Certain Rust Belt states experiencing 300-500 % increases in opioid overdose rates
Drug overdose deaths per 100k Residents from April 2020 to April 2021
10-year change in opioid fatalities -100% 0 % 100 % 200 % 300 % 400 % 500 % 0K 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K
Source : Center for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER Online Database Source : CDC and the U . S . Census Bureau
Fatal Cost ( Lost productivity and Health Care )
Uninsured 3 %
Distribution of the Economic Burden of Prescription Opioid Overdose , Abuse and Dependence
Criminal Justice
27 %
Medicaid 7 %
10 %
33 %
26 %
4 %
Health Insurance
Lost Productivity ( Nonfatal )
Substance Abuse Treatment
The cost of the opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on many parts of the economy as well . A 2018 Altarum study found that the impact on education , productivity , healthcare , the criminal justice system , children and families alone exceeded $ 1 trillion between 2001 and 2017 . An additional $ 500 billion was projected to be reached by 2020 . The exponential growth of these financial burdens is dramatic and quickly sprinting out of reach .
These costs are being born by individuals in the form of lost wages , on the private sector in terms of productivity , and in lost tax revenues for local , state and federal governments . But there are also indirect financial damages to the economy that are more difficult to track , including lost spending for food , clothing , housing , etc . Not to mention the inherent emotional toll from addiction . If there are any winners in this crisis , it would be pill mills , criminals in the drug trade , and funeral homes ( albeit unwittingly ).
Continues on next page .
CHAMPUS / VA & Other 2 % Medicare 3 %
Private Insurance 18 %
MARCH / APRIL 2022 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 15