Health Care Costs for Boston Marathon Amputees Add Up Over Time

Carlos Arredondo, wearing the cowboy hat, helps officials run an injured man past the finish line the 2013 Boston Marathon after an explosion in Boston, April 15, 2013. (Charles Krupa/AP Photos)

 

Share

0

The price of a new prosthetic leg can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. But even the most expensive prosthetic limbs are built to withstand only three to five years of wear and tear, meaning they will need to be replaced over the course of a lifetime, and they're not a one-time cost.

Ten days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the most gravely injured among the victims have begun the daunting road to recovery. At least 14 of those injured in the blasts had to have limbs amputated, and at least two people had multiple amputations.

Each prosthetic limb must be custom fit to every patient, and costs can add up. Once they're fitted with the prosthesis, patients also need to attend physical therapy for weeks or months.

"Depending on what components you get on it, [the cost] can vary greatly," said Glenn Garrison, director of prosthetics and orthotics at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. "They're probably in line with a cost of a car. It can be a pricey thing to work with."

With physical therapy, Garrison said amputees could start walking on their own within two to four weeks after receiving a prosthesis. According to Garrison, most patients will have one prosthesis for the first year, but will likely need a second one to accommodate their changing physique.

Charles Krupa/AP Photos

Carlos Arredondo, wearing the cowboy hat,... View Full Size

Charles Krupa/AP Photos

Carlos Arredondo, wearing the cowboy hat, helps officials run an injured man past the finish line the 2013 Boston Marathon after an explosion in Boston, April 15, 2013.

Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Recovering Watch Video

Boston Strong: City United After Attacks Watch Video

Presidential Whiz Kid Has 1 Million Views on the Internet Watch Video

After that, a prosthesis usually wears out every three to five years, although Garrison said there were exceptions.

"I've seen people drive 20-year-old cars, and I've seen people walk on 20-year-old legs," said Garrison.

But the cost for prostheses are just one component of medical costs that can easily go from the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars after a severe injury. A 2011 survey by the by the International Federation of Health Plans found the average cost of a single day in a hospital was approximately $3,949.

At that cost a patient being treated in the hospital for 10 days, the length of time for 34 patients still hospitalized after the bombing, this could mean at least $39,490 in medical bills.

The fact that the bombing took place in Massachusetts meant that many if not all victims had health insurance because of the state law that requires most residents to have some kind of health insurance.

There is no public information on how many bombing victims had health insurance, but only 2 to 3 percent of Massachusetts residents go uninsured.

Jon Kolstad, an assistant professor specializing in health care economics at the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, said that while health insurance might not completely cover all expenses, it could keep patients and their families from financial ruin.

"If you had to buy that prosthetic without insurance that would be financial catastrophe on top of a medical catastrophe," said Kolstad.

Matt Albuquerque, president of Next Step Orthotics and Prosthetics in Manchester, N.H., is working with doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital to help patients who will need prosthetic devices. Albuquerque said even with insurance, some patients may still need financial help in the coming weeks and months.

"Most private insurance plans cover prosthetics at 80 percent level," said Albuquerque. "That challenge is going to be the 20 percent co-payments. ... That is going to be the areas that will need [help]."