Ivette Cejas of UM’s medical school teamed with Esteban Petruzzello of the business school to gauge the economic, personal, and societal costs of delays in cochlear implantation for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Based on medical costs, special education costs, and productivity losses, they estimate the lifetime costs for an individual that does not receive an implant is $608,167, contrasted with $390,931 if they receive an implant early.

However, access is still uneven. “Unfortunately, while we know this technology could have great benefits in terms of an individual’s overall quality of life, there still is a lot of variability in coverage by states and by insurance companies,” says Cejas. “And there are issues related to early intervention and equal access, especially when we talk about diverse populations.”

• Ivette Cejas