$418 in 1961 is about $4,438 in 2025.
I searched and the average cost for a vaginal birth in 2025 is about $13,000.
EDIT: I looked up The Long Island College Hospital and it seems like it was replaced by NYU Langone Long Island (also a teaching hospital). The bottom line is that you might be near $0 out of pocket there, as it was in 1961.
Wat? Are you saying that people who give birth in a hospital are sent a 13 000 USD bill afterwards? Like, is that actually what happens? I feel like I have to ask, because I actually cannot comprehend that being the case.
What if you don’t have the money? Do they expect you to just hold it in until you’ve saved up? Or do they just prefer that people give birth at home with no access to medical care if something goes wrong?
If you don’t have the money you get debt. At some point in a hospital visit a person swings by to get your financial information. They can’t refuse care, but they can demand your info.
If you can’t pay your bill that’s totally ok, it’ll sit there waiting as debt collectors hound you every few days. Or you can reach out to a hospital run charity program to prove you’re sufficiently poor and get a reduced cost payment plan.
It’s dystopian, yes, but more in the “a lot of Americans go into medical bankruptcy” way than the “you’re forced to give birth out back” way.
At some point, the government is going to criminalize debt. They are already starting to, with student loans. Also remember that the 14th Amendment allows the government to literally treat prisoners like slaves, and force them to work.
So, prepare for debtors’ prisons, where you will be forced to work off your debt.
Mickey7
Jo Miran
thebestaquaman