The Financial Impact of Prematurity

A few days ago I blogged about the emotional impact of prematurity. Today, I want to share the financial impact.

Grand Total: $715,000. Yes you read that right. This is the accumulated total of medical bills associated with Little Dude’s prematurity – from the day I was admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia to his last specialist visit just over a month ago.

Preemies are expensive. Don’t get me wrong, they’re worth every penny. But it’s a hardship. I fortunately had medical insurance. His hospital stay alone was more than what I paid for my house. $293,000 for my teeny-tiny little man to stay in the hospital for 55 days.

That doesn’t cover the doctors and specialists: perinatologist, neonatologist, respiratory therapist, cardiologist,  neurologist, ophthalmologist, and urologist.  We also had a social worker, a physical therapist, a speech therapist, a nutritionist and a lactation consultant. And then there was the 24/7 care he received from the NICU nursing staff. And our little dude was healthy! We didn’t have any complications or surgeries during our NICU stay.

After we were released from the NICU we had a few follow-up visits from a nursing program even though we didn’t bring anything home with us (oxygen, apnea monitor or gavage). And there were lots of follow-up visits to the ophthalmologist, urologist, physical therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist and neurologist.

Our ‘case’ was so financially complicated that we were assigned a case manager by our insurance company. Also thrown into the mess were two different hospitals – on on the ‘plan’ and one out of network. Holy paperwork Batman!

Because I delivered 12 weeks early, I missed out on receiving 5 paychecks from my job that I had planned on depositing into savings. And to top it off, I had to take a 12-week leave-of-absence (family medical leave) unpaid because Little Dude was released from the hospital the day before my maternity leave ended. Financially it was hard – very hard.

Imagine if I didn’t have insurance coverage? Sure, there are services available to help like Medicare and Social Security. But imagine taking on the financial burden?

The March of Dimes has taken on this devastating problem—to find out what causes it and how it can be stopped.

Call To Action: How can you help?

1. Sign the Preemie Petition

2. Join Kristine’s Blogging for Prematurity Awareness campaign and help spread awareness

3. Comment, favor, and share (Twitter it, share on Facebook, Stumble it, etc) my Resources for Preemie Parents page.

4. Post the following button on your blog or site:

<a href=”http://www.marchofdimes.com?kbid=1685″ target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/girlie0226/mod_pam.gif” alt=”Support The March Of Dimes”></a>

Note: 100% of the proceeds from this link go directly to MOD.

Remembering Homecoming

Today is a little more than just about trick-or-treating and costumes for me. It’s the anniversary of the day Little Dude graduated from the NICU and came home.

Little Dude came into this world in a very dramatic way: I had a placental abruption due to my sky-rocketing blood pressure (preeclampsia) in my 28th week. Once I abrupted, I started contacting. With each contraction the baby’s heart rate dropped. So emergency c-section under general anesthesia. 12 weeks early!!

Little Dude weighed just 2lb 9oz, but he came out crying and moving – a sign that he was in good shape. But he was still put on a respirator for just a few days.

After 8 weeks in the NICU, he was released weighing 5lbs 4oz – still tiny, but quite a fighter!

Now he’s 3 years old and a typical toddler! He’s in the 50th percentile for height and weight; he’s right on target for his fine and gross motor skills; his vocabulary is above average. Often times, people cannot believe he was so premature because he is so “normal” and healthy.

I give thanks on a daily basis for being blessed with my preemie. We are blessed to have had an early, but healthy preemie. We are blessed to not have had any complications, infections or surgeries during our NICU stay. We are blessed to not have any lasting complications or birth defects due to his prematurity.

November is Prematurity Awareness Month.  Did you know that 1 in 8 babies are born premature? Did you know that more newborns die from premature birth than any other cause? Support The March of Dimes Petition for Preemies. The petition’s goal is to:

• increase support for prematurity-related research
• urge federal and state policymakers to expand access to health coverage for women of childbearing age and to support smoking cessation programs as part of maternity care
• urge hospitals and health care professionals to voluntarily assess c-sections and inductions that occur prior to 39 weeks gestation to ensure consistency with professional guidelines
• convince businesses to create workplaces that support maternal and infant health

Sign the Petition for Preemies – and pass on the link to your friends!