PREMATURE BIRTHS: AGE TO VIABILITY AND MONETARY COSTS

This is a companion piece to "Abortion, Down’s Syndrome and Spina Bifida (Including Hydrocephalus)"  [http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2019/02/abortion-downs-syndrome-and-spina.html]

Age of Viability
To be called premature, the birth of the baby would be at less than 37 wks of gestation.
Strictly speaking, most doctors define the age of viability as being about 24 weeks of gestation. In many hospitals, 24 weeks is the cutoff point for when doctors will use intensive medical intervention to attempt to save the life of a baby born prematurely.
A baby born at 24 weeks would generally require a lot of intervention, potentially including mechanical ventilation and other invasive treatments followed by a lengthy stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
In the hands of experienced specialists, babies born slightly earlier may have a chance at survival. Babies born at 23 weeks may survive in a state-of-the-art NICU, but the odds of survival are much lower.
The odds of survival increase as the pregnancy progresses, and even an extra week in the womb can make a difference. In general, premature babies born closer to 37 weeks will be better off than those born before 28 weeks.*

(Click on figure to enlarge)

Costs Of Premature Birth
Costs for premature and low-birth-weight babies are also higher in terms of combined medical costs for the mother and child -- $64,713, compared with $15,047 for uncomplicated births, the March of Dimes report said.**
However, individual costs can even exceed $2 million with continuing expenses
Ethan and Aidan Sinconis racked up $2.2 million in medical bills in the first 18 months after they were born. Insurance covered most of the costs, but their parents’ portion approached $450,000.
Societal costs of premature births totaled $26.2 Billion in 2007.
In 2007, the Institute of Medicine reported that the cost associated with premature birth in the United States was $26.2 billion each year. Here’s how the numbers add up: 

$16.9 billion in medical and health care costs for the baby
$1.9 billion in labor and delivery costs for mom
$611 million for early intervention services. These are programs for children from birth to age 3 with disabilities and developmental delays. They help children learn physical, thinking, communicating, social and self-help skills that normally develop before age 3. 
$1.1 billion for special education services. These services are specially designed for children with disabilities ages 3 through 21. They help children with development and learning. Children can get these services at school, at home, in hospitals and in other places, as needed. 
$5.7 billion in lost work and pay for people born prematurely***

* https://www.verywellfamily.com/premature-birth-and-viability-2371529
** http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/17/premature.babies/index.html
http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/02/the-cost-of-premature-birth-for-one-u-s-family-it-was-more-than-2-million/
*** https://www.marchofdimes.org/mission/the-economic-and-societal-costs.aspx