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NBCCEDP Columbia, MD

Where to get a free or low-cost pap smear or colposcopy in Columbia, Maryland

Black women die from cervical cancer at roughly twice the rate of white women (CDC WONDER, 2020-2022 three-year average), a disease that is nearly fully preventable with screening and HPV vaccination.

See 3 local clinics

How to get a Pap smear free or at low cost in Columbia

Start with the 3 community health centers below. They charge by income and see you with or without insurance.

  • 3 community health centers in Columbia

    Federally qualified health centers, required to see you regardless of ability to pay, with fees on a sliding scale by income.

    See the list

When you call, ask

  • "Do you offer a Pap smear at this location?"
  • "What would it cost me without insurance, on your sliding scale?"

Family planning clinics near Columbia that do Pap tests

HHS lists these as Title X family planning clinics. For care under a clinic's Title X program, which can include Pap tests, federal rules say the clinic can't charge you if your family's income is at or below the federal poverty line, and must discount what you pay by income up to two and a half times that line (42 CFR 59.5).

When you call, ask:

  • Is this visit part of your Title X family planning program?
  • What would I pay at my income?

HHS Office of Population Affairs Title X clinic locator, updated October 27, 2026. Services and hours are as each clinic reports them to HHS.

Community health centers in Columbia

3 federally qualified community health centers in Columbia charge on a sliding scale by income and see patients regardless of insurance. Call ahead to confirm the site offers a Pap smear and to book.

See every community clinic in Columbia

Need a colposcopy in Columbia? Start with the same clinics

If your pap smear or HPV test comes back abnormal, the usual next step is a colposcopy: a 10 to 15 minute exam where a clinician looks at the cervix with a magnifying scope and, if needed, takes a small biopsy. It is how abnormal cells get diagnosed before they can become cancer.

The community health centers listed above provide pap smear screening, and many perform colposcopy on-site or refer you to a partner clinic that does. Call and ask two questions: whether they do colposcopy on-site, and whether you qualify for NBCCEDP coverage, which pays for diagnostic follow-up after an abnormal result, not just the screening itself.

After your screening

Other free screening in Columbia

Breast cancer Colorectal cancer Cardiovascular Diabetes prevention STD