Guardant Health said Carelon Healthcare Services will cover its Guardant Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening starting Nov. 15. The coverage update is expected to extend total covered lives for the test to about 90 million patients across Carelon’s network. Carelon’s policy update covers Shield for average-risk patients above age 45, aligning with broader screening efforts as colorectal cancer rates rise in younger adults. Guardant said the methylation partitioning approach detects colorectal cancer-associated alterations in cell-free DNA, and that the test was recently incorporated into American Cancer Society guidelines. The decision signals an expansion of payer-based adoption for noninvasive blood screening, which could accelerate broader clinical uptake if reimbursement remains stable.