So what does your HMO not want you to know about your Pap smear? They pay for you to have one every year, right? And your doctor gives you the results, right?True. But once you read this book and learn more about your Pap smear, you will begin making decisions about your health care that could very well increase costs for your insurance provider-that's what they don't want you to know. After all, their primary goal is to reduce their costs, not to give you the best medical care possible. Contrary to what most insurance companies-particularly HMOs-would have you believe, the largest increase in health care costs in providing Pap smear tests over the past five years has resulted not from increases in physician or laboratory charges, but from the availability of new technologies that can greatly improve the traditional Pap test that was first developed in the 1950s. Since I have spent ten years in the practice of cytology-the field of medical technology that screens slides for cancer-I have seen numerous instances of women receiving less than optimal medical care. Not because of poorly trained technologists or physicians, but because of a lack of consumer knowledge-not knowing what questions to ask to better direct their health care. While no one but your physician is qualified to deliver your medical care, knowing the right questions to ask about your Pap smear can save your life.