a gunshot wound, a single surgery followed by two days intensive care runs $100,000

This is typical of trauma centers, especially those in urban areas with more frequent gun violence, said Lynette Scherer, the chief of trauma and emergency medical services at the UC Davis Medical Center in northern California. Staffing costs are high as emergency medical technicians, nurses, radiologists, nurses, physicians, surgeons and others have to be on site 24 hours a day. Facility, equipment and supply costs add to the tab.

For a patient with a gunshot wound, a single surgery followed by two days in the intensive care unit runs about $100,000, she said.