Report Q2 Earnings on July 29. Here Is What to Expect
UnitedHealth (UNH), one of the prominent players in the health insurance space, is scheduled to announce its second-quarter earnings on July 29. The stock has dropped 43.8% year-to-date, hit by several issues, including the suspension of its guidance, escalating medical costs, and a leadership shakeup that included the sudden departure of its CEO, Andrew Witty. Wall Street analysts expect the company to report earnings per share of $4.48, representing a 34% decrease year-over-year. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Meanwhile, revenues are expected to increase by 13% from the year-ago quarter to $111.5 billion, according to data from the TipRanks Forecast page. It's important to note that UNH has an impressive track record with earnings, having exceeded EPS estimates in eight out of the past nine consecutive quarters. On July 24, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) revealed in an SEC filing that it is under formal investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) over its Medicare billing practices. The company said it is cooperating with both civil and criminal probes into whether it improperly raised patient diagnoses to secure higher payments from the government. J.P. Morgan analyst Lisa Gill remains optimistic ahead of UnitedHealth's earnings, viewing the DOJ probe as part of a broader industry trend. She maintained an Overweight rating on the stock, expecting a potential rebound despite near-term uncertainty. Analyst's Views Ahead of UNH's Q2 Earnings Heading into the Q2 print, Deutsche Bank analyst George Hill lowered his price target to $328 from $362 but reiterated a Buy rating. The analyst noted that investor sentiment 'has deteriorated significantly' due to a series of unfavorable news. The top-rated analyst lowered his estimates, citing ongoing concerns around Optum Health, the company's healthcare services unit. Also, Leerink Partners analyst Whit Mayo lowered the price target for UNH stock to $340 from $355 and reiterated a Buy rating. He remains 'cautiously optimistic' about the stock heading into Q2 earnings, given the challenging backdrop. Options Traders Anticipate a Large Move Using TipRanks' Options tool, we can see what options traders are expecting from the stock immediately after its earnings report. The expected earnings move is determined by calculating the at-the-money straddle of the options closest to expiration after the earnings announcement. If this sounds complicated, don't worry; the Options tool does this for you. Indeed, it currently says that move in either direction. Is UNH a Good Buy Now? Turning to Wall Street, UNH stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 18 Buys, five Holds, and one Sell assigned in the last three months. At $348.12, the average UnitedHealth stock price target implies a 23.86% upside potential.