25 people share medical bills from the 20th century to demonstrate how exorbitant prices are now
Several people have taken to social media over the years to post medical bills and receipts from the past that were so inexpensive that they seem almost unbelievable now.
The astronomical healthcare costs in the United States have a proven track record of shocking people from other countries. According to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey, a whopping 83% of Americans, regardless of their wealth, claimed that excellent medical care has become virtually unaffordable in the country. Furthermore, according to the study, nearly half of working-age Americans, or 41%, are struggling to pay off their medical expenditures and have accrued debt over time.
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To put this into perspective, several people have taken to social media over the years to post medical bills and receipts from the past that were so inexpensive that they seem almost unbelievable now. The documents—which range from a $7.50 X-ray charge from 1950 to a $4.85 labor and delivery bill from 1947—show how costs were before they took a disastrous turn less than a century ago.
18. "My grandmama just passed away and we found the hospital bill of when she had my aunt in 1957. Insurance paid $100 so they ended up paying $2.95 for having a baby."
20. "Here's the bill for the birth of my dad back in 1947 in rural Wisconsin (Mondovi, WI, just outside of Eau Claire). 10 days in the hospital seems fairly normal for back then."