Prognosis
Caring for U.S. Victims of Gun Violence Costs $2.5 Billion in the Year After Shooting
- Cost of first month of care for wounds averages $25,000
- Research on guns’ impact rising after spending ban lifted
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Costs of caring for U.S. gunshot survivors come to about $2.5 billion in the first year after their injuries, according to a Harvard study of a topic on which research was long relatively silent because of federal funding restrictions.
Monthly direct medical costs for the gun-wounded increased from the year before the injury by almost $2,500, researchers at Harvard Medical School found. Costs for people with severe harm like brain injuries might last for years to come, said Zirui Song, an associate professor of health care policy and Massachusetts General Hospital primary-care doctor who led the study.