1955 hospital bill goes viral for $60 cost of birth, 3-night stay

[Kyle]

Photo shared to Reddit suggests the cost of delivery and a hospital stay was incredibly low in Kansas

Social media users are astounded by how much it cost to deliver a baby in 1955.

A redacted photo shared to Reddit is suggesting the cost of delivering a child and a three-night hospital stay in Belleville, Kansas was less than $60.

The post, which was originally shared to the Reddit Pics thread, a subreddit dedicated to sharing pictures and photographs, on June 26, is now gaining viral attention on external social media platforms.

The incredibly low-cost bill reportedly came from a Belleville Hospital and is dated Dec. 17, 1955.

According to the itemized bill, it allegedly included a three-day stay between Dec. 15 and Dec. 18 that year.

The room and board and nursing service section is marked as costing $27 while the delivery room is marked at $15, infant care at $6, drugs and medicine at $11.95.

1955 hospital bill goes viral for $60 cost of birth, 3-night stay

Social media users are astounded by how much it cost to deliver a baby in 1955.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Gilligan]

My Mom told us (later in life) that she actually looked forward to giving birth in the little country hospital we had. They had great food and she got a break from the daily grind of being a "farm Mom". That was in the 60s..and the hospital bill was a few hundred dollars.

Here's the sad part...$60 in 1955 is same as $608 today. So why does a natural (not Cesarean) birth cost anywhere from $7000 to $11000 today??

 

[GURPS]

So why does a natural (not Cesarean) birth cost anywhere from $7000 to $11000 today??

I'd say high insurance costs because;

1. Doctors never admit any wrong doing necessitating lawsuits
2. Excessive lawsuits when there is a problem and huge payouts

 

[black dog]

I was born in Suburban Hospital in 58, i remember my dad saying i cost 55 or 65 dollars and my older sister was born at the Navy Hosp in Norfork in 55 and he had a pay deduction of 5 bucks for her birth.

My son was born summer of 99, we started at Calvert and two hours later we were at Hopkins.
Dr Neggi and another Doc pulled my son out with tongs, they beat him up good
Six days later we all went home, the bill was almost 20,000. My deductible was about a grand..
I was told it would be half of that if we went home a day or so later...

 

[TPD]

I posted this last month - my mother’s birth cost in 1940 for a one week stay.

Keepsakes

When Monello was back in MD he went into my storage locker and grabbed some things that he thought I might not want thrown away. Pics of my mom and dad on their wedding day, pics of my grandmother, of me as a baby and child, things that had belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother that...

forums.somd.com

In 20 years we went from a 1 week stay to 3 nights for child birth. 20 years after that we were down to about one night.

 

[Kyle]

In 20 years we went from a 1 week stay to 3 nights for child birth. 20 years after that we were down to about one night.

Give it another 10 and it'll be drive through.

 

[TPD]

Give it another 10 and it'll be drive through.

It's that way now if you don't want it....

 

[lucky_bee]

Give it another 10 and it'll be drive through.

It's that way now if you don't want it....

Not enough beds in the L&D, especially ours

I had a c-section and was being kicked out after a day and a half. I couldn't even lift my newborn on my own without assistance, but I'm "young and healthy" and not at risk so I had to go. Same thing happened to my SIL 3 months later at a hospital in Alabama.

 

[Tech]

Of course it was cheaper, only had to deal with two genders back then.