The cost of cerebral palsy treatment over a lifetime can be astronomical. For some parents, this is what triggers a call to a birth injury attorney. Even though we are often taught to take care of ourselves and to not bring “others into private family matters,” when a baby needs lifetime treatment for something that a doctor or hospital caused, and that treatment can run into millions of dollars over the baby’s lifetime, there is no shame in doing what is best on behalf of the baby!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have estimated that as of 2003, the “lifetime cost to care for an individual with CP is nearly $1 million.” Remember, that is in 2003 dollars. The CDC also estimated that the combined lifetime costs for people born with CP in the year 2000 will total $11.5 billion. The link to this information can be found HERE.
In this birth injury educational article, and supporting video, I will touch on how birth injury attorneys help families spell out the treatment needed for the future, and how to pay for it as a part of a birth injury claim. Remember, there is not a one size fits all for these cases and there must be an independent analysis done for each case.
THE COST OF CEREBRAL PALSY TREATMENT OVER A LIFETIME…
The CDC’s numbers back for 2003 revealed that CD treatment can run close to $1 million. One thing that you must remember when looking at CP is that there can be different levels of severity regarding the diagnosis. With that said, when you speak with a birth injury attorney regarding your baby’s challenges, the attorney will not only take into consideration as to what is happening now, but there will be an eye to the future regarding possible needs.
Birth injury attorneys use life care plans to help plan for the baby’s future. Life care plans are created by professionals who have expertise in dealing with disability. In addition, these experts will be able to not only look at the disability portion, but also help with deciding as to future employment, if this is at all possible.
The lifecare planner will take certain actions to get the best information regarding the plan, and the baby’s future. For example, the life care plan will look to see what types of treatments and services the child may need. This can include wheelchairs, leg braces, speech therapy, modifications to the family home, retro fitting vehicles, adding schooling options, etc.…These things, and more, will be assessed on an individual bases, to maximize success for the child.
Hopefully now you can see how the CDC’s numbers are so high regarding the cost of cerebral palsy treatment over a lifetime (and their numbers are almost 20 years old in that link). As time goes on, so does the cost of the things that the child needs. For example, wheelchairs have a life span, and so do leg braces and other medical devices. The life care plan must take into consideration the life span and future costs of treatment.
WE CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR BABY’S CEREBRAL PALSY…
Are you here because you have questions regarding the cost of cerebral palsy treatment over a lifetime for your baby? I answer questions from families like yours all the time because this is what we do. Give me a call at 301-850-4832, as I would be happy to listen to what happened with you and your baby.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
Boston Law Group, LLC
2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
1-833-4 BABY HELP
