According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for medical care are 5,613.83% higher in 2026 versus 1940 (a $28,069,130,434,782,609,408 difference in value).
Between 1940 and 2026:Medical care experienced an average inflation rate of 4.82% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, medical care costing $500,000,000,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $28,569,130,434,782,609,408 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.73% during this same period, inflation for medical care was higher.
In the year 1940: Pricing changed by -0.08%, which is significantly below the average yearly change for medical care during the 1940-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1940 (0.72%), inflation for medical care was lower.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Medical care, over time, for $500,000,000,000,000,000 beginning in 1940. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | $500,000,000,000,000,000.00 | -0.08% |
| 1941 | $502,818,035,426,731,136.00 | 0.56% |
| 1942 | $516,103,059,581,320,384.00 | 2.64% |
| 1943 | $540,660,225,442,834,240.00 | 4.76% |
| 1944 | $556,763,285,024,154,560.00 | 2.98% |
| 1945 | $572,463,768,115,942,144.00 | 2.82% |
| 1946 | $599,436,392,914,653,824.00 | 4.71% |
| 1947 | $654,186,795,491,143,296.00 | 9.13% |
| 1948 | $694,444,444,444,444,416.00 | 6.15% |
| 1949 | $716,988,727,858,293,120.00 | 3.25% |
| 1950 | $730,273,752,012,882,560.00 | 1.85% |
| 1951 | $764,895,330,112,721,536.00 | 4.74% |
| 1952 | $806,763,285,024,154,624.00 | 5.47% |
| 1953 | $835,346,215,780,998,528.00 | 3.54% |
| 1954 | $861,111,111,111,111,168.00 | 3.08% |
| 1955 | $881,239,935,587,761,792.00 | 2.34% |
| 1956 | $913,446,054,750,402,688.00 | 3.65% |
| 1957 | $950,885,668,276,972,416.00 | 4.10% |
| 1958 | $996,376,811,594,203,008.00 | 4.78% |
| 1959 | $1,038,244,766,505,635,968.00 | 4.20% |
| 1960 | $1,074,879,227,053,140,096.00 | 3.53% |
| 1961 | $1,107,487,922,705,313,920.00 | 3.03% |
| 1962 | $1,136,876,006,441,223,808.00 | 2.65% |
| 1963 | $1,163,848,631,239,935,744.00 | 2.37% |
| 1964 | $1,187,600,644,122,383,104.00 | 2.04% |
| 1965 | $1,216,586,151,368,760,064.00 | 2.44% |
| 1966 | $1,270,531,400,966,183,680.00 | 4.43% |
| 1967 | $1,359,903,381,642,512,384.00 | 7.03% |
| 1968 | $1,442,431,561,996,779,520.00 | 6.07% |
| 1969 | $1,542,270,531,400,966,144.00 | 6.92% |
| 1970 | $1,640,096,618,357,488,128.00 | 6.34% |
| 1971 | $1,746,376,811,594,203,136.00 | 6.48% |
| 1972 | $1,802,737,520,128,824,832.00 | 3.23% |
| 1973 | $1,872,383,252,818,035,712.00 | 3.86% |
| 1974 | $2,046,698,872,785,828,864.00 | 9.31% |
| 1975 | $2,293,478,260,869,565,440.00 | 12.06% |
| 1976 | $2,511,674,718,196,457,472.00 | 9.51% |
| 1977 | $2,751,610,305,958,132,224.00 | 9.55% |
| 1978 | $2,983,896,940,418,680,320.00 | 8.44% |
| 1979 | $3,260,064,412,238,325,760.00 | 9.26% |
| 1980 | $3,617,149,758,454,106,624.00 | 10.95% |
| 1981 | $4,006,038,647,342,995,456.00 | 10.75% |
| 1982 | $4,471,014,492,753,623,552.00 | 11.61% |
| 1983 | $4,859,500,805,152,978,944.00 | 8.69% |
| 1984 | $5,162,238,325,281,803,264.00 | 6.23% |
| 1985 | $5,483,896,940,418,679,808.00 | 6.23% |
| 1986 | $5,895,732,689,210,950,656.00 | 7.51% |
| 1987 | $6,287,037,037,037,037,568.00 | 6.64% |
| 1988 | $6,697,665,056,360,709,120.00 | 6.53% |
| 1989 | $7,210,144,927,536,232,448.00 | 7.65% |
| 1990 | $7,864,734,299,516,905,472.00 | 9.08% |
| 1991 | $8,551,529,790,660,225,024.00 | 8.73% |
| 1992 | $9,181,964,573,268,921,344.00 | 7.37% |
| 1993 | $9,729,871,175,523,350,528.00 | 5.97% |
| 1994 | $10,194,041,867,954,911,232.00 | 4.77% |
| 1995 | $10,650,563,607,085,346,816.00 | 4.48% |
| 1996 | $11,025,362,318,840,580,096.00 | 3.52% |
| 1997 | $11,332,528,180,354,269,184.00 | 2.79% |
| 1998 | $11,697,262,479,871,174,656.00 | 3.22% |
| 1999 | $12,105,475,040,257,648,640.00 | 3.49% |
| 2000 | $12,596,618,357,487,923,200.00 | 4.06% |
| 2001 | $13,176,731,078,904,991,744.00 | 4.61% |
| 2002 | $13,797,101,449,275,359,232.00 | 4.71% |
| 2003 | $14,351,449,275,362,318,336.00 | 4.02% |
| 2004 | $14,982,286,634,460,547,072.00 | 4.40% |
| 2005 | $15,614,734,299,516,907,520.00 | 4.22% |
| 2006 | $16,240,740,740,740,741,120.00 | 4.01% |
| 2007 | $16,959,110,305,958,133,760.00 | 4.42% |
| 2008 | $17,587,673,107,890,501,632.00 | 3.71% |
| 2009 | $18,145,567,632,850,247,680.00 | 3.17% |
| 2010 | $18,765,008,051,529,793,536.00 | 3.41% |
| 2011 | $19,336,111,111,111,110,656.00 | 3.04% |
| 2012 | $20,044,633,655,394,525,184.00 | 3.66% |
| 2013 | $20,537,898,550,724,632,576.00 | 2.46% |
| 2014 | $21,028,611,111,111,110,656.00 | 2.39% |
| 2015 | $21,582,226,247,987,118,080.00 | 2.63% |
| 2016 | $22,399,742,351,046,705,152.00 | 3.79% |
| 2017 | $22,962,407,407,407,411,200.00 | 2.51% |
| 2018 | $23,415,797,101,449,277,440.00 | 1.97% |
| 2019 | $24,077,938,808,373,592,064.00 | 2.83% |
| 2020 | $25,066,449,275,362,320,384.00 | 4.11% |
| 2021 | $25,375,672,302,737,522,688.00 | 1.23% |
| 2022 | $26,403,550,724,637,683,712.00 | 4.05% |
| 2023 | $26,525,813,204,508,856,320.00 | 0.46% |
| 2024 | $27,238,695,652,173,914,112.00 | 2.69% |
| 2025 | $28,043,389,694,041,866,240.00 | 2.95% |
| 2026 | $28,569,130,434,782,609,408.00 | 1.87%* |
* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.
Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Medical care:
| Year | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| CPI | 10.200 | 10.200 | 10.283 | 10.300 | 10.358 | 10.350 | 10.408 | 10.683 | 11.192 | 11.525 | 11.850 | 12.408 | 13.542 | 14.375 | 14.842 | 15.117 | 15.833 | 16.700 | 17.292 | 17.825 | 18.242 | 18.908 | 19.683 | 20.625 | 21.492 | 22.250 | 22.925 | 23.533 | 24.092 | 24.583 | 25.183 | 26.300 | 28.150 | 29.858 | 31.925 | 33.950 | 36.150 | 37.317 | 38.758 | 42.367 | 47.475 | 51.992 | 56.958 | 61.767 | 67.483 | 74.875 | 82.925 | 92.550 | 100.592 | 106.858 | 113.517 | 122.042 | 130.142 | 138.642 | 149.250 | 162.800 | 177.017 | 190.067 | 201.408 | 211.017 | 220.467 | 228.225 | 234.583 | 242.133 | 250.583 | 260.750 | 272.758 | 285.600 | 297.075 | 310.133 | 323.225 | 336.183 | 351.054 | 364.065 | 375.613 | 388.436 | 400.257 | 414.924 | 425.134 | 435.292 | 446.752 | 463.675 | 475.322 | 484.707 | 498.413 | 518.875 | 525.276 | 546.553 | 549.084 | 563.841 | 580.498 | 591.381 |