Table 3 –

Decomposition of change in aggregate national cost of preterm birth from 2004 to 2016 by factor responsible for the change.

Description	Difference in Cost ($ Billions)	Total Cost ($ billions)
Cost in 2005		26.2
Cost in 2016	− 1.0	25.2
Decomposition (all estimates in 2016 dollars)
Pure Price Change from 2005 to 2016	+ 5.8	32.0
Reduction in the Number of Births from 2004 to 2016	− 1.3	30.7
Switch to the 2016 LMP from the 2003 LMP	− 1.4	29.3
Lower Preterm Birth Rate	− 2.4	–
Change in the Distributions of PTB and Infant Mortality by GA	+ 1.0	–
Switch to the 2016 OE from the 2016 LMP	− 4.1	25.2
Lower Preterm Birth Rate	− 4.8	–
Change in the Distributions of PTB and Infant Mortality by GA	+ 0.7	–

Abbreviations: GA – gestational age; LMP – last menstrual period; OE – obstetric estimates; PTB – preterm birth.

Notes: The total cost of preterm birth in the IOM report was expressed in 2005 dollars but was based on the preliminary number of births in 2004 and the 2003 LMP preterm birth rate by GA (the latest vital statistics available at the time). The 2016 OE and LMP estimates of preterm births in 2016 were taken from the linked infant and births records in CDC Wonder. All reported costs are “incremental”, that is above and beyond the average costs of term and post-term births.