The United States is experiencing an epidemic of opioid dependence, abuse and overdose, which has resulted in an overwhelming amount of medical services, according to a study by FAIR Health.
For the study, FAIR Health, a national, independent, nonprofit organization, examined its database of more than 20 billion privately billed healthcare claims to identify trends and patterns in the opioid epidemic among privately insured Americans.
Here are six study findings.
1. Claim lines with an opioid dependence diagnosis rose 3,203 percent from 2007 to 2014.
2. Claim lines with an opioid dependence diagnosis or heroin overdose diagnosis occur overwhelmingly with people between 19 and 35 years old.
3. Opioid dependence appears more common in men, but the gap narrows in people ages 46-55. From 2007-2014, in people ages 19-35, 67 percent of claims for opioid-dependent people were for men, compared to 33 percent
for women, the study found. However, with people between 46 and 55 years old, only 55 percent of claims for opioid-dependent people were for men, compared to 45 percent for women.
4. Opioid abuse was diagnosed more often in women than men in 2014. That year, 28 percent of women were diagnosed with opioid abuse compared to 25 percent of men.
5. In a number of states across the country, opioid dependence is diagnosed more frequently than other substance abuse and dependence diagnoses.
6. Claim lines with a pregnancy drug dependence diagnosis rose 511 percent from 2007 to 2014, which could be attributable to opioids or other drugs.
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