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The Public Cost of Motorcycle Trauma
Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH;
Barbara G. Dicker, MA;
Abraham B. Bergman, MD;
Ralph Dacey, MD;
Clifford Herman, MD
JAMA. 1988;260(2):221-223.
Abstract
Despite the effectiveness of motorcycle helmet legislation, many states have repealed these laws during the last decade. Aspects often neglected by policy-makers are who pays for the care of these victims and how much of this cost is subsidized by public funds. To determine the extent of this subsidy, we studied the cost of care of 105 motorcyclists hospitalized at a major trauma center during a 12-month period. Total direct costs for these 105 patients, followed up for a mean of 20 months, were more than $2.7 million, with an average of $25 764 per patient. Only 60% of the direct costs were accounted for by the initial hospital care; 23% of costs were for rehabilitation care or readmission for treatment of acute problems. The majority (63.4%) of care was paid for by public funds, with Medicaid accounting for more than half of all charges.
(JAMA 1988;260:221-223)
Author Affiliations
From the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (Drs Rivara, Bergman, and Herman and Ms Dicker) and the Departments of Pediatrics (Drs Rivara and Bergman), Epidemiology (Dr Rivara and Ms Dicker), Surgery (Dr Herman), and Neurological Surgery (Dr Dacey), University of Washington, Seattle.
Footnotes
Reprint requests to Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, 325 Ninth Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 (Dr Rivara).
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