“The opioid abuse crisis is costing Missouri about $1.4 million an hour, or enough to wipe out the economic gains produced by the state’s agriculture, mining and utility industries, according to a study released this week.
The study by the Missouri Hospital Association considered health care, lost work productivity, substance abuse treatment and other costs for the thousands of Missourians who were addicted to opioids and the 921 who died of an opioid-related overdose in 2016. Using data from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the hospital association determined that the total cost of the opioid crisis in Missouri was more than $12 billion that year.
Mat Reidhead, the association’s vice president of research and analytics, said the report broke that staggering number down into an hourly figure and compared it to major industries to make it easier for the public to digest and understand.”
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/health-care/article195464299.html
Source: KansasCity.com – January 14, 2018
