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The Hidden Cost of Swine Flu for Families

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  • The Hidden Cost of Swine Flu for Families

    The Hidden Cost of Swine Flu for Families

    A Pandemic That Will Hit Your Pocketbook

    Whenever your child is sick, the emotional and physical tolls are substantial. But swine flu, or H1N1 influenza, seems destined to put an added burden on working families: a financial one. Since a cough could be enough to get a child sent home, swine flu may very well make its mark on your pocketbook in the coming months. Children with H1N1 must stay out of school until they?re fever-free for 24 hours, which could take up to a week (and some school systems suggest staying out a week just to be sure). Plus, some workplaces are also telling employees not to report to work if someone in their home is sick.

    Here are 8 ways swine flu could put a dent in your household budget this season -- along with an estimate of the cost for one week.


    The Lost Paycheck

    Nearly half of private sector employees don?t have paid sick days. Of low-income workers (the majority of whom are women), 79 percent do not have paid sick leave. ?Working moms will want to stay home when their children are sick,? says Steffany Stern, policy coordinator for the work and family team at the National Partnership for Women and Families. ?But (with swine flu) people will be put into the impossible position of having to take that time off and not be paid for it and risk their jobs because they don't have that right to time off.?

    Swine flu generally runs its course in one week. For a home health aide, that would be a loss of approximately $424. A receptionist would be out an average of $502 for that week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Cost: $500


    The Childcare Expense

    Sometimes, as much as we?d like to stay home and nurse our children back to health, it?s just not possible. And that?s where emergency child care can be a godsend. But it doesn?t come cheap. According to SitterCity.com, childcare ranges from $8.50 per hour for one child in suburban Detroit to $13.75 an hour in New York City. If you use a referral site, expect to pay a registration fee of up to $99 for a one-year membership.

    Cost: Up to $700


    The Doctor Visit

    Swine flu, with its high fever and cough, will probably send you straight to the pediatrician. Three-quarters of insured Americans have a co-pay for doctor?s visits that averages $18.74, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The cost goes up if you are uninsured or your doctor is out-of-network, like Debbie Volk?s. When the Great Neck, N.Y., mom?s 5-year-old daughter came down with swine flu, she received a bill for $95 for the doctor?s visit and another $75 in lab test fees. Fortunately for her, Volk?s insurance company will reimburse 70 percent of that cost.

    Cost: $18.75 (for the insured)
    Cost: $170 (for the uninsured)

    The ER Visit

    When Svetlana Kogan?s 8-year-old daughter Rachel started having trouble breathing late at night, a visit to the emergency room was unavoidable. Swine flu is especially hard on the respiratory system, and Rachel went on to develop bronchitis as well. On average, an ER visit for someone under age 18 costs $423, according to AHRQ. Depending on your insurance plan, you may have no coverage for ER visits unless the patient is admitted, or you may pay a significant portion of that money yourself as a deductible or hefty co-pay.

    Cost: $0 (for the insured)
    Cost: $423 (for the uninsured)

    Filling the Prescription

    When swine flu is detected early, the anti-viral medication Tamiflu can shorten the length of the illness. But it?s a name-brand drug not available as a generic, and it doesn?t come cheap. One five-day course of treatment costs up to $95, says drug manufacturer Roche. The average co-pay for a name-brand drug is $19.18, according to the 2007 Drug Trend Report by Express Scripts.

    Cost: $19.18 (for the insured)
    Cost: $95 (for the uninsured)

    Over-the-Counter Costs
    ?
    I bought a humidifier, Vick's VapoRub and a boatload of Children's Motrin,? says Alex Ota, whose 3-year-old son contracted swine flu at summer school. ?He had to be on it around the clock, which meant every six hours. We went through a lot.? A 4-ounce bottle of Children?s Motrin retailed for $6.99 on a popular Internet retail site. For an 11-year-old, one bottle would be a two-day supply.

    Cost: Up to $28

    Keeping Other Family Members Healthy

    The only thing worse than having one kid sick is having all your kids sick ? or getting sick yourself. Svetlana Kogan, who is a doctor, contracted the disease along with her daughter. Her parents came to help take care of the two of them, and she believes that they avoided illness because they wore masks whenever they were in the house. The Kimberly-Clark Child?s Face Mask, decorated with Disney characters, retails for $34.99 for a box of 75. The swine flu vaccine will also offer protection, and will be provided free of charge by the federal government. It is recommended for children over 6 months of age.

    Cost: $34.99


    The Pre-Paid Extras

    Dance class, tennis lessons, the non-refundable vacation ? these are all expenses paid for and wasted when a child is home with H1N1 virus. When Volk?s son also came down with H1N1, he had to leave his sleep-away camp for four days, a loss of nearly $700. And then there was the cost of driving four hours back and forth to pick him up and one night spent in a $200 hotel room. Volk runs her own business and being away from it translated into lost sales and some inconvenience for her clients as she cared for her family.

    Cost: Up to $1,000 (or more)

    The Grand Total

    Even without counting the cost of pre-paid extras, swine flu carries a hefty price tag. For the uninsured parent without paid sick leave who stays home to care for her child, the cost combining lost wages and expenses tops $1,900. The working parent who has medical insurance but has to hire childcare fares a bit better, at around $1300. Either way, swine flu is going to deliver a financial wallop to many parents this flu season.


    Cost: $1,301 (for the insured)
    Cost: $1,951 (for the uninsured)



    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela
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