From Yahoo Finance:
“Gun-related injuries come with
billions in health care costs”
In addition to the human toll,
gun violence comes with steep economic costs. Firearm-related injuries carry a
cost of $2.8 billion annually, according to a 2017 Health Affairs study. The
estimate includes emergency room and hospital stay charges. The mean per person
cost was $5,254 for emergency department services, and a total of $95,887 for
the total duration of the stay. The study also found that the price tag is even
higher when accounting for lost work and other factors, according to 2010 data.
That comes to an annual total of $174 billion related to lost work, health care
costs, criminal justice claims and decreased quality of life. Privacy rules
affect the ability to track patient data to get a more accurate look at the
true cost. Among other limitations it identified, the study noted that the
database it referenced simply provided the incidents and did not have enough
information to follow patients after. That means that additional costs and
factors such as “long-term outcomes, including recidivism, survival, or
functional outcomes such as the quality of life,” as well as “subsequent
readmissions, rehabilitation and the costs associated with lost work and
productivity following a firearm-related injury.” Addressing gun violence
unfortunately is a politically charged matter, with numerous interest groups
often asserting conflicting solutions. “Like our nation, hospitals and health
systems are increasingly looking for new ways to address the wave of violence
that we are seeing,” the American Hospital Association president and CEO Rick
Pollack said. “As with any other public health challenge, we will remain an
engaged partner in both caring for and keeping our communities safe.”
^ This really is one of the
things most people do not stop and consider after a mass shooting or any
gun-related event. Not only do people have to deal with being shot, but also
all the medical bills, loss of work, etc. associated with that.^
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