Close Menu
POTUS News
  • Home
  • Health & Welfare
    • Environmental & Energy Policies
    • Historical & Cultural Context
    • Immigration & Border Policies
  • Innovation
    • International Relations
    • Judiciary & Legal Matters
    • Presidential News
    • Regional Spotlights
  • National Security
  • Scandals & Investigations
    • Social Issues & Advocacy
    • Technology & Innovation
  • White House News
    • U.S. Foreign Policy
    • U.S. Government Agencies
    • U.S. Legislative Updates
    • U.S. Political Landscape

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

What's Hot

Justice Department’s early moves on voting and elections signal a shift from its traditional role

June 15, 2025

How AI is disrupting the advertising industry

June 15, 2025

What Americans think about Pope Leo XIV

June 15, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
POTUS NewsPOTUS News
  • Home
  • Health & Welfare
    • Environmental & Energy Policies
    • Historical & Cultural Context
    • Immigration & Border Policies
  • Innovation
    • International Relations
    • Judiciary & Legal Matters
    • Presidential News
    • Regional Spotlights
  • National Security
  • Scandals & Investigations
    • Social Issues & Advocacy
    • Technology & Innovation
  • White House News
    • U.S. Foreign Policy
    • U.S. Government Agencies
    • U.S. Legislative Updates
    • U.S. Political Landscape
POTUS News
Home » Report: WV tops nation in per capita opioid spending | West Virginia
Health & Welfare

Report: WV tops nation in per capita opioid spending | West Virginia

potusBy potusMay 22, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email


(The Center Square) – A recent report from Avalere Health shows West Virginia’s state and local governments pay more per capita for opioid use disorder, or OUD, than any other state.

That figure tops $500 per person. It also topped the nation as a percentage of GDP, coming in at more than 6% of the state total.

The study looked at past figures to project estimated costs for 2024 for federal, state and local governments, private businesses, society as a whole via lost property and crime, individuals and households.

The total national costs were in excess of $3.9 trillion. West Virginia accounted for more than $52 billion of that with an OUD rate of more than 2%.

The figures reveal what could be described as an opioid tax levied upon the entire country, one that came in three waves beginning with the overprescription of pain medications like morphine and hydrocodone in the 1990’s. It gave way to a brief few years in which heroin proliferated starting around 2010 before escalating to the current flood of fentanyl and synthetic opioids on the street.

While external stakeholders like the government bear a significant portion of the burden, individuals bear the lion’s share of the cost. Nationally, the average case of OUD was about $695,000 annually, with $532,000 on the individual.

In West Virginia, the cost per case nearly doubles the national average, amounting to more than $1.2 million.

Much of the money lost comes in earnings for both employees and employers. Meanwhile, involvement in the judicial system, medical expenses, mortality and the treatment of neonatal dependence are typical expenses for both systems and individuals.

West Virginia has the highest overdose mortality rate in the country. In 2022, the CDC reported 80.9 deaths per 100,000 people. This represents 1,335 lives and a massive economic impact.

There is some hope to be found in the projections, however. Avalere calculated the average cost savings for different forms of treatment. Behavioral therapy alone can save $144,000 per case.

When medication is added to the treatment options, that number jumps. Behavioral therapy alongside any of the three approved therapeutic drugs, which include methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, can save between $270,000 and $295,000.

This is an increasingly thorny problem in West Virginia, where resistance to medication assisted treatment has significantly narrowed the window of available options for patients. In March, SB 204, which would make methadone clinics illegal in the state, moved to the Senate Health and Human Services committee.

The bill demonstrates the persistent stigmatization of OUD, one of the biggest obstacles to accessing treatment. According to Avalere, educating more primary care doctors about treatment is an important step. Experts say it’s much easier to confront a case of OUD when patients are able to continue working and living in their communities while accessing help.

The study notes that Black and Latino youth are more likely to suffer from OUD, while white people are more likely to be prescribed painkillers that lead to the disorder. People who are incarcerated have additional challenges with recovery and are more likely to die from overdose after being released.



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
potus
  • Website

Related Posts

Louisiana lawmakers pass $49.3B state budget on session’s final day | Louisiana

June 12, 2025

Lawmakers send major social safety net overhaul to governor’s desk | Louisiana

June 12, 2025

AMA to promote awareness of risks of ultraprocessed foods | National

June 11, 2025

House: Healthcare security is national security | National

June 11, 2025

Litigation pivotal to future of American health care prices | Ohio

June 11, 2025

Hochul urged to veto medical ‘aid-in-dying’ proposal | New York

June 11, 2025
Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

U.S. Foreign Policy

Why the U.S. Will Lose Trump’s Trade War

June 12, 2025

The German high command learned a key lesson after losing World War I: Never fight…

IR Experts Give Trump’s Second Term Very Low Marks – Foreign Policy

June 11, 2025

Ro Khanna on Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and China

June 5, 2025

How Gen Z Thinks About Foreign Policy

June 5, 2025
Editors Picks

Which US states could be hit hardest by Trump’s Canada and Mexico tariffs? | Business and Economy News

March 5, 2025

China sets 5 percent growth target despite trade war with US | Trade War News

March 5, 2025

As Trump roils stock markets, investors are betting big on Europe’s defence | Military

March 5, 2025

Climate crisis threatens Pakistan’s bees and honey trade | Climate Crisis News

March 4, 2025
About Us
About Us

Welcome to POTUS News, your go-to source for comprehensive news and in-depth analysis on President Trump, the White House, and U.S. governance. Our mission is to provide timely, reliable, and detailed coverage on key political, economic, and social issues under President Trump’s administration, as well as the broader U.S. government.

Our Picks

Justice Department’s early moves on voting and elections signal a shift from its traditional role

June 15, 2025

How AI is disrupting the advertising industry

June 15, 2025

What Americans think about Pope Leo XIV

June 15, 2025

How AI is disrupting the advertising industry

June 15, 2025

Google, Scale AI’s largest customer, plans split after Meta deal

June 14, 2025

What I learned following Jensen Huang around Europe

June 14, 2025

Tesla faces protests in Austin over Musk’s robotaxi plans

June 13, 2025
© 2025 potusnews. Designed by potusnews.
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Contact Us
  • DMCA
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.