Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Los Angeles, CA
In Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 27 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $20.00 to $207.49, with a median of $91.00. The lowest listed price is at Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center and 5 other hospitals — $71.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $91.00 at 122 hospitals.
- The median here, $91.00, is 28% above the US median of $70.94.
- That is 4.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($20.26).
- Los Angeles, CA ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 5 of 27 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 27 facilities across 20 cities for code 88142, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 1, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 26, 2025 and Sep 30, 2026.
Lowest$20.00Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center + 5 more
Median$91.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$207.49in this market
Difference10.4×highest vs lowest
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.
median
Lowest $20.00Highest $207.49
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center lowest Garden Grove, CA · (714) 537-5160 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $199.25 | $5.16–$199.25 | 90% |
| Sherman Oaks Hospital lowest Sherman Oaks, CA · (818) 981-7111 LC192005-PAPLB(LIQUID BASED)+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $22.37 | $5.16–$62.68 | 11% |
| West Anaheim Medical Center lowest Anaheim, CA · (714) 827-3000 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $228.00 | $5.16–$228.00 | 91% |
| La Palma Intercommunity Hospital lowest La Palma, CA · (714) 670-7400 Hc Cytopath Cerv/Vag Thin Layer File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $228.00 | $5.16–$228.00 | 91% |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center lowest Inglewood, CA · (310) 673-4660 PAP THIN PREP RFLX HPV+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $22.37 | $4.89–$22.37 | 11% |
| Encino Hospital Medical Center lowest Encino, CA · (818) 995-5000 LC192005-PAP LB(LIQUID-BASED)+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $20.00 | $22.37 | $5.16–$62.68 | 11% |
| St Mary Medical Center Long Beach, CA · (562) 491-9000 CYTOPATH CER/VAG AUTO MAN File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $21.64 | $50.00 | $12.50–$129.10 | 57% |
| Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica, CA · (310) 829-5511 HC CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $27.30 | $78.00 | — | 65% |
| Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Sun Valley, CA · (818) 767-3310 Thin Prep Pap Test Ref+1 more line at this price source file | $31.00 | $31.00 | $16.00–$31.00 | — |
| Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center Glendale, CA · (818) 502-1900 CYTOPATH CER/VAG AUTO MAN File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $65.13 | $207.00 | $17.22–$207.00 | 69% |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Newport Beach, CA · (949) 764-4624 HC Pap Surepath Screening+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $73.56 | $113.17 | — | 35% |
| Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica, CA · (310) 829-5511 HC CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.20 | $252.00 | — | 65% |
| California Hospital Medical Center LA Los Angeles, CA · (213) 748-2411 CYTOPATH CER/VAG AUTO MAN File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $88.95 | $186.00 | $17.22–$186.00 | 52% |
| Kaiser Fnd Hospital - Irvine Irvine, CA · (714) 279-4000 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Anaheim Anaheim, CA · (714) 279-4000 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay Harbor City, CA · (310) 325-5111 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Woodland Hills Woodland Hills, CA · (818) 719-3800 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - West LA Los Angeles, CA · (213) 857-2201 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · (323) 783-4011 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Downey Downey, CA · (562) 461-6007 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Panorama City Panorama City, CA · (818) 375-2000 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Baldwin Park Baldwin Park, CA · (626) 851-1011 CYTP CERV/VAG AUTO THIN LAYER PREP MNL SCREEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $17.00–$50.00 | 48% |
| Keck Hospital of USC Los Angeles, CA · (323) 442-8656 Cytopath C/V Thin Layer File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $120.00 | — | — |
| USC Kenneth Norris Jr Cancer Hospital Los Angeles, CA Cytopath C/V Thin Layer File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $122.75 | $122.75 | — | — |
| Memorial Hospital of Gardena Gardena, CA · (310) 532-4200 CYTOPATH C/V THIN LAYER File of Feb 4, 2026 · source file | $135.45 | $135.45 | $8.51–$108.36 | — |
| East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles, CA · (323) 268-5514 CYTOPATH C/V THIN LAYER File of Feb 4, 2026 · source file | $135.45 | $135.45 | $8.51–$108.36 | — |
| Catalina Island Medical Center Avalon, CA · (310) 510-0700 Pap test, manual screening File of Jul 20, 2026 · source file | $139.90 | $199.85 | $19.25–$199.85 | 30% |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 CYTOPATHOLOGY, CERVICAL OR VAGINAL (ANY REPORTING SYSTEM), COLLECTED IN PRESERVATIVE FLUID, AUTOMATED THIN LAYER PREPARATION; MANUAL SCREENING UNDER PHYSICIAN SUPERVISION+4 more lines at this price File of Nov 26, 2025 · source file | $207.49 | $319.21 | $49.92–$196.64 | 35% |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $20.00, median $91.00, highest $207.49 — a 10.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 20 facilities here, median $91.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 10 of 23 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What Pap smear (lab reading) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Pap smear (lab reading) explained.