Rising Preterm Rates: The preterm birth rate in the United States has worsened for a third year, rising to 9.93 percent in 2017. Check Your State Here.
Best U.S. State: Vermont has a 7.5% preterm birth rate. They are the only state to receive an “A” on the March of Dimes Report Card.
National Preterm Birth Costs
Cost to the Nation:Preterm births cost $26 billion per year. A significant portion of preterm births are associated with Medicaid programs.
Costs to Health Plans:More than $6 billion extra is spent on preterm births; most spend is on infants with major birth defects.
Costs to Employers: $12.7 billion annually.
Before 32 weeks: For babies born prior to 32 weeks, the average NICU cost exceeds $280,000.
NICU Days: The average stay in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit is 13.2 days.
NICU Costs: $3,000.00 per day not including cost of birth. Average NICU exceeds $76,000 per baby.
Long Term Impact: Significant impact health and costs effects from childhood through adulthood; including: neuro development, cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, and pulmonary health.