When most parents think of their child having cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy or other birth injury, the most important concern is for the child, and rightfully so. Also, many parents consider the ongoing personal difficulties they will face with these challenges, as well as the initial financial costs.
However, most parents are not prepared for the ongoing, lifelong financial costs that arise from medical malpractice birth injuries. Especially in light of the immediate personal challenges involved, most parents don’t properly consider how much it will cost to take care of a child with cerebral palsy or other birth injuries.
Surprising Costs
The National Center for Biotechnology Information studied the ongoing costs for children with cerebral palsy and the intellectual disabilities association with cerebral palsy.
According to the study, “children with CP and co-occurring ID incurred costs that were $41,664 higher” than children without cerebral palsy. Considering how common it is for intellectual disability to occur with cerebral palsy, this number represents a significant number of kids with the disability. On average, costs for “children with both cerebral palsy and intellectual disability were 26 times higher than for children without CP or intellectual disability.”
Doing the Math
These are alarming numbers. At $41,664 per year, a child with cerebral palsy who lives 50 years would cost $2,083,200 over a lifetime. Remember, that number does not represent total costs, is just represents how much extra it costs to provide medical care for a child with cerebral palsy, over and above what other children’s care cases.
Further, these numbers are only an average. Some families might incur much higher costs than this. Since the study was conducted in 2005, it is only reasonably to assume that these numbers have gotten much higher over the past decade.
When parents discover their child has cerebral palsy, they are not just looking at personal challenges to overcome; they’re looking at a bill for millions of dollars over their child’s lifetime. And these are just the medical costs. These figures do not take into account the educational and adaptive technology costs.
If you have a child who has suffered cerebral palsy or other birth injury that could have been the result of medical malpractice, make no mistake: the stakes are high – probably higher than you would think initially. Make sure you call Yonke Law for the expert direction in handling complex plaintiff claims of this kind. We want you to obtain the full measure of compensation you will need going forward. It matters to us what happens to you. Call (816) 221-6400 anytime. We are here to help you!