Hospital Prices Gone Up Long Ago

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                   

                                                          hospital delivery room

I just ran across a paper that needed to be thrown away.  It read, On paper I found from 9/8/2005, Kathleen said her baby book had a bill for her birth totaling $107 for 9 day stay in hospital, including doctor's services and delivery.  That happened in April of 1950 in Eastern Oregon;  That was 76 years ago, believe it or not.  The value of the dollar has altered.  

My children were born in 1953 and 1954, and their father was a pre-med student in college, so we got a break, even then.  

Average Cost of Giving Birth in a Hospital

The cost of hospital childbirth in the U.S. is often startling for new parents, especially those who are uninsured or underinsured. While the exact amount can vary by region, provider, and individual medical circumstances, national averages provide a clear sense of what most families can expect.

• Without insurance: Hospital bills typically range from $18,000 to $32,000 for a vaginal delivery and $32,000 to $51,000 for a Cesarean section (C-section).
• With insurance: Out-of-pocket costs often total between $2,000 and $5,000 for vaginal births and may be higher for C-sections, depending on your plan’s deductibles, copays, and out-of-network rates.
• Average total costs:  When insurance and hospital bills ae combined, the average healthcare spending relate to childbirth can reach $18,865.  

After discovering this, I feel I'm lucky to have one grandson who was born 2 years ago.  Good grief!  Couples really have to think about their family plan and make sure they have insurance for any additional children, too.  

There were exactly 35,991 live births recorded in Oregon in 1950. 

 1953.  39,866. . 1954. 38,550. 

In 2024, there were 38,968 live births in Oregon. 

In 1950, the average hourly wage in the United States across 

major industries (like manufacturing and finance) was about \$1.50\) per hour. In Oregon specifically, the average

manufacturing production wage was slightly lower, coming in around \(\$1.45\) to \(\$1.55\) per hour. Often laborers  would work for $1.00 per hour. 

The average (mean) hourly wage in Oregon for 2024 was 

approximately $31.17 to $38.00 per hour, varying slightly based on the specific survey, sector, and metropolitan area.