Pap smear (lab reading) cost in California

In California, 122 hospitals publish a cash price for Pap test lab reading: liquid-based cervical sample, manual screening: from $11.83 to $539.75, with a median of $91.00. The lowest price is at Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge). The highest price is 45.6× the lowest.

• 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).
• California ranks 36th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 32 of 122 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 88142. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 12, 2026. See them on a map