The 2022 abortion ban in Idaho left many expectant mothers in rural areas without access to basic prenatal care. Bonner General Health discontinued labor and delivery service and obstetrics in 2023. Locals in places, like Bonner County, now drive 90 minutes for prenatal appointments with an OB-GYN. Several OB-GYNs have left Idaho hospitals due to the ban. Now, many new mothers are spending more time navigating life care plans and preparing for preventable birth injuries.
Understanding life care plans
A life care plan describes the legal documentation used to estimate the total costs over a lifetime attributable to a birth injury. The life care plan is used to provide lawyers and plaintiffs, in a birth injury lawsuit, with an estimate of the economic damages. The life care plan includes communications from the provider, extensive medical research, an in-person interview with the plaintiff and a review of the medical records.
How life care plans work
A life care plan considers the costs of daily life, nursing care and medical costs. Life care plans also provide a blueprint of all the services and treatment the child would need throughout their lifetime. Birth injuries may include swelling or bruising to the scalp or brain, nerve injuries or brain trauma. Life care plans are often used to assess the collateral damage of conditions, like birth defects, cerebral palsy birth injuries, infant brain damage, delivery complications and other prenatal problems.
The life care plan serves as a comprehensive report detailing the future care and costs related to the resulting birth injury. Itemizing the needs and costs of the resulting injury is commonplace in medical malpractice cases. The report is drafted by accredited professionals who testify in the trial. Medical professionals help formulate a reliable outline to help the court determine the economic costs and impact on the family.