Fiscal impact of a potential legislative ban on second trimester elective terminations for prenatally diagnosed abnormalities

This study was designed to determine the fiscal impact of a theoretical leg islative ban on elective terminations for prenatally diagnosed abnormalitie s at Hutzel Hospital/Wayne State University. A fiscal comparison was comple ted for patients who had second trimester elective terminations for prenata lly diagnosed abnormalities versus not allowing the procedure. An eight-yea r database of genetics cases and hospital and physician cost estimates for performing elective terminations for prenatally diagnosed abnormalities, an d published reports of the average lifetime costs per selected birth defect s, were used to calculate the net cost. The estimated lifetime cost for an average cohort year of a legislative ban on elective terminations for prena tally diagnosed abnormalities was found to be at least $8.5 million for pat ients treated at Hutzel Hospital. Extrapolated, a similar ban on second tri mester elective terminations would have a net cost of $74 million in Michig an and $2 billion annually in the United States. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.