Cost of Medical Care: Expenditures for Medical Care of 455 Families in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1947-1948 provides an in-depth examination of the economic burden of healthcare expenses on moderate-income families. Conducted under the auspices of the Heller Committee for Research in Social Economics at the University of California, this study offers a factual and unbiased account of medical expenditure patterns in the late 1940s. It seeks to inform the ongoing debate on the affordability of healthcare with detailed statistical data, replacing speculation with evidence-based insights. Aimed at policymakers, researchers, and anyone concerned with healthcare economics, this study focuses on the ability of relatively well-off wage-earning families to manage their medical costs. By offering extensive data and inviting readers to verify or reinterpret its findings, the publication establishes itself as a valuable resource for objective discussions on healthcare affordability. It fills a critical gap in historical understanding, presenting insights that remain relevant for contemporary analyses of economic pressures in healthcare systems. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1951.