Prematurity Campaign

• In the United States, 1 in 9 babies is born prematurely.
• Worldwide, 15 million babies are born too soon each year.
• We’re working to address the crisis at home and abroad.

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Medical costs for a premature baby are much, much greater than they are for a healthy newborn. In 2005, preterm birth cost the United States at least $26.2 billion, or $51,600 for every infant born prematurely. The costs broke down as follows:

• $16.9 billion (65 percent) for medical care
• $1.9 billion (7 percent) for maternal delivery
• $611 million (2 percent) for early intervention services
• $1.1. billion (4 percent) for special education services
• $5.7 billion (22 percent) for lost household and labor market productivity

The average first-year medical costs, including both inpatient and outpatient care, were about 10 times greater for preterm infants ($32,325) than for full-term infants ($3,325).

These estimates come from Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences and Prevention, a report published by the Institute of Medicine (2006) and funded in part by the March of Dimes.

Who pays the bill?
You do. All health care payers — employers, health plans, federal and state Medicaid programs, and individuals — share the cost of caring for premature babies.

See also:  The cost to business