| Title | Estimated Minimum Savings to the Medicaid Budget in Colorado by Implementing a Primary Seat Belt Law |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 26697 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Tison, Julie; Chaudhary, Neil K. |
| Source | 9, 1 p. : col. ill. |
| Corporate Creator | Preusser Research Group, Inc. |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| Publisher | United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| Publication Date | 20070300 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | A 2003 study estimated that if all States had primary seat belt laws from 1995 to 2002, over 12,000 lives would have been saved. Failure to implement a primary seat belt law creates a real cost to a State’s budget for Medicaid and other State medical expenditures. This study estimates the minimum dollars Colorado can expect to save on direct medical costs (primarily paid through Medicaid) by the implementation of a primary seat belt law. The current study analyzed Colorado’s 2005 Hospital Discharge Data, including only cases where the external cause of injury was a motor vehicle crash. The total estimated costs to Medicaid, including Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury costs, from motor vehicle crashes for the first year the injury was incurred for Colorado is $58.7 million for the first year and $7.7 million for each year after. In 2006, Colorado’s seat belt use rate was 80.3%. Based on a 40 percent expected conversion rate, one would expect belt use to increase by 7.88%, and of those newly belted individuals at least 50% would avoid injury (based on seat belt effectiveness in reducing injury). However, the Federal Government reimburses States a portion of their Medicaid expenditures. The reimbursement rate for Colorado is 50.0%. Accounting for this reimbursement, the first-year savings to the State by implementation of a primary seat belt law would be about $1.2 million dollars. Colorado could expect to have saved $7.3 million in the first 5 years and $18.2 million over 10 years. /Abstract from report summary page/ |
| Rosap ID | dot:1792 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1792 |
| TRT Terms | Manual safety belts; State laws; Medical services; Traffic crashes; Costs; Savings |
| General Subjects | Seat belt usage |
| Classification | NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Vehicle Design; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Accidents; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY; NTL - LAWS AND REGULATIONS - State Laws and Regulations |
| Geographical Coverage |
Colorado |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
1095904 |
| Contract Number | DTNH22-05-D-15043, Task Order No. 008 |
| Report Number | DOT-HS-810-746 |
| Availability | NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Research |
| Resource type | Research Paper |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/26000/26600/26697/4056-810746CO.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |