Traumatic Brain Injury Financial Assistance

The Cost of a TBI

Depending on the severity of the TBI, medical care costs associated with traumatic brain injury are estimated to be between $100,000 and $3 million dollars.

Beyond the initial incident, hospitalization, and inpatient care, the costs associated with the recovery and continued brain injury treatment care can be substantial. From treatment at home to long-term care at a care facility, the expenses depend on the severity of the damage following a TBI:

According to a 2025 study, average annual costs per-patient for TBI and similar diagnoses ranges from $120,000 to over $180,000. Lifetime care expenses typically exceed $1 million.

In the U.S., researchers consider “catastrophic bills” associated with a TBI to point to “a high-resource, high-burden, low-equity dilemma.”

As the study explained, after initial medical stabilization, patients face a critical vulnerability in care continuity as they transition from inpatient acute care to sub-acute care.

Without appropriate financial resources and community support in place, it may be impossible to bring a stroke survivor home from the hospital into a safe, healthy, and accessible environment.

Common Out-of-Pocket TBI Expenses

Insurance may offer a financial lifeline with certain expenses following a traumatic brain injury. However, insurance typically does not cover all the costs associated with a TBI – including some of these common expenses:

• Health insurance premiums, deductibles, and co-payments
• Medications
• Medical travel expenses for therapy or treatment
• Relocation or moving expenses due to diagnosis (such as in the case of moving to be closer to a therapy center or hospital for treatment)
• Temporary housing due to medical relocation
• Mileage, tolls, and parking fees for visits to therapy center or hospital
• Specially equipped vans, specialized wheelchairs, and durable medical equipment
• Home modifications for accessibility
• Home health care services and caregiving
• Activity-based therapy and rehabilitation
• Assistive technology 
• Experimental treatments