Friday, 2 December 2005
Premature Births Hitting Medical Costs Hard
The LA Times recently reported that the nation is taking care of preemies like never before. Record numbers of prematurely-born children are crowding intensive care units at hospitals across the country.
While doctors and families are seeing higher levels of preemie (children born at or before 37 weeks) survival rates, costs have soared to $18.1 billion dollars annually.
And once preemies are out of the hospital they’re not necessarily in the clear: new studies are also showing children born prematurely suffer from more chronic conditions than their full-term counterparts. This could mean a lifetime of extra medical expenses for those born prematurely.
And with 12% of all births now being deemed premature, doctors are looking for solutions.
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