The Staggering Cost of a Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury is often a life-altering event in people’s lives. The effects of a brain injury usually last long after the injury has healed. The cost of treating and rehabilitating individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injuries can also be staggering making it challenging for families of these patients to continue to care for them.

In many cases, patients lose health insurance coverage because they have lost their jobs and livelihoods. Often, even if they have health insurance, it may not cover the rehabilitative treatments they need to progress toward some level of recovery.

What Does a Brain Injury Cost?

The true costs of treating a traumatic brain injury can add up very quickly. You cannot put a price on the physical and emotional issues that victims and families face in the aftermath of a brain injury. It is estimated that a mild head injury could cost $85,000, a moderate brain injury close to $1 million and a severe head injury $3 million or more.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the average cost of rehab treatment and acute treatment of brain injury patients in the United States costs about $11.5 billion annually. This does not include indirect costs to society as well as to families, including costs associated with lost income, work time, productivity and costs linked to providing social services.

Types of Costs after a Brain Injury

Here are some of the types of costs and expenses brain injury patients and their families face:

• Emergency care: The first expense victims and their families are looking at are emergency room costs. After suffering a severe head injury, victims are rushed to the nearest emergency room for medical care that could potentially save their lives. ER doctors might take a number of actions from stabilizing the patient’s vital signs and preventing further injury to giving pain medication and reducing swelling in the brain. The cost of emergency care including hospitalization and other surgical procedures might add up to more than $100,000.
• Hospitalization: Those who have suffered severe brain injuries may require lengthy hospitalization. They may require multiple surgeries, treatments and expensive medications and medical equipment. Spending several days or weeks in the hospital could lead to significant medical bills.
• Rehabilitation: Brain injuries cause a variety of long-term physical, cognitive and behavioral impairments, which can make it challenging for patients to function in their daily lives. So, once discharged from the hospital, patients may require rehabilitative treatment including physical therapy, speech therapy and other types of treatments.
• Lost income: When a person has suffered such a significant injury, needless to say, he or she needs time off work to recover. This results in lost of wages, often loss of medical insurance. In many cases, individuals lose their jobs and even the ability to earn a livelihood.

Contacting an Experienced Lawyer

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of someone else’s negligence, wrongdoing, or car accident, you may be able seek and obtain compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, pain and suffering and emotional distress. The experienced Sacramento brain injury lawyers at the Demas Law Group P.C., provide quality, compassionate legal representation to those who have suffered catastrophic injuries. Call us at (916) 444-0100 to find out how we can help you.