There was a record number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. last year — more than 107,000. And most of them were the result of heroin, fentanyl and other opioids.
The cost of the opioid epidemic — in lives and in the suffering of those with addiction, their family and friends — is incalculable.
But we can put a number on the economic cost of the epidemic: $1.5 trillion in added healthcare spending and lost productivity in 2020, according to a report by the Congressional Joint Economic Committee.
The Biden Administration recently announced $1.5 billion in annual grants to states and tribes for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and other services to take on the epidemic. One goal of that spending is to increase the use of medication to treat opioid use disorder.
But it’s an uphill battle.
