The cost of opioid use disorder and the value of aversion, Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Summary/Excerpts

The consequences of opioid misuse impact human lives, families, and communities, and also have a societal and economic impact. This study analyzes the financial burden of the opioid epidemic to create a framework for responsible use of limited resources. Perspectives of taxpayers, society, and the healthcare sector are considered in estimating the mean value of opioid use disorder (OUD) aversion and are categorized by age. Data from 2015 – 2018 was used, a period which was marked by a decrease of OUD, but an increase in spending on the diagnosis. Most of this financial impact was attributed to an increasing amount of fentanyl supply and use. 

Key Statistics

Total annual cost of opioid use disorder (OUD) to U.S. society in 2018 was $786.8 billion.

The mean value of preventing an OUD across all ages in the U.S. was estimated to be $2.2 million for society, $325,125 for taxpayers, and $244,030 for the healthcare sector.

Citation

Sean M. Murphy, The cost of opioid use disorder and the value of aversion, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 217, 2020, 108382, ISSN 0376-8716, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108382.

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