Half the States are Protecting You from the Scourge of Midwives
A routine (non-caesarian) hospital delivery can cost $8,000 to $10,000 (or more). Home births, assisted by midwives generally cost only one-third as much. About 25 states have laws allowing certified professional midwives (CPM) to practice their trade legally. In the other half of the country, they are subject to prosecution for practicing medicine without a license.
I believe John Goodman previously described baby delivery at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, using nurse midwives. They keep costs down and have an infant mortality rate that is half the national average.
Outrageous. Adam Smith is probably rolling over in his grave.
Yes. And Milton Friedman too.