Whether it’s your first child or your fifth, you want them to have the best life possible. But errors and accidents that happen in the hospital can lead to life-altering birth injuries that make your dreams for your child feel impossible. Even minor birth injuries can result in hefty expenses immediately following the birth and well into the future. According to a recent study, the cost of caring for a child with a disability can run as high as $69,500 per year. Here are some of the common costs associated with birth injuries that your Pennsylvania birth injury lawyer wants you to be aware of.
Immediate Expenses Following the Birth
Immediately following the birth and the birth injury, parents can expect to pay for routine pediatric care as well as injury-specific treatments, analyses, medications, and more. The exact cost will vary depending on the type and severity of your infant’s injury, and while your medical insurance should cover at least a portion of those costs, you’ll likely have out-of-pocket expenses to worry about.
Long-Term Costs for Birth Injuries
Immediate treatments are just the tip of the iceberg. When you have a child with a birth injury-related disability, you can expect the following costs throughout their lives:
- Ongoing medical care: Birth injuries can lead to additional complications as your child grows and develops. Those complications may require ongoing medical care that you’ll need to pay for, often on a monthly basis.
- Occupational therapy: If the birth injury is severe, your child may not grow and develop along with their peers. This often causes routine tasks like brushing their hair, showering, eating, writing, and getting dressed to be more difficult. Occupational therapy can help close the gap, but costs can add up. Your insurance may cover a portion or all of the cost of the appointments, however.
- Physical therapy: If your child suffers from a physical disability, they may need to go to physical therapy to help their body recover and encourage a more normal development. Insurance plans typically cover a handful of sessions each year, but you may need to pay out of pocket for any additional sessions.
- Mobility aids: Physical injuries may leave your child unable to move or play without physical assistance. Mobility aids like wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers can cost thousands of dollars over your child’s life. And when they’re growing, you’ll have to replace those mobility aids each year to accommodate changes in height. Insurance and state-specific disability assistance may help cover a portion of the cost.
- Long-term care: If the injury is severe, you may not be able to care for your child on your own. Long-term care, whether it’s in-home nursing care or a dedicated facility, can cost tens of thousands of dollars each year. Unfortunately, most insurance plans don’t cover these expenses, and supplemental assistance programs may not cover the full cost.
- Special education expenses: If your child requires special education facilities to help them learn, you may need to pay tuition out of pocket. Schools can cost thousands of dollars each year. Consider speaking with the school to see if you qualify for financial aid or if there are sliding-scale tuition options you may be eligible for.
These are just a few of the most common long-term costs families face as a result of a birth injury. The exact costs of these treatments, programs, and care options can vary dramatically, but each will add up over time. That’s why working with an experienced birth injury attorney as soon as you know your child is injured is a good idea.
Speak With a Pennsylvania Birth Injury Attorney
If your child suffered a birth injury, you deserve to hold the hospital and medical care providers responsible for their actions. Let the team at Latona Law help. Our experienced Pennsylvania birth injury attorneys will review your case and may help you get the compensation you need to meet your child’s needs now and into the future. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.