Pap smear (lab reading) cost in Merced, CA
In Merced, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $20.26 to $20.26, with a median of $20.26. Across California, the median is $91.00 at 122 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 88142, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Hospital Los Banos Los Banos, CA · (209) 826-0591 HCHG REF CYTOPATHOLGY CERVICAL/VAGINAL THIN LAYER PREP | $20.26 | $20.26 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $20.26, median $20.26, highest $20.26.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $20.26. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
What it is
This code covers the lab work on a Pap test collected in liquid, where the sample is prepared as a thin layer and screened for abnormal cervical cells. It is not the exam where the sample is collected.
What the price covers
The price usually covers preparing and screening the sample. The visit and pelvic exam, an HPV test on the same sample (87624) and a pathologist's review of abnormal cells are billed separately.