Costs and financial burden of initial hospitalizations for firearm injuries in the United States, 2006-2014

S.A. Spitzer, K.L. Staudenmayer, L. Tennakoon, D.A. Spain and T.G. Weiser

American Journal of Public Health, 2017, vol. 107, issue 5, 770-774

Abstract: Objectives. To quantify the inflation-adjusted costs associated with initial hospitalizations for firearm-related injuries in the United States. Methods. We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify patients admitted for firearm-related injuries from 2006 to 2014. We converted charges from hospitalization to costs, which we inflation-adjusted to 2014 dollars. We used survey weights to create national estimates. Results. Costs for the initial inpatient hospitalization totaled $6.61 billion. The largest proportion was for patients with governmental insurance coverage, totaling $2.70 billion (40.8%) and was divided between Medicaid ($2.30 billion) and Medicare ($0.40 billion). Self-pay individuals accounted for $1.56 billion (23.6%) in costs. Conclusions. From 2006 to 2014, the cost of initial hospitalizations for firearm-related injuries averaged $734.6 million per year. Medicaid paid one third and self-pay patients one quarter of the financial burden. These figures substantially underestimate true health care costs. Public health implications. Firearm-related injuries are costly to the US health care system and are particularly burdensome to government insurance and the self-paying poor.

Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2017.303684_7

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303684

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