NCJ Number
214790
Date Published
March 2002
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This report presents a summary of data on estimated reported costs associated with caring for babies prenatally exposed to drugs or alcohol.
Abstract
The total lifetime costs for caring for those children that survive prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol reportedly ranges from $750,000 to $1.4 million. The total national direst cost related to prenatal exposure to illegal drugs was $387 million in 1991. National Medicaid costs were reported at $3 billion in 1996. The national cost of special education needs of children prenatally exposed to cocaine or crack was estimated at $352 million annually in 1998. The estimated national cost of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was reportedly $2.1 billion in 1990. National estimated treatment costs for infants, children, and adults with FAS was $1.9 billion in 1992. National first year health costs for babies with low birth weight attributed to mothers’ smoking during pregnancy was $1 billion to $1.5 billion. The data presented in this report, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Courts Program Office reflects reported costs associated with caring for children that were prenatally exposed to drugs or alcohol. The data is broken down by type of cost, charted in the following categories: (1) hospital/medical costs for drug exposed babies; (2) costs related to cocaine/crack exposed babies; (3) costs associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS); (4) costs associated with opiate-exposed babies; (5) costs associated with babies exposed to tobacco smoking; (6) in-hospital housing costs for drug exposed babies; and (7) outside (foster/nursery) care costs for drug exposed babies.