Childhood stroke costs the U.S. health care system $42 million a year, according to the first cost analysis of pediatric stroke in the August Stroke. Among the 2,224 cases reported, the average hospital stay was 8.3 days and cost nearly $21,000. Private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare paid for 90% of cases. Although the cost of pediatric stroke is far less than that of adult stroke, "the lifetime cost of stroke care may have greater financial impact given the longer life expectancy for a child," write the authors.