The University of Pittsburgh Center for Biosecurity estimates that the cost of planning for an influenza pandemic could be as high as $5 billion. The American Hospital Association is citing the number in its efforts to win more flu funding from Congress for its members. The AHA told the Senate Special Committee on Aging that a typically-sized 164 bed hospital should expect to spend at least $1 million on preparations. The $5 billion estimate does not include the cost of buying mechanical ventilators or antiviral drugs--the two things that most experts have argued are key for hospitals to have on hand if a pandemic does break out.
- read this article from the Kaiser Health Policy Report